How do you dry clothes?

[mrsjimhopper]

Tumble- dry towels pants socks joggers and bedding and most t shirts.

Everything else on an airer. It can take DAYS, especially as we have no heating on.

I hear of people who tumble dry everything- what is this witchcraftery that leads to no shrinking?

I'm trying to be energy efficient too hence (no central hearing on and I'm trying keep it off but we do have a nice big log burning stove and we aren't cold at all)

Tell me your secrets!

Airer in front of the patio doors with the dehumidifier running on laundry mode next to it. Usually dries 1-2 loads overnight.

But I bought a new airer where its still 3 levels but taller so more spread out and clothes dry quicker. It also has bits on the side so I can hang hangers with shirts and my socktopus.

If not actually raining I put outside as long as possible, then on airer overnight or if needed sooner 5 minutes in tumbler.

If raining then 10 mins in tumbler with a bone dry towel (seems to absorb some of the moisture) then airer overnight.

Outside as much as possible.
When not, into the empty greenhouse with a vent slightly open.
Rarely, on a double rail in the spare room

We don't have a tumble dryer. Outside if possible, otherwise on the airer.

We have 2 airers and really spread the washing out.
Stand inside or or out for a day, flip over for another day.
Shove in big cupboard with dehumidifier until dry.
In winter I make sure i keep on top of the washing and don't let it build up.

For those of you saying stuff takes a couple of days to dry inside on an airer, how do the clothes not smell?! If I do that then they end up stinking 😅

It's ok to say you don't need a tumble dryer if have a conservatory, utility room, spare room or greenhouse! Otherwise, it really is a problem with washing hanging around.

The Lakeland airer I've got dries a full load overnight.

In summer of when there's sun, outside. Otherwise I hang ours on a clothes horse in our downstairs cloakroom ( nobody uses it) with our Meaco 20L dehumidifier on, always dries very quickly, obviously no damp in there at all since we have a huge dehumidifier we use regularly in both bathrooms and it's out the way of the household which is nice.

Washing line up until about November.
Then on the radiators inside. Can dry a whole load dry and away in about an hour.
Very very rarely use the tumble dryer.

I don't have a tumble dryer, use a dehumidifier when necessary. Just replaced my various airers with a marvellous one from amazon, tall and on wheels, loads of space. Goes in front of patio doors when sunny, turn round at intervals. If no sun then with dehumidifier on, or will go next to radiator when heating on.

A combination of the tumble dryer, clothes horses and outside on the line as the weather allows. Four adults here, a mix of nursing and school uniforms, work clothes for DH and I, and everything else - feels like a never ending task, especially in winter when it’s either wet or damp here with v little breeze in our sheltered garden (surrounded by woodland). Drives me mad.

Tumble dryer mainly. I size up with DDs' clothes so they can take a bit of shrinkage. Never noticed an issue with mine and DH's. I can't stand wet laundry hanging around on radiators (plus the dog makes off with socks) and I've never found an airer that isn't shite and awkwardly takes up too much room.

Tumble dryer unless it's guaranteed to be a nice day.

I CBA with the hassle of hanging everything out, then having to bring it back in dry it anyway because it's pissed down while I've been at work.

Heated airer or tumble dryer

1600 spin machine was a game changer, I do everything that isn’t delicate on 1600 and it dries really quickly.

I line dry as much as poss and don’t worry about showers or leaving out at night.

We do tumble bedding, towels and DD’s clothes but I don’t worry about hers shrinking as she grows out of it fast anyway. I don’t tumble our clothes though.

Outside on the line most of the year. I try to avoid washing much if there's a lot of rain forecast. It's surprising how much drier things get even if there's little or no sun or wind. Then airers around the house to finish off when it gets dark. I have one of those ceiling ones which is brilliant but I daren't put anything heavy on it.

But my magic trick is to use a free-standing spin dryer when I take things out of the machine. The horizontal spin is so much better than the normal machine vertical one and I get a lot of water out of even an apparently well-spun load.

I have the luxury of qorking from home and watching the weather like a hawk.

I use a rotary dryer and move it a around the garden to catch the sun qhen it's out.

I'm still line drying everything. When I know its going to be nice I will wash towels or bedding if all clothing done.

I have a heated airer and a non heated area which stand in our sunlounge. It can get quite warm in there so if it was wet I would use the airer.

I'm also planning to use our local laundrette for their tumble dryers to dry towels and bedding when it gets colder and wetter. I'll wash and bag up and pop round. They dry in like 20 mins in their industrial dryers and are probably still cheaper than if I had a dryer at home

It doesn't. I use vinegar for 3 years now is no smell at all. When I dry inside with dehumidifier on drying option is only taking 7 hours to dry if I spin washing twice. I also try to put washing outside all the time.

How does hours of a dehumidifier compare to say 45 minutes on the lower heat cycle of the tumble dryer in terms of energy usage?

No outside space and no tumble dryer here. I used to use airers over the radiators, and a couple of small clothes horses, and washing seemed to take froeevr to dry.

Now we have two tower airers and a dehumidifier, which dries most things in 24 hours (dehumidifier off overnight so not on for all that time), and many things are dry sooner than that. Bedding is usually done much more quickly.

In autumn/winter I use a heated airier with a cover if I just have one load, and need to get it finished more quickly.

Both the airer and dehumidifier warm the house up too.

I have a drying rack in the conservatory. It dries in hours in the summer, but in the winter it hangs for two days and if it isn't dry by then it has 15 minutes in the tumbler to finish it off.

Friday night is uniform wash night. My life has not turned out how I expected.

Two days?! Why not just use the tumbler?

I recently got a tumble dryer. A really good heat pump one. I was skeptical because of reviews of long drying times but I do a full load from machine to cupboard in under 2 hours. NO shrinkage of anything. I was utterly sick of clothes on the unsightly airer taking 2 days to dry and then having that slightly damp smell even though it's dry. And you need the space to shut that airer away.

Heated airer with an old double sheet over the top in our warmest room. Line outside when dry. Tumble dryer for emergencies only.