Home
Weather Dublin
WeatherRadar
RainfallRadar
TemperatureRadar
WindRadar
LightningRadar
Weather News
Editor's Pick
Discover the app
Weather widget
Contact us
Apps
    Home / Editor's Pick /

    Washing can dry even when it's freezing

13:00
23 January 2022

Winter laundry tip
Washing can dry even when it's freezing

clothesline

While many of us wait for a warm, sunny day to hang laundry, did you know that you can actually dry your washing when it is freezing outside?

If you want to do something good for yourself and the environment, you can make use of a special property of water to dry your laundry in winter. Even when it's freezing cold!

The prerequisite for this is that it is frosty outside and the air is relatively dry. Once the laundry is frozen, the water skips an aggregate state - namely the liquid state.

This effect is called sublimation. The frozen water evaporates directly. The conditions for this are particularly good when, in addition to temperatures below zero, the sun is shining. A combination we have seen regularly across the UK and Ireland recently.

In ideal conditions, the laundry dries in a day in the frosty air. For this, the sun should be shining and a light wind blowing.

But this is not a must, because very cold air often also brings low humidity. Therefore, it can absorb the moisture of the laundry very well. Another advantage of this is that the laundry smells particularly fresh, ideally it even smells like winter clear air.

The effect of sublimation can also be observed with snow. If it snows at first and then the weather turns dry and cold, the snow cover will become smaller and smaller over time, despite the constant frost, because the white snow simply dissolves into thin air.

More on the topic
Weather map of Europe showing a high-pressure system over Central Europe, low-pressure systems over the Atlantic and Turkey, numerous sun symbols, and temperatures ranging from 4 to over 40 degrees.
Thursday 21 May 2026

Omega block

The weather in Europe is changing
Temperature map of the UK and western Europe showing warm orange conditions with temperatures above 20°C, alongside thermometer and UV icons indicating strong sunshine and elevated UV levels.
Wednesday 20 May 2026

Sunday peak

UV levels soar over Bank Holiday weekend
Split image showing a bright rainbow above a residential street on the left and a dramatic ocean sunrise with glowing clouds and reflections on the sea on the right.
Sunday 24 May 2026

Your weather - Your shots

From unsettled to warm and toasty
All weather news
This might also interest you
Illustration of white and yellow fireworks on a blue background.
Wednesday 31 December 2025

Hello 2026

Happy New Year
Weather graphic showing rain and wind fields over the Canary Islands and a central warning symbol.
Friday 12 December 2025

Storm and rain

Turbulent weather in the Canary Islands
plit image showing a double rainbow over a rocky shoreline on the left and sheep grazing in a green field under stormy clouds on the right.
Sunday 2 November 2025

Your weather - Your shots

Mixed conditions on an unsettled week
All articles
Weather & Radar

Weather & Radar is also available on

Google Play StoreApp Store

Company

Contact us Privacy Policy Legal info Accessibility statement

Services

Uploader

Socials

facebooktwitteryouTubelinkList