Clothes Drying Advice please ?

Can't you make an awning in the yard, and have lines under that? Don't you have a utility room / washroom?

I find that our drying rack, the kind you pull up with a pulley, plus a proper dehumidifier (25 years old now) is excellent. Everything is dry easily within 24 hours, the room is heated and dry, and the water in the tank can be used in the iron and steam cleaner, essential in this hard water area. I've just bought one for our elder grandson at Edinburgh University who now lives in a flat.

I’ve got a Lakeland airer with a cover and find it useful in the winter, and economic to run. It does not dry clothes quickly, though, but I find that if I set it for about 11 hours, the washing is, by and large, ready to iron. I often time it so that the washing is drying overnight. I still prefer to tumble dry bath towels as they can’t be opened out fully on the airer and so take a long time to dry, but smaller towels are fine. Sheets folded over will dry on the airer, if you don’t overload it with other items at the same time.

Much as I’d like to hang washing up outside it’s virtually impossible with all the wood pigeons. I’ve seen up to a dozen at any one time. ?

No problems so far. Just stick to the instructions!

Everything outside as far as possible . We have an old fashioned boiler so have an airing cupboard, it’s perfect for drying underwear and a few other lightweight things straight from the wash. Anything else goes in the dining room overnight on a clothes horse. The boiler may not be the most efficient but the airing cupboard is invaluable!

Well I'm going to buck the trend. I'll continue to use my tumble dryer. It's only a couple of months old and far more energy efficient than its predecessor, dries a wash load in half the time. I like that everything comes out crease free and can be worn immediately or put in the wardrobe - no ironing and lovely soft towels! But I will try to use it just twice a week.

Do you know cost per hour of Lakeland one please? Verses a tumble dryer even
I do an extra 12 min spin which does make a difference

Oooppppss
Not sure if I smell of yesterday’s casserole.

I have a small oil filled radiator underneath my non heated airier, then place a sheet on top. Clothes are dry in a couple of hours.
I worry about clothes picking up cooking smells as I dry them. Not sure if I sm

I hang my washing on the line all year round. I have two pulley airers screwed to the beams in the kitchen, a concertina clothes horse and a three-section folding one that very occasionally stands in a spare bedroom with the door shut, dehumidifier on and windows open, really infrequently. I’m on my own and I don’t make a lot of laundry.

Those Sheila Maids brought back memories of my childhood and there was one of these (or similar) in the small kitchen in our council flat. The washing was sent weekly to the 'bag wash', and then hung on that clothes rail which was then raised to the ceiling. So cooking smells, etc. mixed with drying washing!!!

I have a heat pump tumble dryer which, I believe, is far more energy efficient that others. I only wash once or twice a week (just me here), have a 160 spin speed on my washing machine. No-where to hang anything outside, During the summer use a normal airer in my spare bedroom which is a very sunny room, windows kept open there. Everything dries very quickly. During winter, I turn heating off in that room, and closed windows, so less likely to want to have wet washing there, so will use tumble dryer. I do not wash outer clothing after each wear, usually (unless I am totally messy), they can get two or three days wear.

Being alone I don’t have much washing. Never had a tumble drier. Still have my spin drier which gets more moisture out after the washing machine.
Cannot get out to dry things outdoors so use a clothes horse in the spare room.
Most things these days are made of materials which dry more quickly.. I remember the days when things were put through the mangle and dried outdoors, frozen stiff in the winter. Babies clothes and nappies dried overnight on a pulley rack in the kitchen.
Clothing was rationed, had to have coupons so didn’t have so many and we wore them for longer..

We have had various washer/dryers over the years, since our kitchen is very small. I only use the dryer in Winter for bedding and towels, and occasionally for feather & down jackets. In Summer, clothes dry quickly in the conservatory or on our open plan landing.
I no longer hang washing outside because of the steps which need to be negotiated, and also because we have bird feeders, so the washing could end up dirtier than when it was put out! ?
What’s an iron…?! ??

I’ve used the Lakeland heated one for a couple of years. Works very well and is very economical to run. I’ve never used a cover and it dries really well

I run two dehumidifiers in the house in winter. I line dry as much as possible. I am fortunate it is just the two of us now so I can check weather for good drying days. I make good use of 4 mini circular hanging things with 15 pegs from Ikea. I have chains and ring from utility room ceiling and these can be clipped into these, ready for hanging out on good days or quickly brought in if rain hits. I like to iron pillowcases and duvets so do not want those too dry. Yes back in the day, it was terry nappies! I do have a tumbler but rarely used save to finish out damp items for maybe 10 minutes. Newly ironed items that might be still a bit damp are put on clothes airer in spare room where iron lives.

Oh dear, I'm going to struggle.
I don't have a garage,
I don't have a utility room,
I have tiny back garden which is fine in the summer (??!!)
and I can't have a pulley in the kitchen because of the ceiling spots.
Perhaps one of you will take pity on me and dry my washing for me this winter......................................... :-)

I use a clothes aired in the conservatory with the windows and or the back door open. I’ve never had a tumble dryer Too expensive to run

GR206

I found that my Meaco dehumidifier dries my washing quicker than heat. It pulls the moisture out, I purchased the ECO model and it doesn’t light up the ‘orange’ light on the smart meter. I had the dehumidifier because we moved near the sea and naturally there is more moisture in the air, by chance I left it on in a room along with the airer and voila- dry washing. I did turn it and check the tank more often as it fills quicker. I think it kinder to the fabrics too.

Another vote for the Meaco low energy dehumidifier which dries my clothes quickly without using heat.
If you’re looking at dehumidifiers you have to be aware that there are different types, desiccant dehumidifiers are expensive to run as they have a heater in them.

I use an airer in the spare room and a dehumidifier, on for a short period and it keeps the condensation down and dries the clothes in about 48 hours. The room is not heated usually so it would be much quicker with central heating in there.

We dry clothes outside as much as we can. My dining area has light streaming in and often has a clothes airer set up. Not unknown to suspend a fitted sheet or towels over the table draped over a couple of tall items. Its enough for our household. We do use a tumble drier but usually just to air clothes as required and can't see that we will change that much despite rising costs. Although we are batch cooking more and using microwave to part cook things before they get crisped up in the oven. Grandchildren are now automatically switching lights up but thats taken a while ?

I was going to mention Orkney but then saw your post Seadragon. I was impressed to see clothes out on the lines in all weathers. You can buy extra strong pegs there too.

My washing goes on the line outside or on a pulley in the kitchen, where it dries overnight. The tumble drier bought in 1976 still works for emergencies.

Hi. I use a HANGAWAY to dry my tops, trousers, dresses, cardigans etc. it has three arms and a stand when in uSe and when not in use it lives folded up, taking very little space in a corner of spare room. Each item for drying needs to placed on a clothes hanger. Some fabrics don’t need ironing and can be popped straight into wardrobe. I keep window open in summer and in winter drying is from radiator warmth. Winter this year may be an experiment with a dehumidifier as I intend turning radiator off. I hang sheets and towels on line and finish in tumble dryer for a few minutes. If raining washing has to wait until good drying day. Hope this is helpful, would recommend the HANGAWAY which is very reasonably priced.

I’ve had my heated rail thing for years now so I’m sure I have recouped the cost. I throw an old king size sheet over and it makes the laundry dry quicker. I’m lucky to have a garden room where it goes out of sight and I leave the window slightly open. I’ve recommended them to others who have all been pleased.

I use an ordinary free-standing clothes airer, surprising what you can get on it. Smaller items on the bars, then the sheet goes over the whole thing like a tent. I always hang the washing at night before going to bed and put it in the hall behind the front door so that if a burglar tries to get in, the racket will wake me up when it falls over. (That last bit is me being fanciful). I live in a flat so no access to drying outside.