When do you stop drying washing outside?

[Upupupintheair]

I realise that I should probably win an award for the most boring thread today…

For obvious reasons I’m trying to cut down the amount we use our tumble dryer this winter, we haven’t used it since April this year.. and I’ve sadly loved the ritual of pegging clothes out on the line (god I need to get a life 😆).

with autumn coming what do you normally do in the winter about drying clothes? Do you try and dry outside all year round? What about if its frosty?

i don’t really want to dry them indoors (house is susceptible to damp) but want to avoid using the tumble dryer as much as possible!

Over the years 8ve noticed things don't dry well if it's under 10 degrees. If it's above 10 degrees and dry I'll hang the washing out. We often get days above 10 degrees even in winter.

Any dry day the washing goes out. If it's wet, it gets dried inside but I try to do the washing when the forecast is reasonable. The tumble dryer is only used if something needs a really fast turnaround.

I have a big airer set up in the greenhouse put stuff in there on hangers on a blowy day I open both doors for a wind tunnel effect. It’s not perfect but even in pissing rain gets them dry ish then I hang on rail in kitchen to finish. In theory you could also iron dry to finish but that is unlikely to happen.

i put mine out regularly until October ish but will put out on sunny/breezy days in winter too

If its dry in winter I pop ours on an airer by the patio doors and open them. Also means I can move it out onto the patio and bring it back in if it starts raining quickly.

Mine goes outside all year if it isn't raining (and sometimes if it is raining if it is windy too or looks like it will dry up soon).

It seems another life to me where so many people have always used their tumble drier's no matter what the weather is. I have only ever used mine in a drying emergency, so washing always goes outside obviously as long as it is not raining. In the Winter it goes on an airer by the radiator and the rest on the radiators. This year, trying to devise a plan after reading this thread I may wash clothes even less than I do since living on my own.
Nothing worse than the smell of musty clothes which haven't dried quickly enough, which need washing again.

If it’s not raining, it’s going out.

Surprised by the replies. We are north facing so come autumn there is no sun on our washing line and even on a dry windy day it doesnt dry...definitely not in Winter.....we will still have to do a cool dry in tumble !

When it's raining.

I don’t have a tumble dryer. Washing goes outside on the line all year, depending on the weather. I avoid washing if it’s raining, if I can.

On colder days, I often hang laundry outside on a portable indoor drying rack. That way I can just quickly bring the whole thing in if it starts raining or if washing still damp in evening. It’s still drys a lot.

On wet or freezing days, I dry indoors on drying rack, but infront of open window for as long as possible. I like to air house even when cold outside, and even 20 mins open every few hours will help with drying and stop any damp smell.

I actually don’t know anyone who has a tumble dryer. Even when I lived in an upstairs flat with no outside space, I didn’t have one -though I can see the advantage if you are in a flat.

never, I do have a porch to keep the rain off as long as the wind isn't in the wrong direction. It very rare for us to have a frost.

I used to have a car port and used it all the year round for drying washing.

I hang out washing all year if the day is ok. If I can I put it on a clothes horse in the small bedroom and use a dehumidifier with a laundry function over night. Close the door and it is dry in the morning.

I dry outside all year round and an in a wet area. If it's raining I don't do laundry.

I do usually give up in october/November when I find its not dry when I bring it in and I still have to tumble dry it. It feels like doing twice as much work. But this year with the rising electricity costs I'll have to rethink that. Sad I know but I like all the threads about drying washing on here at the moment, I'm getting lots of good ideas to try.

We have a very small secluded, shaded, north facing garden, which appears to hoard damp air, and we live in the wettest part of the country. For me it's mostly not worth hanging washing out from mid nov - mid feb, but if we get the odd very windy, very dry day I'll still stick it out, particularly bedding, towels and tablecloths which dry more quickly.

The main issue is as per a previous poster - clothes seem to get damp again if not brought in by 15.00, and I don't get home until 17.30.

@CurlyGirl What a brilliant idea. I think it's still possible to buy line covers - a kind of tarpaulin sheet that hooks onto the ends of your whirly arms and protects again rain. I used to have one and it was also brilliant

If it’s raining I don’t put out laundry. Otherwise over the years I’ve done - drying in front of the fire, stove, under the car port, in a greenhouse (as pp mentioned), under a tarpaulin, and now in a catio with a solid Perspex roof and mesh sides.
A friend uses her garage - but my garage seems to leak dust, so I don’t.

Only if it's damp or raining. Otherwise, year-round

I don't. Peg right through winter. It still dries well.

The problem is when you bring it in it feels cold and can think it's made no difference. 10 minutes by the fire or over the bannister and it's dry.

If it's a lot of small things like socks might finish off in tumble dryer but think I used it about half a dozen times last year

All year round, depending on the weather on any given day. We have a tumble drier but use it no more than once every three or four months when we need something dry in a hurry. When we can't dry outdoors, we use indoor airers. If the weather's changeable, we put stuff on the airers then leave it outside the back door - then if it starts to rain we can bring everything in quickly. Also do that with washing done too late to peg out (e.g. misty night in winter) - have it indoors on the airers overnight then move them outside in the morning.

We put shelving into our hot water cylinder cupboard so anything that's not fully dry goes in there overnight (or longer if necessary).

In Winter it's always in use. Washing goes outside, then I fold it even if damp and put it into the airing cupboard. Tumble drier was only ever used if we had days of rain, and also for bedding and towels.