to think tumble dryers are a waste of time - towels and bedding aside?

[principalitygirl]

I recently bought one, hoping it'd be life changing. But turns out that loads of what I wash can't be tumbled...?? Most of my
little ones tops, vests and babygros are 100% and are labelled do not tumble dry?! I've ignored it, dried them on low and now they've shrunk. Jeans shrink too. Feel totally misled!

I cannot live without mine, with 3 DC and all the towels and bedding, my house would be covered in wet washing if I didn't have one.
Well worth the £1.00 it costs to run per load.

I love my TD. I find my t shirts don't usually shrink mostly M & S but DS tshirts do. Jeans do shrink though.

I have never had anything shrink in the tumble drier although I have shrunk stuff in the washing machine Are you drying on too hot a temperature?

The time and effort that I've saved from having to peg out (and then unpeg) 28 pairs of pants, 17 vests and 56 socks every week is brilliant - everything else is just icing on the cake.

I got rid of mine last year, but I do miss it for emergency drying (think teenager who suddenly wants the article of clothing which has been under her bed for a week).

I love mine. Just buy clothes that can be tumbled from now on!

Well, I am 35 and have never had a tumble dryer - until last night! I put it on within 10 minutes of it being delivered and I've been in a good mood ever since! I've spent years taking a minimum of 15 minutes hanging everything up on a clothes horse that takes up space and looks shit and waiting at least 24 hours for it to all dry. Yesterday's load sad washed, dried and put away in around 2 hours I'm never going back!!

Today it is invaluable. I've had kids being sick on bedlinen during the night, and they'd be sleeping on bare mattresses if I didn't have the thing running to dry it all out.

Are you tumbling on the hot setting? I use the cooler setting for everything other than towels and bedding and we have no problems with shrinkage.

YANBU. I have a tumble dryer. I never use it. It eats up elec and it never seems to dry fully (unless you iron after, which I ain't gonna do) and it makes clothes bobbly. I use airers and radiators. I have a very nice tumble dryer which I use for fluffing up teddies and pillows!

YABU. I can't even begin to imagine life with no tumble dryer. Would be like living in widow twankys laundry with damp clothes hung over everything.

I've never shrunk a baby gro. Only things I dont tumble dry are tights, my running stuff, wool and nice tops (but I have hardly any of those!)

I couldn't live without mine! mountains of camp washing on hangers round the house all winter! No thanks. You quickly learn what brand/store stuff can go in the dryer without shrinking. I dry 90% of stuff in there

Love love love my tumble dryer couldn't do without it. Someone on here once said they dried sheets hanging over the doors and banisters who wants to live like that! I've recently bought a spin dryer its amazing it takes far more water out of clothes than a washing machine then stuff doesn't take as long in tumble dryer.

We only have a washer dryer and not separate dryer. With one toddler DS and a DH who does sport at least four times a week, the machine has been going constantly for the last year. I only barely manage to get through the whole lot of laundry in a week, as the towels don't dry well in the machine, and usually need a second full dry (2hours). We live in a flat with underfloor heating (no rads!) and no outside space, not even a balcony or a windowsill.

I refuse to have another baby until DH lets me buy a tumble dryer, even if I have to stick it in the middle of the kitchen/lounge area and use it as a tall boxy kitchen table!

Same as Alibaba . I mostly use mine on the low setting. I rarely tumble anything that says do not tumble dry though. A friend of mine buys bigger sized (kids) clothing if it's non tumble dry so that she can tumble it.
I definitely wouldn't tumble acrylic knitwear though; it'll stretch.

My tumble dryer is in its 30th year! wouldn't be without it.

I'm with the OP. I think tumble dryers are rubbish - particularly a combined washer / dryer. I have one of the Lakeland heated airers and it's fantastic.

www.lakeland.co.uk/21736/Dry-Soon-3-Tier-Heated-Tower-Airer

Can't imagine why I didn't get one sooner. The dryer (this one and others) shrinks clothes and is environmentally unfriendly. I do use it for bedlinen and towels - for speed - but if I didn't have one, I would put them on the airer and just get used to them being there all day / overnight.

I absolutely love my tumble drier. I bought it in 2012 when it rained constantly from February to August. I even consulted MN before buying . I still dry nice clothes on radiators or on hangers, but all the children's clothes, bedding and towels are tumble dried with no problems. I accidently put my mattress protector in there once though and that got eaten up. It also warms up my kitchen nicely. Normally it's freezing in there.

Camp washing! Obvs damp washing

I'd love a tumble dryer. I wash then clothes-horse everything.

We're looking to get a new kitchen and DP knows I'd prefer a dryer to a dishwasher.

Heated Tower Airer

Wuxiapian. Trust me, a dishwasher is better. Clothes horse is great. You can get a heated one if you want it to do quicker.

Ah. X post.

YABU ours has been life changing. I can get the week's washing done and put away within a day. Far better than pants hanging off radiators, clothes hung in every doorway,sheets over the bannister. Yes jumpers and a couple of things we hang up. But most of it goes in the dryer. I tend to buy things a little bit big, knowing there'll be some shrinkage.

i have a washer/dryer but the dryer part just decided to stop working about 2 years ago and i never bothered to get a new one. I live in a small 2 bed flat so dont really have space for a seperate tumble dryer but at the end of last year i bought one of those dri-buddys. I just hang my washing up in there, turn it on and hey presto clothes get dry. Even better is i can just put it down and pop it in a cupboard when not in use.
I find it perfect as there is only me and ds in the flat - i think if i had a large family though it wouldnt be too helpful.

I agree with the PP who said that even if you only use it for towels and bedding (which is pretty much what I do) it is worthwhile. I hate having duvet covers etc draped all over the place.

I also sometimes use it for pants/socks, but never other clothes. I still love it. Intruigued by the heated airer - wonder how much electricity it uses compared to drier.