Dumb Question – How to dry clothes at Airbnb with only washers?
 

Hello!

A lot of the Airbnbs in Paris only have washers but no dryers. I am noticing the same thing in other parts of France too. It seems like most places only come with a washing machine.

For anyone who has stayed longer than just a few days, how do you usually dry your clothes? Do hosts usually provide drying racks, or is there some trick I am missing? Curious how people typically handle this.

Thanks.

In my experience, the washing machines are designed as somewhat combo washer/dryers. They usually dry clothes out a bit more than what you would anticipate with a normal US washing machine, but they still need to dry some. Usually, apartments outfitted this way have some drying racks for this purpose.

I try to rent places with a washer and dryer. But, if unavailable, if it has a washer, there is usually a drying rack too.

i also travel with this:

I travel with a length of cord and a few clothes pins. It stays in my suitcase so I never forget it...
Comes in handy in hotel rooms for a quick rinse and overnight dry.

They are either a combo washer dryer, though note they often can only dry half the load they can wash, or there is a drying rack and/or washing line and pegs available to dry either in the accommodation or outside.
Many supermarché away from Paris also having washing machines and dryers for a few euro, usually in the car park.

You could always pack a travel washing line, they are light and take up little room.

It's not just France, but Europe wide.

In my experience, drying racks are provided, or in the case of apartments with a shared washer in the basement, there are often clothes lines provided near the furnace. Some places also have outdoor lines, which work in summer, not so much in winter.

I find this an odd question because we don’t use a dryer at home (and neither do most of the people I know).

On holidays I use a drying rack if there is one and I also take clothes pegs with a hook on them (try Ikea) and hang them in the bathroom. Much kinder on your clothes than a dryer. If I have things which might take longer to dry I wash them at the start of my stay and I try to not let dirty washing accumulate, often washing in the bathroom sink if there is no machine. It’s never been a problem.

It's not an odd question at all. Even the humblest homes in the US have a separate dryer (if they have a washing machine at all) which totally eliminates the need to hang clothes out to dry, although I can remember that not being the case 50+ years ago.

Thank you all for responses. I have reached out to my Airbnb host, and they do provide drying racks and iron. We are going in Summer so it should be good enough for us to do small loads.

It's not an odd question at all.

It IS an odd question for anyone who lives/has lived outside of the US.

I've lived in several countries, and the US is the odd man out when it comes to tumble dryers.

And I'm the odd man out here in my US town because I have a Hills Hoist.

It's different, not better or worse, just different. And isn't that why we travel in the first place?

Well, yes, which would indicate to anyone who has traveled that there is more than one normal state of affairs on this subject. However, this person seemed to suggest that any other state of affairs but what they were used to is bizarre, or at least it sort of came off that way. The OP asked a simple question which only required a simple answer.

And the person in question (dreamon) is not from the US.

This is an international site...just saying. Different experiences, different perspectives.

Even the humblest homes in the US have a separate dryer.

Yeah, but...

love that you have clothes line. My friend who lived 10 years in Australia has a clothes line in Minnesota -people think shes weird lol

My sister-in-law, originally from Dubbo (Australia), where 40C temperatures are a regular matter, moved to Canada for 5 years, where tumble driers are normal. She always maintains that tumble-dried clothes are never as clean or as fresh as clothes that have dried in the sun. Nothing smells quite as good as folding clothes that have come in from the sun. But I might add that that sunlight also bleaches clothes, too, so it's not all a win ...

Lavandula

When you are in the US put your stuff in a tumble dryer which will have it dry and warm and ready to wear in about 45 minutes. In you are in Europe, figure it out. Simple!

If you are unhappy with just a drying rack, you can go to the local laundromat with your wet clothes and use their dryers for a couple of euros.

When we lived in Austria we had one of those combination machines; I simply finished drying the clothes on a drying rack. We liked the concept so much that when we returned stateside I purchased one of those machines for our home. The extra spin takes considerable water out of the clothes, even towels, so drying takes barely a day for heavy items like jeans.

If you have a towel warmer in the bathroom, turn it on and hang some clothes over that. This is most helpful with drying jeans or other thick materials.

As a Parsian, I actually dry my items on coat hangers on the shower rod in the bathroom. If I need faster drying, I just turn on the radiator in the bathroom.

I travel light so wash out my clothes daily while showering or in hand basin and hang over shower rail or on the balcony.
Even when our accommodation had a washer, we rarely used it (I confess I’ve never used a dryer in my life)
My travel clothes are lightweight and it’s no effort.