To not allow the tumble drier to be used apart from emergencies

I don't think the modern ones use up as much electricity. I use one in the Winter. If I hang out things during the better weather, I put things that might need ironing in for about two minutes and they come out smooth.

I find during the Winter months that you often come home to wet washing.

Yes, I admit people didn't use them years ago and I am perhaps much lazier than previous generations of my family but I guess one could say that of many modern appliances. After all, years ago we didn't have electric light, TV's, refrigerators or telephones but most people have these things now. Life changes.

I see no problem with having an old tumble dryer and just keeping it for emergencies, it may be less efficient than a more modern one but you need to take into account all the energy consumed when manufacturing a new one and the raw materials consumed in making it. That may well make the older tumble dryer the more efficient.

Fires in tumble driers are very much a recent phenomena so for that reason as well on older tumble drier may be more safer as well. I always think the most energy efficient way to run any machinery, whether car or tumble drier, is to run them until they fail and only then replace them.

As for occasional use, that strikes me as admirably ecological. There will be times, like, for example this year's wet spring when constantly drying clothes on racks indoors is causing excessive moisture and condensation indoors and it is necessary to dry things in a tumble drier.

What I wouldn't have done was ask someone to stop the tumble drier and take things out. I would simply explain that it was much better for the environment and global warming if, where possible, clothes are air dried rather than tumble dried. He will have to live with global arming far longer than we will.

I wish, Lemongrove! No, this is rural Scotland, which makes it even more astonishing, when you consider the wind power we have available.

I think I would have not said anything as your guest was leaving the following day. Its your house and your rules though.
As others have said please get your drier checked or get rid of it for reasons of safety.
GrandmaKT I thought your comments were a bit harsh.

I use mine all the time, no washing line as the birds crap all over the washing. I think you should have told him in advance it was out of bounds rather than make him remove his stuff especially as he's leaving tomorrow. So yes you were unreasonable in my opinion but bit late now.

Towels dry. Smart meter says I've used 30p, but I also have the television on, so for just the tumble dryer it's probably a bit less. I've never costed for the television.

Do not feel bad I am sure he has not even given what you said a second thought.

I haven’t seen in any posts the fact that using tumble dryers all the time wears out clothes. All the lint that has to be cleaned from filter is fibers from the fabric.

Obviously some people don’t have any alternative, but I prefer to avoid using dryer if possible.

Like Grammaretto, I get annoyed at younger people who have long showers, do washing up under a running tap, wash clothes, towels etc even if not dirty and waste food, but I probably wouldn’t reprimand a guest.

Yes, you were I’m afraid. What’s the point of having a tumble drier if it can’t be used when the weather is wet? If you are concerned as to the amount of electricity it uses, get rid of it.

Eugh are we only supposed to wash clothes and towels etc if they are dirty or smell. Towels don't really get dirty when used for drying clean bodies so wouldn't be washed very often.

I can’t imagine begrudging a house guest the use of the tumble dryer, especially a lad of 17.
Why did you have him to stay if you were going to count the cost like that?

I have never owned or had the desire to own a tumble dryer. I do heaps of washing and manage perfectly well without one. Just saying.

I did have a tumble dryer when I was at FT work and teenage DDs used towels like disposables! When we moved house I never replaced it and have not missed it.

Gramaretto I do think, unless you expressly told your house guest not to use it and he did, that it was rude and unreasonable to make him remove his stuff. He was being responsible and sorting out his laundry.

I would not use the tumble dryer if its good drying weather. And I use a clothes airer when I bring them in off the line. My towels though are much softer if tumble dried and duvet covers need less ironing. I think we should be economical with energy and money. But I think I might have let my guest dry his washing. I think he may have been embarrassed being asked to take it out. Sometimes guests use things more than we would but its only short term so we ignore it.

Hmm.

Last weekend, my nephew's family, touring from New Zealand, had a mound of washing which had to be dried quickly as they were staying just one night. A good thing I had an efficient tumble drier then! I'm about to use mine to dry the washing I didn't put out today because it looked like rain - and it did rain! My smart meter doesn't show excessive use when the drier is on.

He's leaving tomorrow and I feel a bit mean now.

His washing needs to be bone dry before he packs it otherwise it could go mouldy or smell musty.

Never mind, he probably won't be back again.

I think you were indeed being unreasonable. To have a house guest and to actually tell them to take their washing out of the dryer and hang it up....that seems pretty rude to me.

It's one thing to be frugal, but to let that take over your life so you are rude to guests in your attempt to save a few pennies, seems to be pretty obsessive. Most of us were, like you, brought up in the post-war period, but the war is long gone and it's time to be a bit more reasonable.

The Wonderful Man would absolutely agree with your actions Grammaretto - for both cost and especially environmental reasons. I would probably have been inclined to let it pass as it was a one time only situation and the young man was leaving the next day.
However, yesterday I did give my lodger a dressing down for putting ONE tea-towel sized item into the washing machine and running a full cycle! It was, apparently, his car washing cloth and it was very mucky. We have a laundry room with a sink for goodness sake - just wash the cloth by hand! The Wonderful Man nearly had apoplexy when he opened the machine to find just a single item in there.

Your replies have been useful and thought provoking. I hadn't considered that having an ancient machine was false economy. I felt smug.
I hadn't thought about his feelings and merely resented him not thinking of mine.There was a bit more to the story background as the lad is on a working holiday and hasn't been much help to me but again that is really my fault for not setting out my expectations at the outset. He stayed for 3 weeks and did some gardening in return for full board.

What I did on his last day was rude but unlike grannyactivist's OH, mine is very likely to fill the washing machine with one cloth, so housekeeping is an uphill struggle. I can't cure him so take out my resentment on the boy who can't answer back.
Thanks for all your suggestions and ideas. I must try to be kinder to guests and less obsessive in future. I sound as irrational as Basil Fawlty.

Is this a wind up? I’d personally not give house room to a tumble drier, but to deny it’s use to a young house guest, who’s leaving and needs to dry clothes on a rainy day is bonkers.

Surely a wind up.

Thats nice of you to take on board what others have said grammaretto. And perhaps you were a bit annoyed with him. I have paid young family members good rates for doing painting thinking I was helping with summer jobs. never finished the job but took the money so I understand a bit.

No oldmeg it isn't a wind up but does sound bonkers.
The fact was, I had managed to wash and dry 2 loads of washing on the line yesterday before the rain began. It was later in the afternoon I saw the drier was on. So he could have at least asked me if he could use it.
I also thought it odd that he felt obliged to return home to his family in France with all his clothes washed and dried.
I generally finish a holiday with a pile of dirty clothes!

Perhaps you should have told the full story in the original post!

I once came home and found a lodger had packed the tumble drier to bursting point with another load waiting. She knew I didn't use it unless I had to but didn't expect me home. cheek!