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

I use mine far less often nowadays, but I certainly wouldn't be without it. However I wouldn't prevent a guest's one off use. When dd and very little Gdcs are staying I will often wash and TD their things to save her having yet more washing when she gets home.
As for your young guest, OP, since there's a TD there, presumably he thought it was there to be used.

For various reasons - not least the fact that hanging out washing here could result in it landing in Norway- I use my dryer for all laundry. I have an A rated condenser machine which is plumbed into the sink drain so all extracted water is carried away. It costs less than £1 pw to run and my smart meter barely registers when it’s on. It’s carbon footprint is also very low.

I would be very concerned about drying clothes indoors on racks and radiators - all that condensation has to go somewhere, usually into the fabric of your home. Perversely, our higher standards of heating and insulation make this more likely to occur. Damp is not good for anyone’s health, especially those with chest issues, and possible mould spores in the atmosphere are even worse.

Technology isn’t all bad. We can cause more environmental impact by being Luddites!!

(SueDonim will understand about flying laundry methinks!)

I have one, but use it very infrequently, I put the washing outside in good weather, or on an airer in the spare room during the winter. It's there for emergencies, I'd hate to use it every day, but realise that if space for drying washing inside is limited and the weather is wet and cold then the tumble dryer is the only option for some households.

I'd never leave it on if we both go out, or when we go to bed.

Ah yes, pollyperkins, I’d forgotten that my daughter had a really useful portable heated drying rack for indoors when she lived in a small flat and didn’t have room for a tumble dryer. From Lakeland I think.

I have a retractable washing line that I pull across when I need it and it sits flat on the wall when not in use . I have a huge banister where I dry bits in wet weather . I just hang it across when I leave for work and they’re dry as a bone when I return . Not a tumble dryer in sight.

I was surprised to learn from reading this that modern tumble driers don't use too much electricity. I had one for years and dried everything in it before I had a family. Once I had a family and needed to be more frugal I stopped using it regularly. It was useful for days that the washing was just slightly damp when brought in from outdoors and in the winter to finish off the previous day's drying before the next lot went on the airer. Also for emergencies such as running out of clean school shirts.

Agree Maggie -that was my thought too. And a folding rack for drying in the house on wet days. I know people who live in a small flat and dry all their washing on a rack/clothes horse which lives in a cupboard when not in use.

NonnaW, a rotary dryer would take up very little space and they can fit just as much washing as a long line.

Yes I agree Petra , we all have our idiosyncrasies though. My present guests do not scrape all the debris from the plates before putting them in the dishwasher - drives me mad !!
At least they put them in the dishwasher though.

I am afraid I uses mine all the time! I used to use the washing line, but kept forgetting to bring it in. Rock hard towels and jeans as well! However, now the offspring have all flown the nest, it only get used about 3 times a week rather than everyday. We never leave it on when we are not there, as 3 years ago we had a fire caused by our Tumble dier. Luckily - we were all there and put it out quickly, but 3 foot flames were a bit scary! Also - I would never make a guest feel in the wrong! As a one off I would have gritted my teeth and ignored it.

He sounds like a very nice thoughtful young man to me.
Doing all his washing before he went home.

DH is even keener on saving electricity /protecting the environment than me. And I haven't had any problem with birds pooing on washing -it's very rarely happened. And the washing smells so much fresher when dried outdoors.

I have a tumble drier that I use when I have to but try to avoid it. These last few hot sunny weeks I've found clothes on my rotary drier get dry in less than an hour but in the winter it's often not really worth putting them out . Then I put them on an internal line in the utility room and/or on a foldable drying rack in the kitchen. Towels I usually tumble dry but try not to over use it for environmental reasons more than economy. I have a friend who says her garden is not big enough for a washing line (though in my opinion she could easily fit a rotary drier in) and she dries everything, always, in the tumble drier even in the recent hot weather! I've told her, jokingly, that I disapprove and she laughs (we are good friends! ) but I do think it's appalling!
However I would not tell off a house guest for using the TD -the family do use it if they need to wash and dry things quickly before going home.

Even on lovely days DH just puts everything in the dryer, he says that if he puts stuff on the washing line the birds will poo on it
He never thought it was a problem when I had dozens of terry nappies and school uniforms to wash and dry.

BlueBelle it's a website. We've been hosts for years. Mostly youngsters but we've had people in their 60s and 70s, come for a working holiday for a month or so. They generally help with the garden, the house cleaning and decorating. At present we have 3 . They sleep where our DC used to and we have made some good friends who come back so they must like it.
One day we will downsize but we do like some aspects of living in a big rambling house.

Well the fact is you weren’t too keen on this young man, were you? you obviously felt he didn’t do the work you were expecting him to do and the tumble dryer incident was the straw that broke the camels back
I m intrigued now was this young man a relative ? If not how come someone of 17 comes all the way from France to do your garden work ? If he is a relative surely he would wash and dry his own things without needing permission and actually I d be excited if a 17 year old wanted ( or knew how to) even use the washing machine and tumble dryer ?? most would leave it on the floor and shove in their case for Mum to do when they get back

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!

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

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.