How do Europeans dry clothes?

Europeans dry clothes differently than many Americans, largely due to energy costs, smaller living spaces, and cultural habits, with a strong preference for air drying over machine drying. In most European countries, especially in the UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Scandinavia, the majority of households do not own a tumble dryer and instead use indoor drying racks, also called clothes horses or airers, outdoor clotheslines on balconies, gardens, or communal drying areas, and heated drying racks that use low electricity to gently warm clothes. In Southern Europe where sunshine is abundant, outdoor line drying is very common year-round, while in Northern Europe, people dry clothes indoors during winter near radiators with windows cracked for ventilation to prevent mold. Many European apartment buildings have shared laundry rooms with drying rooms that have dehumidifiers or warm air circulation. Europeans also tend to use higher spin speeds in washing machines, often 1200 to 1600 RPM, which extracts more water so clothes dry faster without a dryer. The reasons for this approach include high electricity costs that make tumble dryers expensive to run, environmental awareness about energy consumption, smaller homes where large dryers do not fit, and a belief that air drying preserves fabric quality and makes clothes last longer. While dryer ownership is increasing, air drying remains the dominant and culturally normal method across Europe.