to think we actually do need a tumble drier?

[RevoltingPeasant]

I hate tumble driers on principle because they use a lot of juice and I actually like line dried clothes better. I have always dried clothes outside in the summer and inside on airers in the winter (keeping the house ventilated) and never had a problem.

However our current house - a newbuild and pretty well insulated, judging by the gas bills - has got pretty horridly mouldy over the winter with us drying clothes inside. We are renting and I have paid for it to be cleaned, so there is no issue with the house being damaged now. But I think if we stay here we need a tumble drier.

DP says I am being silly and drying inside is fine. Are tumble driers actually necessities? totally aware this is first world problem

I would need a lot more clothes for DS if I didn't have a tunble dryer.

Ooh hebie thanks for the reccy. Will have a look.

StepAway my nearest launderette (in Plymstock, like the Morrison's -ahem!!) is a mile or two away and tbh a lot of the year I work such long hours that it'd be a major PITA having to go there.

I am wondering about the energy consumption of a TD as opposed to a dehumidifier........ We have space as this house has a built-in area for a dryer (just realised I spelt it wrong in the OP ).

We have a tiny wee one, it's MILs from the early 90s (guessing from the lovely brown and beige colour scheme). I love it, but hardly ever use it, but when we need it it's fab. Most notably over Xmas when we had 4 sets of visitors requiring clean sheets over the course of a week, or if we have a school uniform disaster and need a clean set ASAP.

Sounds like all you need to do is ventilate the building while drying clothes to prevent mould. Window open just a bit or window air vents open.

mad but we have to go out during the day to work so can't leave the windows open during winter. The only place we have 'air vents' is the bathroom and we did try leaving laundry in there on an airer with the door shut and the vents open - it took about 4 days to dry and smelt rank!

We live in Devon so it is very wet here.

We managed without one for 2 years when our old one broke but got a new one a few months ago and not sure how we survived without one!

The 2 hour washing turnaround was a revelation after things taking days to drive.

Will never be without one again (not while we live in the damp midlands anyway!)

Dry, not drive

When you empty a condenser dryer, you realise just how much water is contained in one machine load of washing (pints and pints). All that water is going into your house and furniture. Not good. Get a tumble dryer and cut back on the ironing.

DP 'cuts back on the ironing' already by going into work in unironed clothes . But he is in conservation and they are all scruffs........

hmm I thought building regs now required are vents in all windows in newbuilds. I move a fair bit and the last 3 houses have certainly had these. Sometimes they are just unobtrusive little catches that you need to open.

Hmm! If they exist I have not found them. There is an extractor fan in the bathroom but not anything else afaik.

When I say newbuild, I am guessing: the place looks quite new but I don't know the year it was constructed. It is also made of stiff cardboard but that's another issue!

A tumble dryer to me is an utter essential in the UK. Drying inside is something my mother did, putting everything all over the radiators and it was horrible. I would rather do without a microwave than a tumbler.

just checked, they are called trickle vents and need to be present in all new windows for exactly the purpose of ventilating very air tight homes.

This has been compulsory from at least 2000.

Mine are usually shut because I tend to have some windows locked on the catch. I get claustrophobic with everything shut.

I second the dehumidifier suggestion.

I'm in Devon too! It's jolly wet at the moment, have you had any of the hail?

Our vents are little rectangular things in the top of the window frame, above the window itself. They slide open but don't really allow much airflow. We can also lock our windows open but that just lets the damp air in from outside.

<a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=www.sdslondon.co.uk/img/upload/products/2/l_51074.jpg&imgrefurl=www.sdslondon.co.uk/product/trickle-vent-400-mm.html&h=254&w=400&sz=8&tbnid=N0M7UjURvo6GjM:&tbnh=76&tbnw=120&zoom=1&docid=2kp3rAvDlhoxPM&sa=X&ei=Fe6ST4zIJYWQ8gP9x8HODA&ved=0CE0Q9QEwAg&dur=847" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">trickle vents

Will someone please explain why tumble drying helps with ironing (as another Hama Bead only ironer).

If I tumble dry things I get awful, steam iron only removable, creasers in things.

I only ever tumble underwear because I'm to lazy to pin it out and part dry towels and sheets occasionally.

Mostly I'm lucky drafty old house with range and conservatory, so mostly I get stuff dry.

startail, they come out nearly crease free. If you take the clothes out when dry but still warm, you can usually smooth and fold them and voila!

The boys school trousers - the labels recommend they be tumble dried for best results and I do not have to iron them at all (unless they are pegged out on the line then they are full of creases).

that's really odd. startail, i tumble dry my clothes and everything comes out decent enough to be worn straight away.. And that's on the normal setting, haven't tried the "ready to iron" or "ready to wear" functions yet (didn't need to)
It's not something you can't live without but i really would miss my soft fluffy bath sheets terribly..

I love my tumble drier. Would never give it up. Get through all of our many loads of laundry super quickly.

don't have one, don't need one. Can't afford one and don't have the space anyway. 5 in the family and we manage ok, even in rainy Scotland!

You don't if you get one of these: they're ace. Cover with a sheet, and leave on overnight. Way cheaper and more eco than a tumble dryer- and it folds away when you don't need it.

I'll have to have another go and set an alarm to pull things when still warm (driers not in the kitchen). Also it's a rather small condenser washer dryer so I think I try to do too much at once.