Where to dry wet clothes?

Leah I hope you don't mind me asking, but how do you survive the winters with no central heating!?

I try to dry out side, but if that not possible, I put an Airer up in the living room and drape clothes overnight. They are dry by morning, which might explain my wrinkles.

Towels in my house go in the tumble dryer as neither hubs or I like them hard. I drape the shirts etc over a clothes horse in the kitchen or lean to. They dry eventually but look untidy.

Outside when possible. Otherwise the washing goes on an airer in the utility room until almost dry, then I finish it off in the tumble drier. Only needs 5 minutes or so, it makes everything softer and shakes out the creases, so what I spend on the drier I save on the ironing!

Outside whenever possible then on a pulley over the Raeburn cooker in the kitchen - dry in no time then fold and smooth what I can and put them on top of the Raeburn - ironing done!

I was given one of those Hangaway things, but smaller, I think it was for after ironing, but didn't get on with it, so gave it to a charity shop, maybe I should have persevered. We also have three airers, one A frame, one really old wooden concertina type, and a Minky one that also concertinas, but with a big flat top to it. The one I like best is my old wooden one. I covered all the rails, rungs? with a sort of gaffer tape, and so get no staining from the wood. The biggest radiators are pressed into use at times, but does tend to have a look like of a "chinese" laundry. I do prefer to dry things outside as everything then smells so lovely. If I had the time and also the inclination, I would have fresh bedding every day, just for the smell of outdoors. I remember Mum drying things outside in the winter and then they would come indoors and stand up on their own, especially grandad's long johns. . We had a TD but took it to the tip earlier this year, as I hadn't used it for so long. The empty cupboard was put to good use with the shelf replaced, and now houses all my electrical bits and pieces, mixer, blender, grill, slow cooker, can opener etc etc. Before we had a new boiler, the old one used to be great downstairs, in a cupboard, for airing things, and keeping coats warm and toasty, but now the boiler is upstairs in the airing cupboard, and gives off very little warmth, as well as reducing the amount of usable space.

I have a large airing cupboard and I hang things up with coat hangers on the slats. Socks and light underwear on a 99p peg thing from the 99p shop. Towels and sheets in the door ways I upstairs. I do regret when i can no longer put things on the line however.

We have a "Hangaway" from Lakeland - looks like a mini rotary-dryer (without the lines) and takes a load of hangers on its three arms. It's brilliant. Use it in the bathroom in the winter. It folds away when not in use and is kept in a wardrobe. Anything that can go on a hanger goes on there. Smaller stuff on an airer in spare room, or on mini airers on certain radiators. Polycotton bedding goes outside at any time of year (when it's not raining) and it can be aired over the banister! We have tumble dryer in the garage and use it sparingly - mostly for towels, which it "fluffs up" beautifully.

Radiators and a Lakeland heated dryer, the latter sometimes used overnight.

I hang washing outside in the winter even though I know it probably won't dry. I have a rotary clothes dryer which I hate - I miss my long clothes line which Used to stretch the full length of my old garden. We have a large walk in airing cupboard so anything that is not dry gets put in there on a airer overnight. I hate washing draped over radiators. There's no point in trying to warm a house then covering the rads it's wet washing. I haven't used my tumble dryer for about four years, but it certainly kept the towels soft.

My DD has a little cupboard like that littleowl. Unfortunately it opens from the bathroom and is the only cupboard she has in her tiny house to use as a linen cupboard. The folded linen eats into the hanging space, so she only uses the rail in an emergency. Otherwise she has a clothes area standing in the kitchen. Nowhere else to put it

We have a lovely little cupboard in our bungalow which has a hanging rail and a small radiator. I spin things out as much as possible then put them in this cupboard which we call 'under the stairs" I think all homes should have some form of drying room as such a facility is indispensable.

How big is your boiler cupboard?! And how old is the boiler? Is it still legal?!!!

We have an old gas boiler which sits in a cupboard, with one outside wall. DH has rigged up part of a drier, above the boiler. It's 4' long x 3' wide about 3' above the old boiler. Excuse me I meant the gas boiler.

Blankets/towels are draped onto an ironing board- in the same cupboard. I use the tumble dryer about 3-4 times a year.

After subsequent discussions and research we'll probably settle for a combination tumble dryer. Can't help wondering which is the most cost effective? Our old gas boiler or a larger, newer T dryer

If I had space for a tumble dryer, I would have one like a shot. I just can't face the disruption of having the kitchen extended though, which is the only answer.

Outside if possible, like others love the fresh smell. If wet, tumble drier for things that can tumble. For those that can't concertina airer on landing.... warm air rises so dries quickly. Also if , like ours, you have a suitable banister that you can fit a caravan airer on, that is brilliant. The clothes hang over the deepest drop of the stairs and dry really quickly.

I do our laundry in the sink or bath every morning as I've no washing machine, & use my spindryer in winter. Out on the line to dry as much as possible, then on an airer in the kitchen overnight, (no central heating either), I have to admit in particularly wet weather towels and bedding hang around slightly damp for a couple of days.

We have a very small garden and DH refuses to have washing hanging over his, to be honest, beautiful plants. The garden is a picture all the year round so I use a tumble dryer for most of my wash and anything, delicates or things that will shrink, hang over the Aga and dry beautifully. T-shirts I hang on hangers above the Aga and I have a plastic hanger with clips that I got from Lakeland which is excellent for bras and knickers.

I use an airer in the front room, near a radiator, and over the banister, as our kitchen is too small to fir a dryer in.

I think if you don't have a great deal of washing to dry then using a tumble dryer is not that prohibitive. It is certainly cheaper than correcting dampness and mildew on wallpaper.
I hate the feel of fabric that has become stiff from drying on a radiator so everything I wash is dried in the tumbler and ironed immediately. My radiators are stainless steel and a feature of the décor and not for hanging clothes on.

My doctor told me to dry my clothes on the radiators all the time I have the central heating on, he said it would help my sinuses! He said our houses become too dry, people were meant to live on the grasslands in the open air. He gave me quite a lecture.

However - in one house we did get damp walls and peeling paper in one room. It was the only one we ever had any problems in, though.

I hang shirts and dresses up from doorways on their hangers in the winter. Thick jeans and towels go over the radiators, pullovers go on a rack in the airing cupboard, all small bitty items go in the tumble dryer. I used to have radiator racks but it took me forever to put the washing on them and they took ages to dry.

In the garden on the whirly washing line whenever possible, and then
draped on an airer in the porch which always gets the best of whatever sunshine there is. Bit of a problem in the winter when there isn't any sunshine, but somehow it always gets dry eventually.

I hang washing outside whenever possible, but do have a tumble dryer for emergencies. However, my best thing is an electrically heated airer which uses only about the same amount of electricity as a light bulb but makes laundry dry much quicker. It also makes my whole (unheated) utility room feel toasty when it's switched on. I bought it in Aldi so it wasn't expensive - I love it. It's especially good for drying sweaters that need to be dried flat.

Sheets, underwear and socks in tumble drier. Clothes on an airer in spare bedroom, they get 24 hours, then if need a bit more drying into the airing cupboard with them or radiators, which husband hates and makes frequent reference to house looking like Widow Twankey's.

Might add that generally the clothes get hung in the garden like today.. Towels always tumbled until fluffy then hung outdoors to finish off.