I live somewhere that gets about two solid weeks of rain every spring. The first year, I hung clothes on a drying rack in the spare room, closed the door, and came back two days later to clothes that smelled like a damp basement. I rewashed everything. Then I did it again. Then I finally figured out what I was doing wrong.

Drying clothes indoors is not just about time. It is about airflow and moisture management. Without both, you get that musty smell — which is actually mildew starting to form in the fabric. Here is how to do it right.

Airflow Is Everything

The single biggest mistake: closing the door on a room full of drying clothes. Without air movement, the moisture evaporating from the clothes has nowhere to go. It saturates the air in the room, and then just sits in the fabric. You get the musty smell and drying time doubles.

Put a fan on the clothes. Any fan — box fan, standing fan, desk fan. Point it directly at the drying rack. The moving air carries moisture away from the fabric and circulates it through the room. Clothes that would take two days to dry will be done in six to eight hours.

Keep a window cracked if possible, even in the rain. The outdoor air — even humid outdoor air — helps exchange the moisture-laden indoor air. If you cannot open a window, at least leave the room door open so moisture can distribute through the house instead of concentrating in one room.

Give Clothes Space

Do not pile wet clothes on top of each other. Arrange them on the drying rack with at least an inch between each item. Overlap is the enemy — wherever two wet pieces of fabric touch, that spot will take forever to dry and is where mildew starts.

For heavy items like jeans and towels, hang them over two bars instead of one to increase the surface area exposed to air. Or use a hanger and hang them from a shower rod or door frame where there is more space.

Quick Dry Tricks for Emergencies

• Towel trick for delicates. Lay the wet item flat on a dry towel. Roll the towel up tightly and press down. The towel absorbs most of the water. Unroll and hang the now-damp item — it will dry in a fraction of the time.
• Spin cycle twice. If you have a washing machine, run an extra spin cycle. It removes more water without heat and costs very little electricity. Clothes come out noticeably drier.
• Hang near a heat source — but not on it. Near a radiator, not touching. Near a sunny window, not in direct contact with the glass. Direct heat can shrink or damage fabric. Radiant warmth speeds drying safely.

I still use a drying rack for most of my laundry, rain or shine. It saves electricity, clothes last longer without the dryer heat, and the musty smell problem is completely solved by that fifteen-dollar box fan.