Best way to dry clothes in winter?

[Paddingtonthebear]

Current set up is an ageing John Lewis heated airer with large sheet over top. This is ok but our house is very small, no spare rooms and the airer is inevitably in the way. Also hard to dry bedding etc. No space for a standard size separate tumble dryer at all. I use the outside line as much as possible but this is difficult in the rain.

Options are

1. Stick with current set up but invest in a dehumidifier? Space and practicality is an issue though.
2. Replace heated airer for new and improved version (Lakeland dry soon with proper cover)
3. Spread the load and buy a table top tumble dryer like this (can be stored away in summer): https://www.robertdyas.co.uk/russell-hobbs-rh3vtd800b-2-5kg-compact-vented-tumble-dryer-black
4. Replace current washing machine and buy a decent washer dryer. If that exists?

If you can put up an agreement why not just shove a condenser dryer in a corner?

Before we had a dryer I just shoved stuff on radiators. Do you have a launderette where you could dry stuff?

An extra spin always helps in the washer too.

We use a dehumidifier with a laundry mode setting. Stick it in the smallest room of the house with all windows and doors shut, make sure items on the laundry rack are evenly spaced and have air flow (so the go across 2 rungs rather than 1). Drys overnight

I was going to suggest laundrette for the tumbleable stuff.

Do you have a boiler cupboard or similar where it's warm that you could fashion some drying space?

We did have a decent washer dryer in our old house and I am missing it more than I thought. We didn't used it loads but it was handy for pants/socks/towels. It was an AEG one which cost about £600 in 2016 and caused no problems. You can't overfill it but it did the job.

Sheets are now dried over doors and bannisters here and we have just bought a Lakeland dry soon. Also a great fan of the socktopus hanging from the velux windows!

Thanks. There isn’t a room that has a spare space/corner for a proper size dryer. When we use the heated airer it has to sit in the middle of the lounge or our bedroom, in use it is generally in the way of someone or something. We don’t use it overnight for that reason. We do have a launderette which we have used when desperate, but it’s quite expensive. £1 for 6 mins for the dryer.

We do the same, dehumidifier in the utility room with the doors closed. The amount of moisture it collects is unreal - actually it cuts out after a few hours when the watwr tank is full.

Part of the problem is the washing machine. It only has two spin speeds; 800pm and 1400pm. We have to put it on the lower setting as the higher one was tearing holes in the clothes. So as a consequence the clothes are coming out of the wash dripping wet. Hoodies take longer than jeans to dry out!

We have Aeg separate washer and dryer. They are really good. The washer has 1600 spin which means everything comes out fairly dry also.
I would look at replacing the washing machine for an AEG washer dryer. Even if you then only use dryer for towels, bedding and thick things like jeans.

What table top is the tumble going to go on? Could you switch the table out for a smaller one or one that folds down to make space for the airer? Could then use it overnight and have the table up in the day.

There’s a space on the kitchen worktop for a table top dryer. Dining table is in middle of small dining room, the room has fitted cupboards in the only corners so no space for a dryer.

Time clean sheets for decent weather - so we are all getting clean sheets and towels today, because it's sunny and breezy here.
Noone got jeans, towels or bedding washed last week as it pissed it down the entire time!

Lakeland. Heated clothes airer.

I used to have a strict routine for washing, so towels done on certain day, bedding done on certain day.

Everything had an extra spin, then went on the clothes horse next to the radiator in the bathroom with the dehumidifier on, then was moved to the radiator in the living room to finish off - but on those racks that hook on, not directly on the radiator. Always left a small window open overnight.

Much more haphazard now I live in a less damp house without the same condensation problem (we still have a condensation problem though, just not so much caused by washing).

Fair enough. If you are managing without using the heated airer overnight then there isn't much wrong with your heated airer. I'm not sure the dehumidifier or improved heated airer are going to improve things much.

I don't have the experience of the table top tumble and recent enough experience of a washer dryer to comment on those. Washer dryers have been poor historically but that doesn't mean they still all are.

We have variously had a laundry rack over the stairwell, an artwenger ruckzuck on the wall and we looked at a retractable indoor washing line to go over bath or stairwell. Also extended hooks on backs of doors and an old-fashioned V shaped overbath airer with the extractor fan on. Getting things off the floor makes a huge difference in a small space. But most of these depend on having stairs and/or being able to drill the walls, and will just ease things rather than replacing the airer entirely.

We also have a tower type dryer rack. It’s on wheels. If it’s dry I often put laundry on it outside, then just wheel indoors in evening or if it starts raining. Quicker than taking off main line outside

We have always had a washer dryer, but we hardly ever use the dryer function these days. It was useful for when there were several small children with d&v bugs, though! But be careful if you are buying a new one, some of them no longer have short dry-only programmes, you need to check.
We also have a kitchen maid like this which is hung from the ceiling in the first floor hallway; washing usually dries overnight.

We have two airers, one heated and one not, larger items like towels and bedding go on the heated one as it's also bigger so no need to fold them over and everything else on the unheated one
We also invested in a large dehumidifier last year which dries everything, even heavy items in just a few hours

Any space for a plastic roof over the washing line in the garden? You'd be surprised how well stuff will dry outside under one.

You can get covers that go over the top of a rotary dryer outside. They’ll protect from falling rain but not so much if it’s sideways rain

I have a hanger over the bannister and another one attached over the door frame to the small room / storage.
Drysoon pod in the small room which has the window open.
Rails in the small room under shelves to hang things when they come out of the Drysoon
And an IKEA towel rail that has 4 arms and folds back. Hands over the stairwelll drop.

I have got a dehumidifier but it doesn’t do anything. It used to collect water but not effective at all . Need to check everything is in order and no kinks or blockages