This Is the Clever Japanese Technique for Faster Clothes Drying in Winter

While autumn brings vivid color to the woods, transforming parks into scenes reminiscent of a Claude Monet painting, it also has its downsides. Shorter days, longer nights, and endless stretches of rain make keeping dry a challenge, especially in regions with Atlantic climates. Stepping outside without an umbrella can feel like tempting fate.

And for many, drying laundry becomes an ongoing struggle—tedious, unhealthy, and sometimes costly.

In most parts of the world, laundry drying often relies on bulky dryers that consume space and hike up the electricity bill. Radiators and stoves can offer some heat, but they’re not efficient solutions for drying clothes. Indoor clotheslines can mean damp clothes hanging around for days, with the laundry pile only growing.

But in Tokyo, there’s a different approach.

Learning From Japan

In Japan, people have found a way to dry clothes efficiently, quickly, and without unpleasant odors, even in fall and winter. Tokyo residents, used to the city’s humid subtropical climate, frequent rain, and micro-apartments, have developed a technique to keep laundry fresh and well-aired year-round—without relying on dryers.

This system, known as “hanging rainbows,” may sound poetic, but it’s actually quite practical. The technique is all about carefully arranging clothes for maximum airflow.

First, find a well-ventilated room with some natural sunlight, if possible. Set up a clothesline, pole, or rope, and—crucial to this method—arrange the clothes in a rainbow shape.

How does it work? Hang clothes in an inverted “U” shape, with longer garments on the ends and shorter items staggered toward the middle. The Japanese real estate portal Apts, which specializes in Tokyo rentals, even includes a helpful graphic showing this layout to maximize drying efficiency. By creating space between layers, the clothes dry faster, reducing moisture buildup and preventing unwanted odors.

“When you clip your clothes onto the drying hanger, give enough space for air to move through them. The humidity in Japan can make the air feel heavier—a sure indication that clothes drying will take longer. A great trick is to hang your clothes in a rainbow shape, clipping longer items on the ends of the rack and shorter items as you move inwards. For towels, hang one side longer than the other so more air can move through it,” the real estate portal suggests.

Apts explains that by hanging clothes in an inverted U-shape, or rainbow formation, drying times can be significantly reduced. While drying a load of clothes in a V-shape might take about four and a half hours, the rainbow method can cut that time to four hours.

But arrangement isn’t the only tip. The platform advises removing clothes from the washer immediately after the cycle finishes. Even a 10-minute delay can lead to unpleasant odors. For faster drying, hang items perpendicular to airflow, ideally opposite the room entrance, and space them out to improve air circulation. Using hangers for larger spacing and an octopus-style hanger for small items like socks or underwear can help maximize airflow.

By following these tricks, drying laundry in fall and winter becomes less of a challenge—even without a dryer—making it an ideal method for reducing energy costs and saving space.

Images | Elisa Calvet B. (Unsplash) | Atul Vinayak (Unsplash)

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