To ask how often you run these appliances after I’ve had a HUGE energy bill?

Yes when someone writes
“Funny how people managed by not overwashing their woollen garments for centuries..”

Funnily enough I do think they mean centuries not decades. Why would you write something you did not mean and then have a dig at me for “trying and failing to be clever”. What is so clever about reading the words you wrote and then responding on the basis of those exact words?

Surely, if you did not mean “for centuries” despite writing it, that is you not being very clever? Wouldnt a clever person have written what they meant?

Btw, the rate of death from infectious diseases due to poor hygiene, including typhus, was really high in my great grand parents time- they were born in the 1870s which is more than 150yrs ago. Great grand parents really wasn’t that long ago if I ignore the “etc” because who knows how many “greats” you really mean by that!

I don’t live in the U.K.

I didn't literally mean centuries ago - I meant our parents, grandparents, great grandparents etc. Do you take everything so literally? I'm sure you actually know what I meant, you are just trying (and failing), to be clever. I live in a country where the economy was once built upon sheep, and I suspect we still wear more wool than you do in the UK - and no-one gets sick because they aren't constantly washing their woollen garments.

I guarantee you often encounter people who haven't put on a clean top every day and you wouldn't even know it. I'm not in the UK but we have advice on the TV here about how clothes don't need to be washed as often as some people think they do. Washing a shirt after one wear, unless there is a very good reason, is just ridiculous.

There are 4 of us in our household. We don’t have a dishwasher at present but washing machine probably on most days. Tumble drier only used on wet days and winter - try and line dry as much as possible also have a dehumidifier which is brilliant for drying clothes and much cheaper than using the tumble drier
have a smart meter which does help keep costs in check

That’s not funny. They didn’t manage to not get sick centuries ago. The #1 killer was infectious diseases for all age groups mostly caused by poor public health and hygiene. They also had more parasites then….wool is great for body lice to live in…and body lice carried typhus.

No! It’s quite hot here and even after a few hours of wear they are dirty.

I have to have a fresh top daily as I do get sweaty.

Jeans get worn several times before washing

I don't wash my tops after one day wearing them..my job entails sitting at a desk and non sweaty work there is no need for it to be washed every day.

How would you know, if it is still clean and doesn't smell? Not all of us are sweaty Bettys

Sorry, trousers or skirts yes but shirts should be washed after wearing for 1 day. I don’t want to sit next to somebody who doesn’t put on a clean top every day.

In the UK most people have some form of central heating which can cause dry air in the house so I think hanging washing on airers just makes the moisture level more normal. Some people just seem to wash and tumble dry things far more than other people. They will have higher fuel bills

The dishwasher goes on 2-3 times a day.

The washing machine is normally running once a day or more.

The tumble dryer gets used a fair bit in winter (maybe once every other day) and much less when things can be dried outside (maybe once every other week or so).

Cost is about £160 per month with Octopus.

OP - if you are looking to save money and think Octopus is for you then this link will get you £50 off: https://share.octopus.energy/glad-seal-912

(It also gives me £50 if you use it - but obviously only do so if it makes sense for you).

I don't do anything with my woollens, they simply sit in the drawers!

I assume you live in a wooden house? I’m in Sweden and like 99,9% of Swedes who live in houses, I live in a wooden house. In a wooden building any mould inside or outside = structural damage sooner or later, so there’s a lot of effort put into having good ventilation and good insulation. I live in a region where we have horizontal rainfall or snowfall more or less 360 days a year and yet my house is very dry inside and probably feels draughty as well for an average Brit because we have forced ventilation so there’s constant movement of air which gets sucked inside by the heat pump system.

Wooden houses are also easy to retrofit with good insulation so even very old houses are increasingly retrofitted with heat pumps because they drastically drive the electricity usage down.

I think in comparison the majority of houses in the UK are made of stone, concrete or bricks. They seem to be really badly ventilated but it’s not an issue because damp inside won’t damage the house although it’s really not great for health and electricity bills.

In Sweden we have a generation of houses built in 1950s-1960s that are severely affected by construction errors that made them badly insulated from the ground. They are notorious for water damage and have very characteristic smell that you can actually smell on people’s clothes. There’s a whole construction business just around fixing these houses (which more or less requires rebuilding most of the bearing walls).

Dishwasher every day. Washing machine and tumble dryer 4 - 5 times a week.
Oven, rarely (air fryer). We have 2 freezers and 3 fridges and we are all electric.
our bills aren't too high - we have A+ rated washing machine and dryer and solar panels. Some days we can actually have the washing machine and dryer on and still be generating more electricity than we are using. Not often, but it does happen.

I’ve never had moths either.
I keep the drawers clean (vacuum cleaning several times a year), preventatively use pheromone traps, frequently wear my wool garments, always freeze new ones for at least 72h and use cedar and lavender in the drawers. It helps to keep them away

I do notice that people in the UK seem to talk anbout issues with “damp” a lot compared to people here. I think this would be mildew and mold in Canada. Some mildew in a shower would not be unusual here, maybe even in a basement. But in the rest of the house it’s not something people tolerate because it’s dangerous over time. We might be overreacting, but it’s interesting to compare.

I did reach peak Canadian status last winter when I started hanging out my wash in -20 C. When it’s that cold, it’s dry in this part of Canada, so the clothes will actually freeze dry. It was fascinating and I plan to do it again this year, But if it’s warmer than -10 they would never dry outdoors here.

Dish washer every other day. Washing machine most days but often quick or sports wash. Tumble drier hardly ever, washing line and airers

I can wear the same jeans for months. They go on a clean body. I don't sweat in them. I wear them for a few hours, if that, then they are aired.

If I was at home doing jobs around the house and garden they might be filthy, but they're not going to be dirty from popping to the supermarket or something.

It isn't science that tells us it's bad, it's laundry and white goods manufacturers that flog us their products.
I often wear jeans for a week before they hit the washing machine, and only wash tops after a few wears unless they become marked. Honestly if people are showering 3 or 4 times a week how does stuff get dirty?

Your usage of resources is bizarre. The planet isn't going to survive with this sort of usage of resources.

If you wash your bedding once a fortnight and line dry it the linens will last twice as long and unless you don't shower every day or so they won't need weekly washing.

Household of 3, no dishwasher.

in order to reduce costs I try and wash as little as possible. I won’t wash a shirt if it’s been worn for a day, only when it’s dirty for example (2 or 3 wears) this reduces washing somewhat in the first place. Then I keep an eye on the weather for a dry day and try and do all washing required on that day and like dry for as much of the year as I can! Usually this is 2 loads a week

I agree - and I've yet to hear of anyone getting sick because of their germy woollen garments. Funny how people managed by not overwashing their woollen garments for centuries and suddenly "science" tells us it's bad.

And for another pp - I have NEVER had moths anywhere near any of my wool clothes (and I have a lot of them).

While I don't wash wool just once a year, it really doesn't need to be washed as much as other fabrics, especially if it is worn over top of other garments. We wear a lot of merino where I live and you can wear the same top for days/weeks and it doesn't smell at all.

If anyone is with British Gas they do a half price energy saver day on Sundays, not sure if every Sunday but you get half of the amount of what you use on the saver days credited to your account.