How do you dry your clothes without putting heating on?

[Pikafuckingwho]

Up until two weeks ago, I was putting them outside.

No tumble dryer and I don’t want to put the heating on yet. I’ve put them on dying racks but they are just sitting there wet for days and then they smell.

Help!

Heated aired (not the fan type- they're expensive to run). If Lakeland is sold out, try John Lewis (I got mine there), or Argos (sometimes same day delivery!) or Amazon.

Extra spin and dehumidifier

I try and time my washing for sunny days. Yesterday I did the sheets & they all dried outside. Rain is now forecast for the rest of the week. I have had to wash the school uniforms. They are on a heated airer. They should be dry by tonight hopefully. Temperature indoors 14.5 degrees. No heating yet.

I've done an experiment involving the meters and calculations on the back of a fag packet and everything, and it's cheaper for me to run the heating on low to dry clothes on airers than it is to use the tumble drier.

Plus, I get to benefit from the heating being on low; and I don't shrink all the clothes again.

We have a lot of work uniform to get through and it just wouldn't dry otherwise. (Don't even get me started on employers' expectations of uniform laundering by employees.)

i also save for dry days but after reading this thread, have a wash on,
however last night i put the heating on for an hour due to being 16 degrees, if this temperature carries on i will continue to put heating on briefly

I use fairy pods, fairy outdoorable softener and fairy outdoorable scent boosters in my wash, helps them smell lovely even when on the airer. Makes your house smell lovely too

I take mine to the dryer at the launderette. Massive load dry for about £1.50

An ordinary desk fan pointed at the washing on an airer works quite well but you do have to keep moving the clothes around. Remember to fold out pockets etc to stop damp spots forming. But I only have very small amounts at once because we are using tumble dryer as well.

We were fortunate enough to be able to put solar and battery in a couple of months ago so almost all our electricity is either from the roof or overnight cheap tariff. However even if we weren't I would still use the tumble dryer if I couldn't dry outside because drying clothes indoors would give us a huge damp problem which would ultimately be more expensive to deal with than the electric bill

Have you anywhere outside under cover.
We have a terrace with a roof and I put my rack out there on clear days.
Not when it’s damp weather though.

@Pikafuckingwho

if not outside get an electric rack dryer.
my smart meters hardly moves when it's on

In the good old days !!! Had an indoor washing line over the bath, it had 5 lines and was retractable. Gas boiler was in a cupboard, using wood made open shelving to hang clothes on hangers, then of course there was the open fire. I check the weather and if dry will hang out the heavy washing such as towels and bedding.

Is a heated aired much better than an normal one with a small (non-fan) plug in radiator positioned underneath it? I have both of these already.

@AutumnCrow if you have to wash uniform there is a small tax rebate you can claim for. My husband does this, its not much per year but you can backdate a couple of years I think. At the moment everything helps. We found all info on the gov website and applied on line in a few minutes.

Haven’t needed to yet but as pp said I’ll be taking mine to the massive tumblers at the laundrette until we decide it’s cold enough to put the heating on. At the moment airers with the dehumidifier is doing the job and seems to be reasonable in electric usage.

I love the idea from pp of giving things a quick blast with the hairdryer to finish them off.

A decent dehumidifier makes a huge difference. Also helps with condensation on insides of windows. Also airing cupboard.

I’m having the exact same problem. I really hate the smell of damp clothes and can smell it a mile away. I used to put the clothes on an airer in the dining room, but everything takes ages to dry and smell. Things with thick elastic waistbands and towels are the worst. We are in Scotland so weather usually rubbish, freezing yesterday, but put towels on the wirly gig and they dried by the end of the day. I wouldn’t normally put them out, but will from now on. Unless it’s raining. I’m finding the bathroom a good place. Put the clothes horse in the bath and open the window. Also I have been hanging hoodies on a hanger on the window pole, not a nice look I know, but they don’t seem to smell.

I've decided I'm going to have to start ironing things to get the cold damp out of them. I never iron.

Well aired flat.(air bricks in every room)

One airer and sock hanger. Two loads of washing: (my flats dry so it works)

Move clothes around:
Turn over on wires, move from inside to outside, turn garments inside out or back to right way round.

As clothes are nearly dry they are aired away from the airer on coat hangers.

My last load is still quite wet since Thursday Evening as I was out yesterday and someone left it about scrunched up.

I used to have an airing cupboard but it's about full and the boiler does not work.

Some houses are just too damp to dry washing.

Dehumidifier

Thanks for highlighting this.

Better to put the heating on low. If the house gets too cold it will feel damp and take longer to heat up. Keep it on at about 19C for a couple of hours a day and spread clothes on or very close to the radiators in every room of the house.

Wash them less often. Spot clean with baby wipes or hot cloth. Hang up to air after wearing.

Do smaller amounts of washing per load and spread them loosely on the drying rack. Get more than one rack if nec. Dry outside as much as poss and finish off on the racks inside
I have just brought a quilt cover and a bottom sheet in from the line. They are still damp. I have hung them over the kitchen and dining room doors.

We have a pulleymaid and it's fantastic, I would definitely recommend one.

Yep, extra spin cycle, spread things out on airers, always hang clothes across two wires and not one. If it's not raining clothes go outside to at least get partly dry even in cold weather.

Last week I started to put the heating on for an hour for jumpers though. They go musty otherwise. They go directly onto the radiators. Just done my jumper wash so the house is also warming up a bit for the evening.

Airing cupboard
Curtain rails with dehumidifier on