To contemplate living without a tumble dryer?

[mrsharrycunningham]

My washer/dryer has conked out and I'm thinking of replacing it with just a washing machine. I don't really have the space for a seperate tumble dryer but am I mad to consider not having one?

We didn't have one for years, and that included the first year of DS being in cloth nappies.

Now we've got a washer dryer, and tbh I only really use it when I run out of space to hang things up, and then only for towels or bedding.

Mine has just broken and we are going to replace it asap. Can't do without it. We live in a tiny house, with very little space to dry anything. The weather is dire here and nothing dries outside at the moment, but we only have room for a small rotary dryer, so can't fit everything on that anyway. I am washing for five people, so am doing 1 - 2 loads a day, sometimes more. I need a fast turnover of washing, otherwise there is a backlog. And at least the washing is out of sight in the tumbledryer, rather than hanging all over the house. Also, it doesn't need ironing if it's been tumbledried, so that saves on time.

YABU if you have lots of washing, very little time and nowhere to dry it.

YANBU - if the above doesn't apply to you and you have other facilities for drying.

(I also have a dishwasher as I was spending about an hour a day washing up beforehand. The microwave broke a few years back and we have never missed it, apart from once when I'd undercooked the roast pork when we had visitors for lunch one day ).

Bloody hell, how can you even contemplate life without a tumble dryer? Ours broke and I was without one for 3 weeks and it was awful. I spent three weeks with wet washing draped all over the house. Hated it!
I do at least one wash a day and couldn't manage without mine.

mad not to have a tumble drier. Certifiably so!

Why would you have one if you don´t need one?

Mine broke down, and i had a wait before the new one arrived (thanks Gran xx) And i can tell you the washing didnt get done as it took all day to dry! My god i had a marathon by the time my new one arrived.

Haven't had one for about 13 odd years.

Can't say I miss it. However, I do have space for airers and have quite a reasonable amount of radiator space if I need to get something dried a bit quicker.

Tbh, living without it is something you get used to very quickly and easily and reduces your carbon footprint .

I'm with Bonsoir.

we have no tumble dryer, have never had one and have just had 2 massive bouts of d&v,and coped fine. once washed it dries on the clothes horses and in the airing cupboard or on the radiator to finsh off. there are four of us, i do 2-3 loads of washing a day, we live in a small 2 bed upstairs flat, and yet still have the space for 2 airers. they take up no more floor space than a drier, cost less to run and double up as caves, castles, houses and dens. i can get 6 loads of washing onto the 2 airers, including sheets king size duvets and huge towels.

if you have not had a drier you don't miss it. i would miss my airing cupboard more, this is far more useful, you can air 4 or 5 loads of washing at a time.

now my microwave, give that up? no chance!

I have been thinking about getting thAT lakeland drying rack. There are a lot of us and DS2 has severe eczema and dust allergy. I wash A LOT.

We have a huge wet room for OH which would be perfect for drying clothes but of course its always damp.

I think that rack would be perfectbecause it would help with the damp and dry the clothes so its good to know others think its worth while.

I can't stand the sight on wet washing in the house, do people have their knickers out on display!? You need a tumble dryer!

Ew to cardboard socks and jeans drying on a radiator.
Isn't that a bit like being a student again? No thanks. I like soft dry nice smelling laundry.
It's like choosing a washboard and mangle over a washing machine.

I don't own an iron due to the tumble drier, so feel I cut down on energy that way.

I've just bought a heated airer, my washer dryer is rubbish and we have no central heating... the airer is amazing!!

I reckon all of you saying your clothes dry "in a couple of hours" on a rack thing in winter must be really cranking your heating up or something. I use a little rack on a radiator for stuff you can't tumble dry ( Lycra etc) and they take a day or two to dry off properly.

Shudders at grundies on display for all to see hanging from racks in kitchen.

We had a washer dryer that conked out and we simply got a washer. Dont miss it at all - well maybe once or twice a year. The machine man said that having a washer dryer combined shortens the life of the machine so better to have separate or just a washer if you can.

Theres five of us in rainy england, in the country with muddy wet clothes each day besides uniform, work clothes etc. We manage fine - just hang on rack in corner of room, or in front of fire in eve or on radiators overnight or while at work.

I thought that tumble driers were really expensive to run and used shed loads of electricity so are being got rid of by all the environmentally friendly people. YOu may pick one up second hand therefore.

can`t be bothered reading the whole thread, sorry. I could not do without my tumble dryer. I hate wet washing lying around and tunbling just makes everything softer and fresher IMO

I havent got one cause they cost loads to run. We manage to dry all ours all live in a small place in flats.

Just stick it in the hall on drying rack things and leave the heating on overnight.

When I lived in the south I didn't have a tumble dryer ever and could happily live without one.

Then I moved to the effing lake district. I can't live without it as it NEVER BLOOMING WELL STOPS RAINING. Ever. If its not raining its cloudy because its about to rain.

Beautiful, but soggy.

And full of touists.

Miss boring old Beds.

never had one myself...if i had the space i would prob get one for towels and bedding but we do manage fine without...

I don't have one, use the airing cupboard and airers in the hall by the radiators. I haven't missed it.

Surely leaving your heating on all night also costs loads, snowflake.

Filbilou - isn't this a bit of a contradiction??

^Fibilou Fri 19-Nov-10 14:08:48
I don't have a tumble dryer - and I use terry nappies and reusable wipes. If I can manage, so can you !^

^Fibilou Fri 19-Nov-10 14:14:34
also if you live near a laundrette then you're sorted. £1.50 gets 6 loads of washing dry at mine^

That aside... ... how cheap is your laundrette!? I did some laundry for an elderly friend a little while ago and it cost £2 to dry one lot (machine might have taken 2 lots as it was huge?) and I thought that was a good deal! (I don't have a dryer or I would have done it at mine).

OP - it depends on so many factors - only you know how much you used it & what your other drying facilities are like!

Did you like your washer/dryer? Did it do a good job of drying? I've only ever used one and it was rubbish - took hours to dry anything. I'm in the market for a new washing machine and could be tempted into a washer dryer if there was a good one out there at less than the Miele price! Really just for emergencies/fluffing.

Puppy , i have my ceiling rack on the upstairs landing , its rare anyone even notices it as its quite high and its right against the ceiling.

I say its old fashioned , but its actually not , they come in cast iron , or a variety of colours and designs . As its got colder i put the heating on for an hour before the dcs go to bed , thats it , no ironing at all and its all out of the way.