how do i get clothes dry without tumble dryer?and do less loads with 4 kids?

[bubblepop]

i know it all sounds daft but im trying to do less loads of washing.normally its 2-3 loads per day. the tumble dryer is causing a condensation problem in our house so i'd like to get rid of it really, but no idea how im gonna dry it all, drying on radiators is still going to make moist air. any ideas please

[Ceolas]

Have just had my 4th and could not imagine how I'd cope without my tumble dryer.

Did 24 loads of washing last week (used a box of tablets).

Ventilation to deal with the condensation?

[lucykate]

all of our washing is line dried, don't have a tumble drier. obviously, it does cause problems when it rains but i find even just an hour or so on the line means it dries much faster on a radiator in an emergency

[Cappuccino]

I dry mine on an airer in the bathroom (admittedly I do have quite a big bathroom)

it doesn't seem to make a lot of condensation since it dries quite slowly, usually over 24 hours

[hana]

why are you all doing so much washing!!!
WE have 3 kids plus dh and I and I do a load maybe every other day. Only if things are really dirty to they get washed. sheets once a week, every 2 for the kids.

[Cappuccino]

ooh hana I was going to say that but I thought I might get my head bitten off

why all the washing then love?

[MrsThierryHenry]

Yes, I was going to say the same! My suggestion is that you lower your standards!

The tumble-drying prob should ease up if you do less washing, but might it be practical to take your washing to a launderette for them to dry?

[hana]

I've even stopped washing bibs after every meal - they just get brushed off and wait for the next mealtime.
My standards are practically touching the floor these days.......

[Nemo2007]

I do 2 loads of washing a day plus nappies. Thats 3 dc[3,21m 8m] and dh and I. Would agree especially in this weather condenser for drier.

[mymama]

A drying rack in the laundry room and on the washing line. I use the dryer for undies, socks and things.

I used to do 2 to 3 loads a day but we are on level 6 water restrictions in South East Queensland now. Only 140L of water per person per day total for everything.

To cut down on washing

I let the dc keep uniforms on until bathtime,

If my 4 yo stays home all day and isn't dirty I put his clothes on for two days

I put "good" clothes on for school run and going out and change into "house" clothes at home. If only a few hours wear I will wear them again later in the week.

My dh wears his work pants for two days before washing.

It was a big adjustment for us but necessary. Our washing machine uses 160L per load so one load a day is more than one person's water for the day.

[bubblepop]

well girls, i would love to do less washing. where am i going wrong? obviously, socks knicks and undies get changed and washed every day. thats 2 adults, 4 kids. i try to get the older 2 to wear their school uniforms for a couple of days before going in the wash (they usually come home full of either mud or yoghurt,they are boys)
i make the older 2 wear their casual stuff more than once but again, they play out a lot and always seem to be covered in mud when they get home!
the younger two are only toddlers and are very messy, pjs can only be worn once with the baby as she stinks of wet nappy wee in the morning.usually get a couple of days out of the other ones nightie before that goes in the wash. dh hardly has me washing any of his scruff, but he has a clean shirt for work every day.i usually wear my jeans for a few days but its a clean top for me every day,(worry i might stink of bo!). beds get washed about once a fortnight,sometimes more, depends if its a good drying day! towls get washed after a couple of days of using them, they soon go stinky with so much use! any ideas girls?help me out here im stressed out

[showbiz]

i have 4 boys and me and dh's washing to do and i always check washing before it gets to the basket to see if there is more wear out of it, but there is still loads of washing in our house. i use the dryer a lot but am trying to hang more have just bought wall hung drying racks from ikea for utility room. will be interested what other tips come up on this.

[Clary]

dry on line (I don't use tumble dryer since stopped with bappies)

Get bigger washer

I would really struggle to produce 21 loads a day even if I washed everything we wore every time we wear it.

bubblepop I think the towels are your prob. I wash mine once a week and that is fine honestly. You are drying a clean damp body on them. What's dirty?

[Clary]

nappies not bappies of course
Still have those! hilarious typo lol at own mistake.

[TooTicky]

I dry on the line as much as possible. I have 4 dcs (11, 8, 5 and 2) and do about 6 loads a week. Machine takes 6kg though.

[kidsrus]

Perhaps we should take a leaf out of great great aunty ** book.
wear a tabbard
turn the childrens clothes inside out when dirty
wash undies every day
and have a best set of clothes for church on sundays.
he he
if only life was so simple lol

[MrsMarvel]

Don't go for the radiator drying route, you'll regret it! Get a new drier, a better one which doesn't cause condensation. Only dry smalls in it, hang out the big things.

Try to only use small towels. A large towel uses a lot of water in the washer and a lot of drying effort. Do you have a heated radiator in the bathroom?

Would it help to get dcs to change out of uniforms as soon as they get home?

[spottyshoes]

In summer (when we have one) Hubby and SS footy stuff doesnt get muddy so a bit of comfort refresh type stuff works wonders. For stuff that isnt physically dirty I would get a squirty gun of this - it works like febreeze. If nothing else you could squirt dh's stuff with it and pretend its been washed lol. Keep kids in either school uniform after school or same outfit for baby if he hasnt sicked on it!!! I wear clothes more than once - again if baby hasnt sicked! Bedding every couple of weeks, towels - erm whenever I can remember - how grufty is that!? If the baby's pj's stink in the mornings maybe you should change the nappy brand. (I had to change ds's clothes up to 3 times in the night until I did this!)
We have a condenser type dryer but I try to use it as little as poss - always line dry when I can. Can you not get a cheap ventilation hose that feeds out of the nearest window when it's on? Other than that, get down the pound shop and buy some clothes horse's and stick them in front of every radiator!!! As long as clothes arent on radiators they wont cause condensation. For knicks sox bras etc - get a plastic multi peg (again - pound shop) It has one hook that attaches it to washing line/clothes horse but 20 odd pegs hanging of it. Very useful. Also have you thought about reel out washing lines that attach to your tiles and you can pull out over your bath?

[doyouwantfrieswiththat]

washing line

condenser dryer

naturism

[kidsrus]

paper overalls
paper undies
throw them out when dirty
yee haa job done

[doyouwantfrieswiththat]

surely you mean recycle

[kidsrus]

oh yes sorry recycle.

can you still get paper collers and cuffs then the shirt can be worn all week and they can be recycled too!

[glitterchick]

I have 4 kids and can do up to 4 loads a day. If weather good I hang out clothes on to line. If weather crap I hang towels/sheets over doors around the house (preferably the doors everyone doesn't see during the day i.e. upstairs). In addition, I have 2 clothes horses where I hang clothes in the evening. By morning they are nearly and I finish off in tumble dryer. No condensation prob because not much moisture.

[midnightexpress]

Get one of these. We've got one in our bathroom, (above the radiator) and the clothes dry really quickly (faster than if they're just on the radiator). Or you could have it in your kitchen. We do have pretty high ceilings, which helps, but it's all up out of the way. And really cuts down on tumble drier use.

BTW, I just googled 'laundry pulley' and this was the first one I opened - I think they're pretty widely available.

[SleeplessInTheStaceym11House]

i cant understand where al the washing comes from, although my dcs are still little (nearly 3 and nearly 1) although ds is still in washable nappies, i do about 3-4 loads a week. dry on the airer outside if a nice day (we live in a flat with no garden so i shove it on grasss out the front and hope no one takes a fancy to my undies! ) or inside, if outside it takes between 2-5 hours depending on heat if inside i generally put it out in morning and its dry by next morning!