To think putting clothes in a dryer is a complete waste of money unless it's raining outside

[emmeline25]

I have a lot of laundry to do each week. I bought a large washing machine and dryer so that I could do one load of washing a week. I do my laundry every Friday morning.

Friday morning, as I was putting my laundry on the line, my new neighbour mentioned that it was only 10degrees celsius today. I explained that as long as it's not raining, my laundry goes out on the line. When I got back from work my clothes were completely dry. It was only 10 degrees but the wind had dried them.

If I know it's going to be raining on Friday I put the wash on, on a different day. If the forecast is for rain all week I use the dryer. The dryer has been used about 10 times in the two years I've lived in this house.

Even in very cold weather , clothes will dry. It doesn't have to be a hot sunny day for them to dry. Yet among my friends and neighbours the dryer is used weekly and clothes only put out in the summer. Some of my friends use the dry on very hot days!!!

I lived in a flat for two years and had no choice but to use a dryer then. I hated it and ended up putting a communal washing line in the grounds.

I find when I do use a dryer, even on the lowest setting it can shrink and damage clothes. Clothes definitely don't last as long as when line dried. Driers also cost money. Okay it's only 30p-50p per load but still, if you can line dry I just wouldn't bother. I also absolutely love the smell of line dried clothes. I have always been brought up with line drying though.

So, AIBU to think if it's not raining and you have a garden with space for a clothes line, putting clothes in the dryer is a waste of money?

We have hardly any white or light clothes and it certainly makes washing much simpler - just bung everything in together on a 40 cotton cycle except a few of my woolens and bras which I do on a delicates wash as and when required.

I gave up on white clothes the day I picked one of the cats up in the street for a cuddle wearing a white blouse only to find he had been sitting under a car leaking oil and had it all over his paws – blouse was ruined and went straight in the bin.

I always wash towels on hot though...and have a weekly toy /delicates wash

I just wash everything on the same standard 40° wash. They always come out looking and smelling fresh and clean, so never bothered faffing about with different settings and batches.

One wash a week?

I don't want to bore but my laundry list is
15 pairs pants.
8 t shirts
15 sets of night clothes
20 sets of gym clothes
5 sets of bedding
15 school/work shirts
12 towels
and loads of casual clothes, polo shirts. jeans, kitchen cloths
One wash a week?

Our dryer broke down a a little while ago and we had to go a couple of weeks without, hated it, dried inside cause I have the line and don't trust the weather. Hate the fact that nothing felt totally dry and the towels felt all rough. So lovely to have it back and get back to my usual system, I wash every day (family of four), clothes go straight in the dryer then get put away once ironing has been separated. That way I never feel behind.

Do you want a medal OP? or a halo?

Fuck that for a game of soldiers. It is actually much quicker to shove everything in the drier that is right next to the washing machine. I have not the time, inclination nor headspace to be watching the skies. Not do I have an airing cupboard.

Nor do I wish to be like my bloody boring mother who would endlessly complain about how much washing etc she did, line dried, ironed and aired, but would never use the fucking drier or shut up about it.

Nor do I wish to sound like a sanctimonious smug lentil weaver.

I line dry when I can. But weather can be a bit unpredictable here in Scotland !
It does smell better even if it has only been out for a bit and then finished off on the clothes horse.
I hate the winter with all the washing hanging about drying inside. (With a household of 4, one being a husband who golfs twice a week in all weathers and 2 girls who have school uniform plus other clothes each day it is a lot of washing !)
So beginning of the year I treated myself to a tumble drier, I love it for bedding and towels (gets them all fluffed up) and I will be making more use of it this winter.

A wash and week I'm lucky if I only do one wash a day!

sanctimonious smug lentil weaver

A little harsh.

mrsdevere- I agree entirely. I wash 100+ items a week. White school/work shirts times 20 per week. Why wash those with black stuff?

Only when it's warm do my clothes dry, I tried the other week, a breezy day and they were all still damp when I took them in after supper. I hang many things out inside though to avoid using the dryer, but always tumble dry towels and more and more the colder it gets!

15 sets of night clothes in one week? How?

YABU. When I was single, I did about two loads of washing a week and didn't want or need a drier. If it was raining, I dried clothes indoors on racks. No problem.

Now I have two children (and a husband) and we do about 10 loads of washing a week. More if everyone happens to go down with D&V or someone is potty training. Couldn't live without my drier for most of the year.

I never understand how/why people mix whites with dark clothes. Surely all your whites come out looking slightly grey? Hate that.

Always use our drier and do white, dark and colour washes. Doesn't cost that much.

dement- 15 sets of night clothes in a week. Five adults. Three sets a week each, Is that unreasonable? I am quite a sweaty sleeper - as is DD. OH and I have regular intimate nights.

I don't like line dried clothes. They feel rough and crunchy and they need ironing. Also, it takes ages to hang them all out and bring them back in. I nearly always use the drier, even if it's sunny. It vents outside. I've got solar panels so I'm thinking that cancels things out.

Well, before we had the tumble dryer we massively struggled so clearly we do need it. We even struggled when it was just me and DP in a flat and everything was damp! And we often had to rewash due to the horrible musty, damp smell.

And I keep the heating off when I'm using the dryer.

But I didn't actually need it this summer as I have a sunny garden and things dried even overnight. Now, when it's so damp outside that the clothes seem damper when they come in and I can't have the heating on enough to dry them indoors. Yeah, it's getting lots of use.

I don't even possess a washing line. I t/d everything as it saves ironing. Just take the stuff out, hang or fold and job done.

I don't even possess a washing line.

I don't either - the last one was destroyed by an ice storm.

I don't have a tumble dryer, I use a clothes horse in the winter and have a dehumidifier. Everything dries fine and doesn't smell.

I work a lot from home.
I have a garden with a washing line.

I still use my tumble dryer every week.
I hate the cardboard feel of clothing that has hung on the line.
I hate hanging it out then bringing it in whilst still damp.
I hate hanging it out then the rain starting.

I do a damn site more than 15kg of washing per week

I am happy to pay for the convenience and preference of using my dryer.