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Clothes Drying Advice please ?

(219 Posts)
FannyCornforth Thu 08-Sept-22 08:29:45

Hello

I’m sorry if this has been covered elsewhere; I know that we’ve had lots of helpful money saving threads.

I’m already trying to drastically curb my use of the tumble drier as it is so expensive to use.

I’m thinking of buying a heated clothes horse, or a drying pod.
The pod only costs 10p an hour apparently.

Any thoughts? What will you be doing?

Thank you!

DutchDoll Sun 11-Sept-22 17:01:38

My Miele Washer has a 1600 spin and then I give clothes an extra 8 minute spin. They then go into my Miele Tumble Dryer or into my airing cupboard which has a double sized hot tank in there.

tabi88 Sun 11-Sept-22 17:29:50

I have the large Lakeland electric airier with cover as previously mentioned and find it invaluable, drys all clothes,towels and bedding very efficiently as long as it is spread out evenly over the drying bars it does also give of some warmth.
I put mine in corner of dinning room.

Secretsquirrel1 Sun 11-Sept-22 17:35:56

I often put a big towel over my long banister on my upstairs landing and lay jumpers and sweat shirts over night. They dry really fast.

Cherylg Sun 11-Sept-22 17:44:37

I dry my sheets etc in the airing cupboard.
I have a hot water tank in there which the boiler heats mains water 1/2 hour am and 10 mins pm this tank helps keep upstairs warm too. Recently replaced the boiler considered a condenser but in the end decided the merits of having the hot tank outweigh the benefits.

GraceQuirrel Sun 11-Sept-22 17:48:23

Pods are awful and make sure you read all the reviews before shelling out. The Lakeland one has good and bad reviews. I use quality air driers and that suits me fine. Only tumble towels once damp and a quick freshen programme to take stiffness out of jeans (as I don’t use conditioner on them).

bee123 Sun 11-Sept-22 18:06:14

?

4allweknow Sun 11-Sept-22 18:09:02

Even though I have a very efficient heat pump timble dryer I too am curbing it's use. I have drying screens I load up and leave in the attached garage. I don't fold the washing over the rails, I peg them on just like on the line. I also gave an aurer that fits on the bath and as the family bathroom gets lots of sun washing pegged on that dries very quickly.

Emelie321 Sun 11-Sept-22 18:16:22

Have had the Lakeland drier for years; it suits me fine, and is very economical. Would recommend.

Barmeyoldbat Sun 11-Sept-22 18:18:15

I have always dried clothes outside if not raining, and if it is then inside in the spare back bedroom where I hang them on the curtain rail and a clothes horse, window is always open and the door closed. At night the clothes are brought down stairs to the sitting room and left to air overnight in the room heated by a wood burner. I haven’t had any problem with damp. I will say that this year I inherited my daughters to; of the range washer/dryer but I don’t see myself using it because of the cost

NanaPlenty Sun 11-Sept-22 18:23:55

I have a DrySoon heated rack from
Lakeland - I throw a cotton sheet over the top which speeds up the drying (no need to buy a special cover for it). I couldn’t be without it in the winter . It’s cheap to run and efficient/load it up at night and it’s all dry in the morning. Three of my daughters also have one. We all love it.

CleoPanda Sun 11-Sept-22 18:56:13

We have a Lakeland heated clothes dryer. It’s totally excellent. Have been using in winters for 3 years now.
They come in varying sizes to suit your space and /or washing amounts.
They are generally considered to be economical, especially compared to tumble dryers.
If you also purchase the zip up cover you can accelerate the drying time.
Bear in mind that in an unheated room or garage, they will take much longer to dry. Similarly, crowding it with lots of wet items will slow down the drying time.
Take some of the online reviews with a pinch of salt - bright sparks saying they thought it would be as effective as a tumble dry or that it took hours and hours to dry in their draughty unheated, damp basement/garage.
Mine is on wheels for easy moving and folds up for storage.

Jonah Sun 11-Sept-22 19:08:43

I have had a, Lake land heated clothes rack for 7 years and it has been invaluable on wet, damp days. Clothes dry overnight and when I bought it there was no cover to it. But it works brilliantly. One can put a sheet or large towel over it to act like a cover, but I very rarely do so. Still dies the job well.

happycatholicwife1 Sun 11-Sept-22 20:46:38

I've rarely not had a clothes dryer in my life. I run most loads on air only now. It sounds as if it is very difficult, complicated, and costly to dry clothes in the UK. I hadn't realized that. Your different means of drying laundry are very interesting.

kevincharley Sun 11-Sept-22 21:33:03

I've got the disadvantage of having two large, hairy beasties who would deposit fluff on anything that was hung on an airer. I'm considering having a canopy/carport erected so I can still dry outside on all but the worst days.
It'll take a while to recoup the cost but will have the added advantage of providing weatherproof access to the garage which is used a lot.

Sloegin Sun 11-Sept-22 21:37:32

I have a pulley line in back kitchen with a dehumidifier underneath. Not sure how much it costs to run so must check.

margobingo Sun 11-Sept-22 21:48:40

Hi, I use a clothes horse in the spare room, then if they are still slightly damp, put them in the airing cupboard next to the immersion heater.

Blondie49 Sun 11-Sept-22 21:59:41

Nannashilz what was your Robert Dyas airier called please ?

Milest0ne Sun 11-Sept-22 22:04:13

I will use the "new" technology of wind and solar power to dry my washing. I am concerned about causing mould when drying clothes indoors.

Jb2022 Sun 11-Sept-22 22:34:11

We have a small utility room for washing machine, dryer and freezer. I got a steel bar erected wall to wall just about within reach and hang all clothes on it on hangers. Smallies go on one of those roundy things with about 24 pegs. Bedclothes and towels go out on the line on good days and maybe finish up on the bar. I’m inclined to use the tumble drier for 5 minutes to finish off and soften towels. I use those balls in the tumble drier which work like magic.

welbeck Sun 11-Sept-22 23:00:52

Tanjamaltija

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

the vast majority of uk homes do not have a utility room, there is no extra space for that.
and many do not have a yard.

Tennisnan Sun 11-Sept-22 23:32:19

A friend of mine justified using her tumble drier by careful folding and smoothing of everything while it was still warm straight out of the drier and leaving in a pile to cool. Virtually nothing needs ironing then. I do this too now. All the other mentioned drying methods still need ironing and I think that costs more than a drier.

Sussexborn Mon 12-Sept-22 00:17:23

We use an electric clothes aired bought from Dunelm when we moved here a year ago. We have a washer dryer but rarely use the drying element. I am more careful about waiting for a full load of washing and using lower temperatures. Some washing gets dried in the bathroom on hangers to minimise ironing.

Not having a garden of our own or utility area is a bind but compromise was necessary to buy a ground floor flat with reasonable sized rooms in the area we wanted.

Claudiaclaws Mon 12-Sept-22 00:32:39

Teacheranne, Please can you tell me what a positive heat exchanger is?

Hetty58 Mon 12-Sept-22 01:13:14

I hang all the washing up on airers, lines and hangers (so I don't have to iron it). I'm still drying things outside - but under a pergola with a solid roof. When it gets too chilly (or damp) to do that, I'll be using the dehumidifier in the little laundry room. It's much cheaper to run than anything heated and it's all bone dry in a couple of hours.

Hetty58 Mon 12-Sept-22 01:21:39

I really do worry about so many people drying washing indoors. Where does all the water end up?