I can't believe I'm asking a laundry question

Oh and as part of 2) or 3) get the old machine repaired to live another day - however long that may be.

I'd bite the bullet and go for a new tumble dryer. You'll get frustrated with the lack of options when things are draped everywhere and it's pouring down outside, and at least you may be able to get a bargain by shopping around online. Mine gave up the ghost recently and was too old (30+) to get a replacement part...

All I can suggest is Freecycle or Ebay. I bought my tumble dryer on Ebay for £30 three years ago, I rather liked being green and not having one but DS's and DH's sports kits combined with potty-training GCs conspired against me in the end. If you aren't used to Ebay maybe someone could help you, as obviously you need to use the search facility for a sale near you.

I can live without a lot of things but a tumble dryer isn't one of them [even though I don't tumble things dry]. I kept my last one going using a piece of plastic attached to a cane but even that stopped working after a while and I then went into shock[it wasn't very old either; still got it in the garage thinking it might make a miracle recovery one day]. You'll probabaly find a new one is more efficient [trying to think up excuses here].

My tumble drier - now 13 years old and still efficient - was a manager's special from the now defunct Comet - ie it was reduced by 25% because of a small dent in the front. Excellent value. Tesco may have some good offers.

If you want to wait to see if your tumble dryer can be repaired, have you got a launderette close by that you can use?

If you get a new tumble dryer it won't last five years so hang on to your old one as long as possible. Use all the airers and pulleys you can beg, borrow and steal because I don't personally like the Lakeland dryer either as I gave mine away.

A quick search on-line showed up Tumble Dryers under £130. Try Argos or Asda.

One of my DD's neighbours has a medium sized greenhouse. Once the tomatoes are finished she gives it a good clean and then hangs washing in it, with ventilator open, in winter months. There are two metal rods in the roof space. Washing is hung on them on coat hangers, with towels etc. on skirt hangers. Another acquaintance does much the same thing in their conservatory. Last thing at night I usually hang a few shirts & jumpers on hangers on the picture rail above a radiator. Ironing-dry by morning and so not hanging about all day.

HTH

A re-conditioned tumble dryer would be cheaper than a new one and still probably come with a guarantee.

grace do you have an Argos Clearance near you as you can get some great bargains. I think they may also be online.
We have one a few miles from us and have picked up some good buys, you still get your guarantee for all its clearance.

Comet have an online auction for new electrical goods that are slightly damaged, eg., a scratch down one side but there is a fixed transport charge.

I would tend to wait for your man to come back and in the meantime use airers next to your radiators and if the weather stays dry enough put the big stuff out to blow if you can and then dry off indoors,I did this last year when DDs dryer went on the blink and she had to wait for parts to arrive I let her borrow mine for a week and managed ok its not too long until the 19th it will soon come around,another idea is Age UK have a reconditioned centre by me do they have one your way,they give 6/12mth gaurentee depending what you buy and their prices are fab.

Get a new one. Mine cost just ovet £100 and, although I managed for years without one, now i would not be without it.

It's in the garage and has a hose. This kind are supposed to be more efficient.

I bought a cheap one with a hose and stick it through the cat flap (the cat is no more )

I also sold the old broken one on EBay as well as broken dishwasher and fridge.... people buy them to repair or for parts and you can make a few quid towards the new one.

I think I am going to follow LizG and*Glamma*'s advice for the time being - I have worked out that the pulley in the utility room takes one machine load and I also have a big airer which can go in front of the radiator in little spare bedroom - sometimes grandly referred to as my study (!) - and I will manage. I will get the old one fixed when my repair man returns from his long and no doubt exotic holiday, but as his prices are very low and fair I don't think I have contributed all that much to it - and see how I get on. With rising energy prices a tumble dryer can be fiendishly expensive to run so I'm saving both ways, not shelling out £200+ for a new one and not using as much electricity. I wouldn't buy second hand as repairs are the main bugbear with domestic appliances and the cheapo ones don't tempt me as they are noisier and do not offer the more economical programmes.

I dry my double sized duvet cover by hanging it over the landing.

I confess not read whole thread but:
I rarely - nearly never- use the tumble drier (trying to save energy) - but you have to tolerate damp clothes around the place in the winter. In a poorly insulated or single glazed house you would get condensation.
An electric clothes horse is meant for airing not drying. 5p an hour adds up if you have it on for hours and hours and hours. It does not say on the ad what KW it is. And it costs nearly as much as a cheap tumble drier.
More expensive tumble driers are more energy efficient probably.
A kilowatt hour will cost you roughly 15p (thanks DH for that info)
So you should be able to work out rough running costs if you look at "product details".
Tumble driers are simple beasts that don't go wrong often

DONT pay for extended warranties they are a scam.

I so agree about extended warranties! I am lucky in that our utility room is quite big and has plenty of room for my "pulley" and there is a rad so it isn't cold - mixed blessing when I want cool e.g. for storage , but then I can go through to the garage. The house is double glazed and well insulated and with just the two of us, there shouldn't be too much draped on radiators! So I am feeling very "energy smug " and am hoping for a few dry and windy days at least and maybe even some ?

I didn't use my tumble drier for years when i was in MK and had a clothes line. In the flat here if we have visitors who leave duvet covers etc in their wake i take a big bagful to the laundrette for a service wash.

I have a combined washer/dryer but rarely use the dryer programme. I have a simple Argos airier costing about £15, and everything dries on it usually overnight. It is next to the boiler in my laundry room and i just open the window to get a bit of air circulation. Anything not quite dry finishes off in the airing cupboard.
DH helps me fold double duvet covers and they take a bit longer to dry but don't need ironing as they dry flat.
We chose the combined machine for space reasons and it's comforting to have the dryer there for emergencies or to fluff up towels but I do prefer to be a bit 'green'.