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tell me how you'd dry laundry with my house set up

54 replies

alabasterangel · 29/09/2015 09:37

We moved to a new house in the summer and have line dried since then.

I think we've reached the end of that till spring, mostly because the back garden is north facing, and it's still coming in very damp after 8 hours. Besides, I also need to think about winter drying.

The house is unusual. It's built into a hill (kind of split level) so the lower floor (living room, utility room, dining room) is downstairs and into the hill and (other than the living room) is palpably colder than the rest of the house. The utility is huge but has no window and is constantly about 17 degrees.

The upper two floors are toasty and without any heating on the temperature hasn't yet gone below 19 degrees (and more often is about 20).

I have a dryer, in the garage, but I am concious that costs about 60p an hour to run. I've thought about a heated airer but I guess it'll cost me the same as a dryer, plus the outlay. The dryer takes an hour to dry a load, and I think the airer would end up costing that if left on overnight so I might as well use the dryer, and this is an exercise in trying to cut down the costs overall. Plus I don't have a window in the utility only an extractor, so that would be adding extra costs.

If I put the stuff on an airer on the top floor, it does eventually dry (24 hours) but it has to go on the landing and gets in everyones way (and irritates me). Seeing as I do at least one load a day, it would be a permanent fixture and I don't fancy that. A dollymaid upstairs isn't an option - there isn't really anywhere suitable for it. Loads of room in the utility, but no warmth!

I've thought about turning all the radiators off except the utility room and just using that, but it's a small radiator (2ft) and is it really economical to do that? Running a whole boiller for one radiator?

I feel like I have no system!

Any ideas? Inspiration?

OP posts:
afreshstartplease · 29/09/2015 09:39

Use the dryer

I love my dryer

shutupanddance · 29/09/2015 09:41

The heated dryers are really cheap to run, think ?!? Its 2p an hour. They are not really comparable to a tumble drier.... They take a lot longer but you have the heat and space to put it in yoyr utility.

RoganJosh · 29/09/2015 09:42

I wonder if a dehumidifier in the utility room might be the answer. They're not cheap though, you'd need to use it for a long time before you were better off than using the dryer.

krisskross · 29/09/2015 09:42

A lakeland heated drier...our house is freezing but this dries a large load in about twenty hours, standard load in twelve hours. Costs less than six pence an hour to run. They cost about ninety quid.

suzannecaravan · 29/09/2015 09:44

I love my spin dryer :)

krisskross · 29/09/2015 09:44

Oops just saw you'd mentioned it already.

alabasterangel · 29/09/2015 09:45

Thanks. The lakeland dryer is 6p an hour. if it takes overnight to dry the laundry (8-10 hours?) then thats not much less at all than the 60p per hour for the dryer. Plus I'd have to add the running cost of the extractor, because otherwise with no window the utlity would get very damp drying a load a day with no ventilation?

I'd prefer the airer, because I wouldn't have to cart a load of washing up two flights of stairs and right round the outside of the house, across the drive and over to the garage..... but thats just laziness!

OP posts:
Sapele · 29/09/2015 09:45

Apparently extractor fans are a very efficient way of drying clothes and removing moisture from the atmosphere. They also cost pennies to run - far less than a tumble dryer (I had one and it took an hour or more to get things almost dry - hated the noise and the expense)

I would be seriously considering getting a window put in in the utility, if not possible then give it a trial run with a load of washing hung on an airer and the extractor fan running for a day or so.

Will cost you about 10p and see what happens.

The boiler will only turn on when it needs to, btw - where is your wall thermostat?

DeathMetalMum · 29/09/2015 09:47

I would add an extra spin on the end of the wash and line dry, then hang to air otherwise you are likely to cause damp/condensation drying washing inside every day. Our garden is also north facing (though slightly on an angle) and I magane to line dry all year long, yes it comes in damp most of the time in the winter but a lot drier than without being outside and less moisture on the house. It is usually dry to put away by the end of the day also so quicker than if it's inside all day as it takes around 24h too.

Or hang out and use the drier to finish off saving the ££.

alabasterangel · 29/09/2015 09:48

I should say the reason the dryer is in the bloody garage and not in the utlity is because of the lack of ventilation in there. I have seen you can buy condensing boxes for vented dryers but they get bad reviews. Can't afford the outlay to swap to a condensing dryer right now!

OP posts:
BrianButterfield · 29/09/2015 09:48

6p an hour x 20 hours = two full loads in the dryer with much less hassle and hanging about! I have a heated airer but I actually think it works out more economical to use the drier.

Could you use a triage system? So do two loads of washing and split in half - heavy/urgent stuff goes in the drier, the rest on an airer in the utility where it's not in your way. It can stay there for two days if needed because anything you need has been tumbled. I do is and it works well.

shutupanddance · 29/09/2015 09:48

Get a drier

Sapele · 29/09/2015 09:49

You need Piglet John btw. He is a big fan (sorry) of the extractor fan. They really are exceedingly inexpensiv to operate.

We had to have one fited as part of the regs when we had our rewire last year and tbh the electrician cocked it up, it made a racket, he didn't vent it to the outside Hmm and the hose had a big tear in it. Useless.

We got a vent put in but the plastic outlet falls off constantly so we just gave up and don't use it at all.

I still get cross about that.

FiveandTwentyPast · 29/09/2015 09:49

Another vote for the Lakeland heated airer. We are a family of three living in a flat with no outside drying facilities and no tumble dryer, the heated airer takes care of most of our drying needs. I also have one of those underwear drying things with the multiple pegs on hanging up under the shelves in the airing cupboard which I use for smaller items.

Sapele · 29/09/2015 09:50

and FWIW I just leave my washing to dry in the bathroom, without the fan on but there is enough of a draught through the windows to mean it doesn't get very damp. Usually takes a couple of days to dry and quicker when the heating is on properly.

ChattingAway · 29/09/2015 09:52

Hmm, your choices seem to be to either use the dryer, or to somehow get more warmth into the utility room.

The heated rails only cost about 6 p per hour to run. I doubt you'd need to have things drying for 10 hours, so you would be ahead on running costs.

Or heat the utility room with a small oil heater, they are quite economical to run if you leave them on a low temp setting - and you can use them with the timer set for when you are drying only.

But... even with warmth, if you have no windows to open, you might get damp problems if you do that. If you get a dehumidifier, that is more running costs. Are there windows to the area around the utility room? Can the utility room be aired out every now and then?

alabasterangel · 29/09/2015 10:04

There is no way to put a window in the utility, it's pretty much underground (it's built into the wall side of the lower ground floor). It already has an extractor, I just never use it but could, but I've no idea how efficient it is (it's 10 years old and has no brand name on it).

I'm trying to offset the cost of any additional purchases against cost savings, and ideally not having any additional purchases unless they can be very well justified. If the airer was really going to be so drastically economical compared to carting the majority up to the dryer then I'd buy one, but my feeling is it isn't. I'd have to save back that ?90 for a start when I do have a perfectly serviceable dryer (albeit in a crap location!).

What are the cheaper brands of heated airers like? There are a few on amazon, etc....?

So today I'm working from home upstairs, it's warm and I don't need the heating on. I've done a load which is swimming towels, swimwear, yesterdays uniforms and work shirts and my jeans, plus undercrackers and teatowels, so I guess I'll tumble my jeans and the towels and put the rest on the airer in the utility with the extractor on and see what happens.....and tomorrow I'll do the same but try putting the airer in the bathroom upstairs (can do that actually, which is marginally better than the landing now I think about it)....

OP posts:
BertieBotts · 29/09/2015 10:09

I would buy one of those big euro-style airers, the decent ones which spread the washing out. Either a tower style, or the long flat ones with two side wings. Argos carry both as do ikea. Maybe get two. Then put those in the garage or utility. Heat isn't a massive factor as much as damp... it takes our clothes more than a day to dry on an airer, anyway.

What kind of airer do you have now?

ChattingAway · 29/09/2015 10:14

It's hard to do, isn't it?

I've given up - couldn't stand living in a laundromat anymore - and now just tumble dry most things, and air dry things that shouldn't be tumble dried. By taking clothes out the tumble dryer as soon as they finish drying and folding them quickly I get away with not ironing most of it, which also saves money, and lots and lots of time!

ChattingAway · 29/09/2015 10:16

alabaster - I've actually found lots of things dry faster if I hang them on clothes hangers, and hang the hangers from a rail - even if it's just a broom handle perched on 2 things. Worth a try to see if you can do something like that?

superram · 29/09/2015 10:20

You need to use the space in the utility room but without a very good extractor (that stays on without the light) or dehumidifier you will get mould.

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TheOddity · 29/09/2015 10:21

Do you have a laundrette close by? Sometimes it works out cheaper to go once or twice a week there as you can fit an awful lot more clothes into their commercial dryer drums and the one near me is only £1 for 15 mins which is all it takes to dry it. I would easily dry two loads in those 15 mins, maybe more, plus you fold it while you are there on the big tables so the job is pretty much done when you get it home. You could even just do that with the bulky stuff and leave the small things to dry on your airer in the garage. I also love fifteen mins of peace in the cosy laundrette with a magazine smelling clean washing! Just putting something out there that people tend to forget about! Maybe too much faff!

BertieBotts · 29/09/2015 10:27

Definitely replace the airer then, top priority. Those ones are useless - when you've experienced the others you'll see what I mean. Heated or not, I don't know whether it's worth paying the extra - I have always found that one which spreads the clothes out properly is absolutely key. Halves your drying time and you can fit more than one load on at once (or spread them out further to dry even faster).

This: www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/8505655.htm

Or this: www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/8500368.htm

ChattingAway · 29/09/2015 10:27

I wouldn't be tempted by commercial dryers at Laundromats. A few times in an emergency is fine, but regular use and you could find yourself spending more money on replacing clothes than you would on electricity at home.

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