Wind dries clothes primarily by accelerating the process of evaporation.
Here's a breakdown of how wind contributes to drying clothes:
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Increased Evaporation Rate: The primary mechanism is that wind constantly removes the water vapor that has evaporated from the clothes' surface. If this vapor were to remain stagnant around the clothes, it would increase the humidity in the immediate vicinity, slowing down further evaporation. The wind sweeps this humid air away, allowing more water molecules from the wet clothes to escape into the air and evaporate. Evaporation increases with increase in wind speed.
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Lower Humidity: Wind usually brings with it drier air. Air with a lower relative humidity has a greater capacity to hold more moisture. Therefore, windy conditions generally present a drier environment for clothes to release their moisture into.
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Particle Movement: As the reference states, with increased wind speed, water vapor particles move away from the clothes. This prevents saturation of the air surrounding the clothes, promoting further evaporation.
Essentially, wind helps to maintain a low concentration of water vapor around the clothes, which allows for faster and more efficient evaporation, and consequently, quicker drying.
