Drying washing indoors with no heating on tips?

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Not planning to have the heating on for a while...

I have so much washing to do every single day, at least a full load every day (don't suggest for me to cut it down, it's impossible, I've tried).

I have a dryer which I use for pants, socks, pjs etc! But I don't like using it for thicker stuff or stuff that may shrink so a lot of it goes onto airer but it does not dry this time of year with no heating on.

I dry outside as much as possible but it's always raining here lately, it just doesn't dry outside. I can't skip a load because it'll be twice as much to dry next day.

nor does it dry indoors either this time of year. I don't have the biggest house so no room for laundry to be everywhere.

I have considered a heated dryer but I already use my dryer most days so don't want to add to the cost £££!

any tips on airer drying this time of year please? It's taking 1.5-2 days to dry at the minute, I have two airers. I am in a continuous circle of laundry and drying!

Has anyone tried the Drysoon Pod or heated cabinet?

Yes I agree with pp - have more supply of 2nd hand uniform so you can wash less often. If you can plan your loads to coincide with dry days it is always worth getting washing outside for a while

When it comes back inside still damp: Put everything you can eg shirts, T shirts and jumpers and skirts on hangers, hang from door frames if possible so they have air all round them. Spread everything else out on the airers. You need air circulating for things to dry.

I have 2 toddlers so always have a wash on. I've put in a double retractable washing line strung from either end of the kitchen/diner that things are hung on overnight, also have a pully hanger in the utility next to the boiler. Everything gets a second spin+drain (makes a huge difference). Whenever it's sunny out I crack a window for fresh air. I'm not putting the heating on either, I know your pain!

Dont wash uniform every day, just save it up and do 1 wash a week with all school uniform.

As PP said, look at the types of clothes to see if you can do less jeans etc that take ages to dry, and more leggings.

Are you washing things after 1 wear? Lots of things can be worn multiple times if not stained etc

Agree with suggestions to get a dehumidifier

Electric dehumidifier OP. Why do so many people not use them or know about them? They are an absolute game changer and will be so much better for your home than the moisture laden air that is present otherwise.

We have a ceiling airer which is in our utility with the boiler. The boiler comes on twice a day to heat the water but for no more than a total of an hour a day. It's a bit warmer in there than any other room.

All socks, pants and tights go on it and are usually within 24 hours. All odd socks stay there until the pair materialises.

I also spin washing again in the winter and use airers in the kitchen.
Handy additional tips on here though.

Bump

Hang items on hangers then hang them from curtain poles around your home - wow the change is amazing

but also 50p a load…can you be arsed to faff about to save 50p a day? My time spent hanging everything on curtain poles is worth more than 50p

I'm interested in the idea of spinning washing twice.
I've looked at dehumidifiers but they don't seem to work in low temperatures and a lot of our house including where we dry the washing is unheated.

do you have an airing cupboard for a final dry
i would dry in the window,

Do you have a shower curtain rail in your bathroom? Ive been hanging trousers, dresses, hoodies ect on ours and they seem to dry well with windows open. I've also put one of those radiator airers that you slot over the top onto an open bedroom window and things are drying well on them

I’d definitely get hold of some more uniform rather than washing every single day. Agree with hanging things on the curtain rails if yours are sturdy enough.

also could some of the marks not just be spot washed rather than full loads being washed? As a family of five we could make a load a day but we don’t have to do a load a day. Plan what’s washed when. Also depending on money I’ve swapped out all our standard towels for sports microfibre types that fry super quick but also still super soft.

I find that if I use the airer and put one item on two rails it dries quicker. I double spin my washing and for tops I hang them on a coat hanger and hang it on the door frames, this helps to dry things a bit quicker.

Word of caution on the dehumidifier suggestions. They can actually use more electricity and therefore cost more to dry clothes than using a heat pump tumble drier. Recent advances in the energy efficiency of tumble driers have resulted in some models surpassing dehumidifiers as cheapest way to dry clothes. And I do not mean just the £1,000 models. A £350 Beko can outperform an average dehumidifier now.

So look at the KWh of any dehumidifier and times that by the hours the clothes take to dry compared to the KWh of any heat pump tumble drier times by the cycle length to dry the same weight of clothes.

And if you’re worried about things shrinking heat pump driers now have low heat/delicate settings and they all use moisture sensing technology and auto-stop when clothes are to whatever level of dry you want them to be.

There’s also no point spinning a second time in the washer if it’s at the same rpms. Just make sure you spin at the highest rpms possible to get the most water out.

If you’re washing wool jumpers and such that must be air dried, take the wet item lay it on a dry bath towel and then roll up the item in the towel. Squeezing and pressing down as you go. It squeezes tons of moisture out and the jumper then dries faster. Towel (now damp) you can hang on towel rail or toss in drier. This is a good trick for emergency clothes wash in hotels too btw.

If you have two airers, spread one load across the two airers and it should dry by the next day, rather than squeezing two loads onto two airers and it taking 2/3 days to dry and not smelling so fresh by the end.

This! 👌🏼 My kids have 5 shirts each and 5 pairs of shorts and trousers and 3 jumpers. I wash dry and iron them all at the weekend 🙌🏼

We put ours in the bathroom and leave the window open, door closed…works a treat!

I've always relied on my dehumidifier to help clothes dry but was surprised to find out today how expensive they are to run.

Unless their stuff is absolutely wrecked can you get away with a bit of old fashioned spot cleaning?

When buying new clothes buy them teddy bear fabric type PJ and fleeces, they dry really easily.

You'd have to prise mine out of my cold hands! Will dry your uniform on hangers in no time and most things need hardly any ironing. Had it years. It's Brill.

Dries 8 of my DH XXL polo shirts in 90 mins.

My dehumidifier is 12p an hour according to one of those plug usage things.

I can get an 8kg load, two airers worth drying in 8 hours so 96p. Have never been able to get more than half a small load dry in a tumble.

Do you have any outdoor space where you could put up a small greenhouse? Such as those smaller, plastic covered ones, they can take an airer full of clothes to dry - keeps them out of the rain and allows for air flow. Might ‘buy’ you some space for items that can be left for a day or two? I put mine outside under a plastic roofed/wire mesh sided catio, and it dries in a day even with rain.

I have a washing line in my garage/carport. It means I can hang things outside all year round. Obviously it dries much faster in summer, but it's protected from rain.

There's not much you can't put in a tumble dryer. Maybe you are making it harder on yourself by not bunging another load in it? Cooler heat or shorter time and then leave to finish by air drying on a rack.