Raining all weekend - how will you dry your washing?

[Infinitethings]

I’ve got loads of washing, school uniform, sheets etc so can’t leave it and it’s raining all weekend. So it will be draped on an airer, stuck on radiators and I will have to put some in the tumble drier although I try not to use it too much. I’ve got a very small house and it’s a pain!

Tumble dryer for most things and an airer for non tumble stuff. Dehumidifier was a game changer for me. I put it on next to the airer and things dry so quickly. We don't have much space and create lots of washing so can't have it draped all over the place.

Heated airer in conservatory with window open and ceiling fan on.
Airer provides heat, window and fan keep the air moving. Will get 2 or 3 loads dry today and same tomorrow.

Ceiling airer (a Sheila Maid) over the stairwell. Washing done overnight, hung up first thing, dry by evening. Put away when hanging up next load first thing in the morning or occasionally do an extra load during the afternoon for hanging up in the evening.
Crack the window on the half landing to encourage moist air to go out. Hang clothes on clothes hangers off the airer rails to get the most out of the space with socks draped on the rails.

I use the tumble dryer for towels and pet related stuff (towels and hutch/pen fleece liners). I have a massive airer which is as tall as me for most clothes, I wash nearly every day and all the clothes from yesterday are dry and ready for putting away, I do very little ironing. Sheets get draped over the airer on their own. The one or two thick jumpers/trousers/dresses we own and which don’t dry successfully on the airer are partially tumble dried, but they don’t need washing that often. I’m wfh for the foreseeable future so I dry outside whenever possible.

2 airers and a dehumidifier. The dehumidifier has reduced drying time in this sort of weather inside when we don't have the heating on by about 2 days - it's bloody brilliant.

Can anyone recommend a decent budget dehumidifier?

In front of the fire 🔥

I have tumble drier but usually I feel bad about using it and so have the usual assortment of airers, dehumidifiers and so on. This year I’ve decided, electric bill be damned, this winter will be shit enough without spending it surrounded by wet washing, and since the start of term I’ve put everything except delicates in the drier. I’ve ironed hardly anything, the house is drier, and it takes NO TIME! I go from a full washing basket to everything dry, folded and put away in one day. The difference it makes to me not to have the visual reminder of wet washing and the constant mental nagging of “must check if that’s dry...must iron that...will they be dry in time” is immense, and in this time when there’s so many stresses in life, it’s such an easy win. So tumble drier all the way.

Small house here too but we have a stove that will burn anything and it has been lit since this morning. It heats all the radiators and whatever doesn't fit on them gets hung on a clothes horse in front of the stove. Clothes are nearly dry in a few hours, I throw them in the dryer for half hour to finish them off. I would love to have a bigger house with a separate utility room tho!

@Sophoa

Just use the tumble drier as you have one. All done, warm and dry and back in the cupbaords

I was just about to say this. Am missing something?

Ceiling pully over the stairs and a dehumidifier. Everything dry within 24 hours, or considerably faster if the heating is on too.

I do use the drier occasionally but my house is so small and open plan downstairs that when you have the drier on you literally can’t do anything else eg watch the television as it’s so loud. It’s like it takes over for half a day. I used to have a utility room in my last house and you could shut the door on it but here you are sitting in the same room as the drier like you are in a launderette.

Those of you who use airers without dehumidifiers - do you open a window or use some kind of ventilation?

My tumble dryer is a condenser, and when I empty the water tank out it contains three pints of water. If there is no dehumidifier, open window or extractor fan this damp will stay in your house. As warm air contains more water you might not notice, but as soon as it hits something cold like a window or an outside wall it will condense, and if the condensation is not removed eventually mould will grow.

MIL used to dry her washing on radiators and never open windows. Her house eventually developed mould on the outside walls.

I didn't like the Lakeland heated arirer either. My clothes dried to a crumpled crisp.

Same as some other posters. Lakeland heated clothes airer. Fantastic. X

Most things go in the dryer.

Also have a heated airer (not the lakeland one) which was about £30 and a normal airer. Now looking at dehumidifiers online. Could do with one anyway.

Tumble drier. I don't feel bad for using it in winter. It doesn't get used at all for 7 months of the year, so this time of year is what it's for.

Those of you who use airers without dehumidifiers - do you open a window or use some kind of ventilation?

Sometimes we open the upstairs windows and sometimes we put the fan on but we mostly just leave it. They all dry in less than 24h and I've never noticed a smell.

@Infinitethings

I do use the drier occasionally but my house is so small and open plan downstairs that when you have the drier on you literally can’t do anything else eg watch the television as it’s so loud. It’s like it takes over for half a day. I used to have a utility room in my last house and you could shut the door on it but here you are sitting in the same room as the drier like you are in a launderette.

I would just do it rather than have wet washing everywhere in a small house. I took a tip from my friend and put a top and bottom sheet on the bed and change my duvet cover far less in the winter. Just wash 2 sheets and pillow cases.

Thoroughly recommend the Lakeland heated drier/airer. Really handy.

Tumble drier all the way here. Apparently I'm orders of magnitude nicer to be around now I've got a decent washing machine and drier combo. . .

All in the tumble drier!

We had a small radiator put on the airing cupboard when we has a new combi boiler put elsewhere. We fitted it out with hanging space and shelves. Everything small goes there. Everything big - over the banister. A normal Los is dry in half a day

Tumble dryer with every window open as I live in a tiny flat

I throw everything in the dryer.
Washed, dried and put away in a few hours.

Tumble dryer for as much as possible, airer and radiator for things that shouldn't go in the tumble dryer.