Wraps, washable liners and wipes all dry quickly but drying qualities might be something that you want to consider when first purchasing nappies; especially if you have limited room for drying and don’t have access to a tumble drier.

Synthetic fabrics e.g. microfibre or fleece dry most quickly and can be dry to the touch after a good spin cycle. Cotton also dries well with flat nappies (terries and prefolds) drying most quickly.   Bamboo and hemp take the longest to dry along with the all in one style nappies.   However, pocket nappies offer a quick drying all in one option as the absorbent layer can be pulled out and dried separately.

If your favourite nappy is slow to dry perhaps consider investing in a couple quick drying alternatives to help bridge the gap. 

Whichever nappies you choose to use there are measures you can take to optimise their drying potential; minimising your use of a tumble drier not only helps the environment but will also save you money. 

Use the best spin cycle on your washing machine to give you a head start, line dry whenever possible and make use of warm spots in your house to place a clothes horse or airer. Remember that heat rises so place your airer on your upstairs landing if you have one or perhaps invest in an airer which can be hung from the ceiling. 

Airing cupboards are also very useful to aid with drying or to warm clothes that have been hanging outside.  One drawback to indoor drying can be that your nappies smell less fresh.  Try adding a spoon of bicarb to your washing powder, some white vinegar to the final rinse (put in the fabric softener compartment of your washing machine) or if using the tumble drier place a cloth with a few drops of lavender oil in with the nappies.

Even a few hours of air drying can reduce tumble drying times significantly.  We have found that a full load of approximately 20 nappies will take an hour to dry in a tumble drier, straight from the wash.  After airing them indoors for a day, tumbling is reduced to at least 40 minutes and Iine drying can reduce tumble times to as little as 10 minutes.

If you have no other option than to tumble dry make sure you try to be as energy efficient as possible. A-rated washing and drying appliances use less electricity and regularly cleaning of the fluff filter and emptying the water reservoir in condensed driers helps tumble driers run more efficiently. 

Experiment with drying times to avoid the drier running unnecessarily; checking regularly will help you to gauge appropriate times.  Tumble dryer balls are available which claim to reduce drying times, our survey of users showed mixed results with some people agreeing that washing, particularly towels and bedding, dried quicker and were softer but most agreed that the fabric showed greater signs of wear and tear.

If you find that you are often using the tumble dryer you might consider switching your electricity supplier to a green tariff which uses wind or hydro power generation.

Also remember that if you have an economy 7 meter your electricity is much cheaper between midnight and 7 am.

Have you worked out a better way to dry your nappies? Let us know with a comment below!