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!

In the winter we often finish things off in the hot press, that warms them up nicely.

We don’t have a tumble drier, and have never dried outside. Everything gets hung up in the laundry room all year round.

Oohh this is a clever idea.

Also all year here, but I am not in UK, but if it's raining it goes onto the clothes horse and on the patio. I have a bit of an ocd issue with wet clothes in the house.

In winter, even if its cold it still goes out if its dry. As long as there is a breeze it will dry. The problem is getting it back in again before it gets damp.

I also think the type of washing line you use makes a big difference.

I had a rotary one that had 4 or 5 lines all the way around, but imo it doesn't allow for enough wind movement between the strings/ropes/layers/lines (what are those things called lol)....

So now I have 2 straight lines, and that way dries far quicker as everything is in direct sunlight and has access to the breeze.

thanks everyone for the replies to this - i think I’ve found my people 😆! lots of food for thought but I think I’ll try to keep on drying outside as long as I can!!

Hang all yr round West Midlands - just not when raining. You get used to watching the weather on your phone as to whether to hang out or not. I am lucky to work from home to be fair which helps. As long as there is a bit of breeze even if it doesn't fully dry the clothes it gets a good lot of moisture out to be finished on an airer inside

There's no cut off, look out the window, check the weather and apply common sense 😂

All year if I can. Sunlight is anti-bacterial, and things will dry outside during the winter unless it's actually raining or Misty/foggy.

Another of the benefits of wfh, I can bring it all in at 3.30 coffee break and put it in the airing cupboard.

I use the garden on any dry days, preferably weekends when i can rush it in if it rains. I also use an airier overnight in the very tiny spare room, with a dehumidifier running and door closed if necessary.
All bedding/ towels etc either go on the line, or do several loads on a sat morning and drive the whole lot to launderette and do £5/6 on one of their industrial size driers.
I like the idea of the temporary green house though, may add one of those to my winter prep list of extra hot water bottles, throws, candles etc

ive read before once the ground is dry the washing will dry - thats what i go by

I have it out all year round! I'll even have it out if it's cold, as long as there's a reasonable wind. I'm not always looking to fully dry things though as as long as most of the moisture comes out on the line, it saves time in the drier which helps! Especially towels and bedding that can hold a lot of water after washing, it cuts the drier time considerably.

I was told if the paving is dry the clothes will dry by my Nan years ago, so I stick to that and dry outside all year round when possible. No tumble dryer but I have a timer on my washing machine so I keep a close eye on the weather forecast and set it the night before so I can hang our first thing if the weather looks suitable and I'm going to be out all day.

I always dry the washing outside, including when it’s freezing. It might take a full day, but the washing is always dry by the end of it. Very unusual that it needs to air a bit longer in the house to remove the last ‘damp feeling’.

I agree with a PP. look out the window. If it’s not raining, it’s fine.

An airer or clothes horse inside and I've placed a over-the-door hook in my airing cupboard (also houses the hot water tank) to hang up shirts etc to dry - it gets warm in there.

I am going to try and use the tumble drier as little as possible this year - we've got a tower airer which i put in the top bedroom (3 storey house) where its warmest with the window open for airflow - i also do an extra spin on the washing machine so it comes out drier in the first place. Might have to still do towels in the tumble though as they take up so much space!

I spent probably too much time googling this not long ago. 😂

Long story short, it's about wicking the moisture out of the washing, so if it's dry out, you should be fine. You can apparently dry in freezing conditions with some workarounds, but I'll stick to inside once it drops that cold. 😄

I use the washing line as much as possible. As long as it's not raining and not forecast to rain while I'm out at work, I'll hang it out. Otherwise I use airers in the utility room with a small plug in heater and a dehumidifier.

I don't have a tumble drier but I do try to dry outside as often as possible. As long as it's a nice enough day with no rain it's going out. Drying on airers is such a pain.

If the weather is dry and I have time, I will put clothes outdoors. Especially if there is a breeze.

I am happy to leave clothes on the line overnight if no rain is forecast (I usually check the latest rainfall radar online before going to bed).

The limiting factor for me is time, as I work FT (3 days/week in office, 2 at home) and my weekends are generally jam packed too. But even in the depths of winter, they dry well outdoors (I've even had a packed line dry well when the snow has been 6 inches deep on the ground).

So long as it's not raining it's outside irrespective of the time of year.

I line dry all year round or use the airer or radiators if need be.

I very rarely use the tumble, yet know some people, including my neighbours, who use their tumble, even on the hottest days of the year!

We don't have a tumble dryer so it goes out on any fine, dry day, year round.

Any day of the year. If it's raining then I don't bother. But I'll peg it out if it's dry and finish off in the tumble dryer if it's still damp

So long as it isn't raining or snowing, then it goes out on the balcony all year long. If it's too wet, I'll bring clothes horse inside and/or hang stuff over the bath.

This is a fairly small flat (and not a new build either) but we've never had much of a problem with damp or mould. Never had a tumble dryer.

All year round. Then pop on air dryer to finish off.

I live in SW Scotland and hang washing out all year.