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've stopped using my tumble drier after we got one of those things that shows you how much electricity each appliance is using . It rockets up with the tumble dryer, so everything is now washed and hung up over 2 clothes horses upstairs on the landing outside the cupboard where the hot cistern is. Towels are hung up over the bannisters. I'll finish stuff off in the dryer if needed, but stuff drys so quickly up there with the hot air rising that I often don't need to.

My drier takes about 1 1/2 to 2 hours to dry a full load at 45p per hour approx if British gas don't put up my bill again, but it depends what I am drying, towels take longer than clothes.

Mine did before as well. The new one (cheap Beko condenser) is amazing.

I tumbledry all my tops and jeans and lots of my work stuff ( including Brora jersey dresses) I've never had anything shrink, though jeans can be a bit tight to get into first time.

I tumble dry most things manufacturers put do not tumbledry as standard, you have to use common sense. So yabu

I love having a tumble dryer - it saves so much of my time; that easily outweighs the cost of running it to me. The tumble dryer is the closest thing to an ironing machine too - whip the stuff out when the cycle has finished and hang or fold it up.

If you have damp washing around the house, it provides the perfect climate for things like dust mites.

Yabu. Tumble dryers rule. Our house would be festooned with wet clothing lying about everywhere without mine

I love having a tumble dryer - it saves so much of my time; that easily outweighs the cost of running it to me. The tumble dryer is the closest thing to an ironing machine too - whip the stuff out when the cycle has finished and hang or fold it up.

If you have damp washing around the house, it provides the perfect climate for things like dust mites.

YABU. If i had to choose between my DH and the tumbler it would be a close run thing.

YABU. I went from having a shitty washer-drier that I never used (in a hot flat with good ventilation, where a clothes airer was perfectly adequate) to having no drier at all (in a cool old cottage, where stuff took 3 days to dry on a clothes airer). Even with a washing line in the garden, I lasted four months . We now have a lovely little condenser drier that costs about 30p per use, and we run 2 loads per week at most. Much better than worrying about damp and being irritated by the sight of slowly-drying laundry on every available surface!

I would be in a constant asthmatic fug if I had to air dry everything - the damp, the crispiness of the clothes coming off the air drier or radiators, the infuriating sight of endless piles of laundry dangled over everything...my blood pressure is going up just thinking about life without my tumble drier!

I couldn't cope without one, although I use an airer in the bath (unheated one) for things that would shrink.

The tumble dryer also drastically cuts down on the need to iron.

Yup - my daughters excema cleared up as soon as we moved out of the damp flat! My asthma is worse in damp places.
I've only recently converted to a dryer (I'm in my 30s) but I'm so converted on health grounds.

Honestly once you've seen its over a litre of water each time....

We still hang outside in the summer etc.

Couldn't cope without mine.
Have had 4 children and would have been knee deep in washing otherwise.
I love washing,drying and putting away in a couple of hours and hate washing drapery everywhere.
Plus I hardly iron anything .

I have never ever had a tumble dryer. I could never because there's a free option. I don't know anyone who uses one! Clearly me and the people I know are on our own though!

I miss my dryer. Even though i could only dry underwear and bedding. I shrunk everything else!

Its a big miss. Toss up between tumble or dishwasher now hmmm

Ooh I'd rather give up DH than my tumble drier or dishwasher . Both are used every day and I can't remember the last time I line dried something.

I got one for the first time a year ago, promptly tumble dried everything - then I got my electricity bill!! Now I just do bedding, towels and the occasional other load!

I don't think they're all that either.

We have one because a friend emigrated and gave us hers. I hardly ever use it, only occasionally for towels and bedding if it is actually raining, or to make Dd's velour hoodie nice and velvety and soft.

I put a load of socks and underwear in we first got it and they definitely shrank.

I'd rather spend the money on more clothes so we don'trun out while waiting for stuff to dry, than on my electricity bill.

Dishwasher on the other hand, could I possibly love an appliance more?

I'm with you on the dishwasher Spooked. Now I would definitely get rid of DH before the dishwasher - love love love it.

NewtRipley, I've been offsetting my energy usage by tumble drying but not ironing. Its a win win situation!

You see I could live without a dishwasher quite happily, unless we're entertaining and have shed loads of dishes all at once. I never use mine other than that, much prefer to do dishes by hand.

Tumble dryer on the other hand is an essential and I don't care how much it costs! I have three children and the drier is worth it for towels and bedding alone. Can't believe people would actually choose to live with washing draped over radiators, bannisters and doors unless they have absolutely no other option.

I tumble dry everything and use the air wash function for delicates. Everything is lovely and soft and no stretchy peg marks.

I have only ever managed to shrink about two things in our tumble drier, and everything goes in on high heat - what kind of magical setting does everyone else have (or is it just that my clothes are unshrinkable?!).

I put just about everything in ours and nothing shrinks, the only things I don't put in are knitted jumpers etc, swimsuits and fleecy things that are virtually dry when they come out of the washing machine. Jeans are fine. Just got to be careful what setting you use. I have nowhere to put a clothes horse and don't want washing draped all over the house. We line dry when weather permits.