How do I dry laundry in a cold house?

[NotQuiteUsual]

So not going into the energy price stuff. But basically our house is going to be really cold this winter and the tumble dryer is obviously off limits. But with three kids there's so much laundry. I've reduced the amount I wash stuff to the maximum I can.

But what I can't figure out is how to dry it when our house is as cold as outside. We have super limited space to dry outside. Half a loads room, not even enough to hang a single bed sheet. It gets no sunlight in the day and is only good in the summer, but I have been trying it. We've got two airers that stay under an open window to try keep the damp under control.

I'm sure i must be missing a trick though and I really don't want to smell like damp all winter either. So any tips?

Dehumidifier? They cost less to run than a tumble dryer.
Clothes horse under open window.
Hang washing outside where possible.
Biggest thing would be to wash less. Where I would wash my sons school trousers after each wear, I now spot clean the mud off
them. Same with their polo shirts, get a couple of wears out of them

Heated airer. I dry stuff on there and then if it needs finishing off it's not in the tumble dryer long. They only use something like 7p an hour to run.

Is it the physical space or the lack of hanging equipment that’s the trouble with outside? If it’s the latter put the airer outside too.

You need to really check if it is cheaper than a tumble dry cycle as some of them aren't.

I peg out and finish off in the drier, no way could I have wet washing hanging in an unheated house.

Yeah heated airer. We've got a Lakeland one. It's pretty good especially if you get the zip up cover to trap the heat in.

Extra spin in the washing machine helps. We have a ceiling mounted airer on a pully over the stairs. It still takes a few days to dry, but that doesn't matter so much because it holds a lot and is out of the way. I also run the extractor fan in the bathroom with the door open to the landing where the airer is, but all other doors closed to get some of the damp air out.

I just used to put a sheet over mine, it works just as well.

Extra spin takes a lot of the water out.

Use your outside line whenever it's dry. If the pavement dries over the course of the day then it's dry enough to put washing out.

If you have a shed, can you empty it and put a rack in there for wet days. Prop the door open to allow airflow and that will save having washing around the house.

If you can get stuff mostly dry outside the it will only need half an hour in the tumble dryer which is much cheaper than a full cycle.

I'm having the same issue and even tho I can dry outside some stuff just isn't as it's too cold and things are beginning to smell.

With the heated dryers how long does it take to dry a load of washing Approx please?

Extra spin or get a spin dryer then the tumble dryer. I think the best to aim for is to halve the length of time it takes in the tumble dryer

We’re in the same position, we do have space to pop the airer outside when it’s dry but we live in Scotland so it frequently rains.

I’ve been semi drying (24 minute cycle on high) in the tumble dryer on wet days which makes me feel a bit sick at the cost but otherwise it can take 3 days for things to dry which then smells.

Im also washing less often and having my dc get out of their uniform asap then straight into pj’s, 1) for warmth, 2) so I have less clothes to wash, reusing towels x3/4 until they smell. Sleeping on top of a blanket so I’m not having to wash bed sheets as often as I can air during the day the blanket.

Not directly clothes related but I’ve also bought dry shampoo and now only shower once a week (flannel wash daily) to save electricity via the shower and I get longer out of the towels.

It’s dire.

Could you take your washing to a launderette, you can get a couple of loads dry at the same time in one of the big dryers at ours and it only takes 15 mins (about £5). You could pick out all the thin synthetics that dry fast on an airer and then just take the bulky stuff like towels, jeans, sheets etc.

Extra spin cycle is genius, we should be able to do that. I'll look into heated airers too, but the initial cost and then fuel costs probably rule that out.

The outside space is either a very small concrete bin store type yard which only gets sunlight on summer mornings or a small garden on a main road that gets sunlight in the afternoon. But I live in the North East so it's rainy and damp most of the time!

I'm wondering about putting the airers in front of the oven when I cook. It's electric so not a fire hazard. There's no launderettes local or I'd definitely be pricing it up!

How did I work out how much it costs to run a dehumidifier? Do I have to buy one of those special plug monitors? Or is there an easier way?

Electric fan. A cold one. Creating movement of air will really speed up the drying time.

I’ve built a big cupboard adjacent to the boiler, with rows of wooden dowels across instead of shelves. A bit like an airing cupboard I suppose. I hang everything over the dowels and they’re dry in 24hrs

Somewhere it should have a power rating in kilowatts (kW). Note 1000 W = 1kW
And your gas bill should tell you how much you pay per kWh.

So price = power (in kW) x time (in hours) x price (per kWh)

eg a 1200 W appliance for 30 mins, if your electric is 20p/kWh:
1.2 kW x 0.5 h x 20 = 12 pence

One of those old fashioned air era with clips to hang all the socks, pants, tea towels will free up space on the airer. If you can, fix a hook to a ceiling so you can hang it out of the way.

Hang clothes on hangers on the curtain rails of any south facing bright windows so it's like a little greenhouse to dry them. School shirts dry very quickly like this.

I've got suction lines over the bath, that holds a few bits of the kids stuff, an over the bath airer, and then the big airer on bathroom floor, close the door and open the window as wide as possible, not always perfectly dry but a very quick spin in the dryer and it's fine :) makes going to the bathroom a bit of a pain but not impossible and means I don't have damp smell of clothes in the whole house

I'd sell a kid before I got rid of this!

Put the airers outside in the yard on days when the ground is dry. The washing should at least partially dry before you have to dry it inside.

Timing washing with after the oven has been on is a good idea. Open the oven door once it's switched off and use that heat.

Also if you are going to invest in anything, make it a dehumidifier. Keeping the damp at bay will help with your house not feeling as cold. Also some have a clothes drying setting.

Same here. I bought the £1 dehumidifier boxes from poundshop . I do an extra spin in machine then hang out. If wet or still wet when brought in I put airer in Bath and the dehumidifier boxes in there too take moisture out. Worked so far!
I looked at heated airer and dehumidifier but ££ put me off.

I've got a retractable line and use a fan to blow air on the clothes I dried a full load in 4 hours yesterday the room was cold after though. I've read that it's the cheapest way to dry laundry.

Without shelling out for a humidifier or air dryer there are no secrets. Are you able to heat one small room I. E. Bathroom? Putting it on the airer near but not touching a radiator with a sheet over it to trap the warm air is probably the most effective.

Heated airer costs pence to run!