Do you use a tumble dryer?

I use mine for towels and underwear but it does rather cause the towels to fray and the elastic in the knickers to loosen after after a few years..

I only run it in the daytime when our electricity comes from the PV panels on the roof.

I tried starting the towels first on the line and finishing them off in the dryer but I found I got better results starting them in the dryer, then hanging them on the line or on the clothes.horse while still warm. I have a drying rack in the boiler room, next to the laundry, which serves as an airing cupboard in wet weather, and they hang there, drying in the warm air.

I have to use a tumble dryer once or twice a week if it’s fine and windy they can go on the line for a start up, but most of this winter has been wet or damp so then they have to go on the ECO bar of my tumbler
There’s no other way for me to dry my clothes No airing cupboard no radiators no central heating

When I worked my tumble dryer was on most of the weekend. I have more time now and line dry or clothes airer by the log burner. Tumble dry only when desperate. You can't beat climbing into bed with clean linen that has been dried in the open air.

Until we recently moved, I used the dryer at the laundrette if I couldn’t get things dry on the line. Now we have a condenser dryer which gets used when I can’t line-dry and also to finish off drying if it doesn’t fully dry outside.

I don't have a tumble-dryer. I did have a washer / dryer when DC were young which I used for laundry emergencies, but never often. It' s lovely when the weather warms up & you can just peg out laundry & forget it.
I lso like to wear white, & there's nothing like line-drying in strong sunlight to get them back to "Daz" whiteness.

I wonder if it's harder to get things dry on a rotary drier than it is on a traditional line?

Mine is a pretty long traditional line.
I seem to be fine without a tumble dryer.

Just wondering. I have never had a rotary type line.

I only use my tumble dryer for underwear; I wash everything on a cold wash and I think the heat of the dryer is needed to "sterilise" our knickers!

If possible I put washing outside to dry, but otherwise it's on an airer in the spare room.

NotSpaghetti - I went from a long clothesline to a rotary dryer when we moved to our present home and I haven't found any difference in dry-ability.

Rotary dryers are great if you don’t have a path down your garden. If I leave a full dryer of washing out all day it is all dry, wherever it is on the dryer, but on sunny day, I put the heaviest/thickest things on the outside, expecting that the sun will help them dry faster.

I don’t use a tumble dryer, we used to have one but now is just the two of us most of the time I find is easy enough to dry outside when nice weather or on a clothes horse in the kitchen. Am just wondering how much washing people have, am assuming sone must be washing for other family members as well. We really don’t generate a lot of washing, and bed linen dries really quickly if hung over the banister of the hall upstairs.

Thanks gulligranny and Mollygo.
Interesting.

I have always had a rotary dryer. Mine has never been so full of clothes to make any difference, only 2 or 3 rows of washing well spaced out at most, often less.

I love the old fashioned airers of years ago where washing is suspended from the ceiling by means of it being hoisted up on a pulley. That works well in a vaulted ceiling area, or rooms that have a great height,I thought of getting one for our utility room but having an ordinary ceiling, I thought "no we will be tangled up with drying items when accessing the washing machine, freezer or even tumble dryer" No one wants to be strangled by their washing so shelved the idea.

Use a dehumidifier. Tumble drier just for emergencies

No. It sat unused so we sold it. We have a fabulous wind and solar dryer which gives the clothes that wonderful outdoors smell without adding copious amounts of extra chemicals to the wash. Highly recommend you get one.

I had a rumble dryer for all those terry nappies, gave it to DD eventually.
Now use pull-up rack with dehumidifier beneath. Cheaper and almost as quick.

I dry everything on my lovely old fashioned pulley maid and then give everything ten minutes in the tumble dryer to soften them off, especially towels. Do like soft cosy clothes! Very rarely use if for longer than ten minutes apart from last week when the cleaner set the shower off when she was cleaning it and we had to dry her clothes off!!

Never had a tumble dryer and could not afford to use it if I had one, I have no desire to own one. My washing is dried on the line most of the time, otherwise on a "horse" overnight in the bathroom.

I use my dryer almost everyday as I can’t have damp clothes hanging inside to dry, as the damp atmosphere affects my breathing

I’m now curious — does anyone on this thread not have access to a garden or outdoor space to have a washing line in?

Just wondering about the demographic of this particular thread!!

I prefer to dry outdoors on my rotary line, especially when it is windy - being high up we get great drying winds. However, with all the rain recently I have used a tall (collapsible) rack, which can take sheets folded, and put it in front of the Rayburn overnight. Everthing is dry by morning and no creasing, so no ironing! Socks and underwear on the little rotary hangers over the Rayburn and jumpers on hangers also from the plate rack over the Rayburn. As long as everything is smoothed when it comes out of the washing machine, very little needs to be ironed!

I didn't use one where we lived before because I had plenty of drying space, inside and out. Now I have just a balcony with no washing line allowed, so just use my generous tank cupboard and my old tumble dryer when necessary.
My daughter is having her kitchen done at the moment so I've got the washing for a family of four as well as ourselves for a month or so - no mean feat! So I've bitten the bullet and replaced my old dryer with a new one which is far more efficient and leaves all our clothes lovely and soft. I'm afraid I'll have to excercise great self-discipline to stop myself using it all the time.

Rasamara

I’m now curious — does anyone on this thread not have access to a garden or outdoor space to have a washing line in?

Just wondering about the demographic of this particular thread!!

I don't have this access now.

Hard to tell the demographic though, we could be in a splendid lateral apartment in Belgravia, a penthouse in the docks or a tower block in a less celubrious neighbourhood.

Always dry outside if poss - otherwise a dehumidifier in spare bedroom overnight, plugged into night rate electricity.

I delay washing until the advance forecast show a dry period and do my washing then. I’m not part of a large family and we have plenty of clothes so it’s rarely a problem. I did have a tumble dryer but it wasn’t used much so never replaced it. Even with this awful winter with so many wet day the washing hasn’t built up too much.
I am making the most of the lovely sunny breezy weather today.