I'm 28 and have no idea how to dry clothes.

[Buddhagirl]

Iabu to use AIBU for advice.

But, how do you use a washing line? Dryer is too expensive so dh and I brought a outside washing line but I don't really get it. What if it rains when your out? What if it rains when your in and your left with a basket full of wet clothes? Will stuff dry in the cold air? Do you leave it over night? We have an inside drying rack but stuff takes like 2 days to dry on it.

I'm not a proper person :(

We've just brought our first house, last month I googled "how to mop a floor" +sigh+

[DoItTooBabyJesus]

December ain't the best time for an outside line!

Loads of people will be along to tell you to get a Lakeland heated drier. Meh.

I hang a lot of my clothes up in the windows, a over radiators etc to dry mine. A mix of that, and aired and tumble dryer.

In the summer the washing line rock though!

[pixwix]

Do you have radiators? if you have an inside drying rack, it might be worth investing in a dehumidifier - one that switches on when it senses humidity in the air - I bought one, and cos it only comes on when needed, my drying takes half the time... less electricity than a tumble drier

[eurochick]

I only dry things outside in the summer months when I'm home at the weekends. Otherwise I use an indoor drying rack (and very occasionally the tumble dryer). Everything dries in 24 hours, but we do keep the house quite warm. Does your washing machine spin things off well? On a fast spin stuff comes out of ours almost dry.

[Mrswellyboot]

I have an airer that I put in front of radiators but I use the tumble drier far too much

[Halfrek]

I dry stuff on indoor airers which I put next to the radiator, I run a dehumidifier while they are drying otherwise my windows go mouldy.

[ProfYaffle]

When you put clothes on the drying rack, make sure they're not scrunched up or piled on top of each other as that'll prevent it from drying. Make sure they're as flat as possible in a single layer. I put thicker fabrics (like denim and towels) on radiators and just use racks for lighter fabrics that dry quicker.

[lastnightopenedmyeyes]

I use my airing cupboard to dry my clothes in the winter. It has lots of wooden slats in it on 2 levels, just right for hanging clothes on like a clothes horse. Clothes dry in around 8 hrs.

Before I worked this out I used a clothes horse on the landing of the stairs. Clothes tend to dry in about 24 hrs depending on weight.

[hiddenhome]

Get a spin dryer. Costs much less to run than a tumble dryer and takes up much less room too.

[cjel]

If its a dry day in winter then make sure you put the washing out early and get it in by about 3 o clock. It will then need 'airing' which is drying in doors but will dry much better than if it hadn't had the 'blow' outside. Never put it out if its raining, foggy. damp etc as it will only get wetter!!!

[Cindy34]

Spin well. Things will dry if there is a breeze. Do not keep out overnight, or in the rain.

[PiratePanda]

Indoor airer next to the radiator; rack in the airing cupboard; stuff that needs doing quickly actually on the radiator.

You can only use an outdoor line in good weather(sunny and windy is best but not raining will do), and generally outside drying takes too long in winter. It's not rocket science - clothes need air and heat to dry.

[mousmous]

have the lakeland airer. it's fab and you do not have to switch it on, if I have the time I leave it on there without it on.

generally for quick drying indoors

• find the draftiest spot in the house, preferably somewhere up (ours is on the landing, plenty of drafts and the warm rising air makes stuff dry quickly).
• hang stuff as far apart as possible to let air circulate
• use the highest spin setting of your washer to takeoutas much water as possible. also try if a second spin makes a difference.

[BertieBowtiesAreCool]

I use airers indoors too. Sorry! Never find anything gets dry in the winter because the air is too damp.

You want a proper european style one though, like this or this because the kind which have several layers like X X X stacked up overlap too much, ditto with those tiny ones like a gate. You need to be able to fit clothes on so they don't overlap. I tend to find stuff dries in 1-3 days, depending on how warm the room is and how thick the fabrics are - pants dry quickly, jeans and hoodies take much longer, t-shirts and leggings somewhere in the middle (especially the collars and waistbands) The first airer I linked to holds 2-3 loads of washing, the second will hold about 1 and 3/4 of a second, which is fine if you do two loads a day apart because some will be dry from the first load (or you just put the extra things over doors, chairs, radiators, bannisters).

[BertieBowtiesAreCool]

Ikea also do both of those styles.

[Mumoftwoyoungkids]

I'm a bit obsessed with washing at the moment. Probably due to baby son (dc2) being quite a sicky baby so I have endless milky clothes to wash.

I set my washing machine on at bedtime to come on about 7 and finish about 8. As soon as it is done I hang it outside (having checked no rain due). Bring it in when it gets dark. Shove most in the tumble drier (but only for a few minutes) and hang the non drier clothes up. Always dry by the next morning.

[Topseyt]

I put virtually nothing outside to dry in winter. Even on a sunny day, our back garden is in total shade at this time of year, so nothing dries.

I use and indoor airer/clothes horse, the radiators and when necessary the tumble dryer. I can't just leave 5 people's washing constantly hanging around wet.

[ineedanexcuse]

Unless its actually raining I put stuff outside on the line to dry. My garden faces south so that there is sun all day (when its not cloudy that is). I don't bother if the clothes aren't dry by 3pm generally as long as it isnt forecast to rain overnight.I just leave the stuff out there until next day.

Usually this is enough to dry even heavy things like jeans or cotton tops/towels. A bonus is that towels left out will be softer since they have had a lot of nice fresh breeze blowing through them.

If it is raining or forecast to rain then the clothes will just have to be dried inside . I have some little airers that fit onto the radiators for small things to dry. Larger things (shirts ,jumpers) all go over a dining chair each in the dining room.This maximises the amount of clothes that can be dried and minimises the amount of time the room looks a mess.Also once dried I make sure the room is then well aired to allow damp air out of the house.

If clothes on the line get wet just leave them unless it is your precious silk blouse .Occasionally there may be a slight smell from the rain but I havent noticed this even though we live in a relatively industrialised area. It just isnt worth the faff to bring in rain wetted clothes to rewash and dry inside.

[lljkk]

Wow, how did OP grow up in this country without learning to radiator dry?

Tops of our doors are pretty clean so I like to hang stuff up there to dry. DH gets shirty about radiators or door-drying (thinks we look like a laundromat) so insists on putting everything folded neatly & tightly on drying racks vaguely near the rads not even near high traffic areas with lots of air movement. Laundry is usually touch dry by end of the day and then he folds it up tightly and stacks it neatly in the airing cupboard where it festers and goes mouldy dries a bit more especially after I have spread it out & taken some back out to hang on doors & radiators.

[Minnieisthedevilmouse]

Drying racks. Near rads. Heating on.

Summer; outdoors

[formerbabe]

I have a heated airer for the winter. You just plug it in and it heats up...dries my clothes overnight and I don't have to stick things on radiators, which I hate.

[foreverondiet]

Hang on the line on a sunny day by doesn't work well in the winter! We have drying thing up in garden march- October and take it down for winter.

[lastnightopenedmyeyes]

I've heard a few people saying airing cupboards make their clothes go mouldy. Mine is so bone dry it never does that, sometimes makes things a bit too dry if anything so they need more ironing. I guess it must depend on the type of boiler/storage tank?

I put nice soap in the airing cupboard as well, to give everything a nice fresh smell

[puntasticusername]

I'm 34 and I thought I knew laundry...how did I NEVER KNOW that heated clothes driers exist?



Why did you wait this long to tell me, guys? YABVU.

Mind...blown...might ask for the 3-tier Lakeland one for Christmas.

Goddammit, I can't do that, that would make me SO old.

[formerbabe]

Heated airers are the best thing since sliced bread! Mine changed my life....seriously.

[WoodBurnerBabe]

I line dry all year round, washing machine goes on first thing as soon as I get up, I normally load it the night before. Then it's out by 8am unless rain forecast, in at dusk and onto the airers. 98% of stuff is dry by morning with towels and jeans on radiators. You have to be quite organised but it can be done. This Friday gone I got three loads done and dried, all dry by Saturday morning. It was cold, but sunny and blowing a gale here so clothes were nearly dry by dusk and just needed a touch of finishing off.