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?

I'd rather dry a load of washing than roast a leg of lamb

I'm fortunate in that I have enough money coming in to cover my bills as they stand. If that wasn't the case, I'm sure that using the dryer would cease, along with having a sky subscription, days out in the car and so forth. Any or all of those things could be considered a total waste of money, but if I choose to waste my money in such ways, that's my business. Certainly not a reason to have someone else's opinion thrown at me.

Back in the olden days when I didn't have the money or the space for a dryer, my house and my clothes would often smell a bit musty as I tried to dry them in my tiny hermetically sealed box of a house. I'd have to open a couple of windows and whack the heating on to get stuff dry. And I wonder why my bills haven't gone up much since living in a bigger house and getting a drier.

Laundry can dry on the line as long as the air is not damp. Perfectly possible to have a sunny day, brisk wind and snow on the ground. Washing dries fine.

I've never had a drier. I line dry or use a clothes pulley that's attached to the ceiling. A drier would be a waste of energy.

Can't believe the stick you're getting!
I happily use my washing line year round but have a tumble drier for those incessantly wet periods.
We use cloth nappies and both work.
It's not about the money. It's about not using up scarce resources.
(Mind you we wash stuff when it's dirty, not on set days like half of MN appear too)

I don't think yabu.
but for many it's just not practical.
during the week not a chance. but on the weekends I like to hang washing out even if I need to take it back in to finish drying.
no tumble dryer here...

Pretending they aren't in order to be sneery about dishwashers and tumble driers is just odd.

I wasn't being sneery. Jesus. Mumsnet users are so sensitive.

I can't believe the stick you're getting either.

Do so many people really still think that their personal convenience is the paramount concern in 2016?

What do you all think about climate change?

I have the advantage of being at home all week, it may be different if I had to go out to work, not so easy to line dry clothes. I can take advantage of a two or three hour sunny spell to put clothes out for short periods.

The difference in weather around the country is extreme.

OP hasn't said where she lives.

I lived in NE Scotland and I would say the difference between there and the SE of England is the difference between the SE of England and the Dordogne.

However it was quite dry there. But you would need a torch much of the year.
I am now in the west and, like the lady from Belfast said, it rains a lot.

I line dry when I can. I work at home so can keep an eye on it.
I have a drier which is great for finishing things off or if there is loads of it and no room to hang inside.

.......Oh, and you had to double peg everything because of the wind (NE Scotland).

I have solar panels so it costs me nothing!

What do you all think about climate change?

I don't give even the teeniest flying fuck. Lots of things I care about that you probably don't. But that? Couldn't care less. Mr car does 15mpg on a good day.

hy do people angst so much about tumble dryers?

Because women are still judged on housework. It's the same mentality as being looked down on because your front step isn't scrubbed daily.

I have a line. I use it in the summer (it's quicker to dry bedlinen in a warm day.) but if it's wet or late (I do lots of my laundry at night) then I use the dryer without a shred of guilt.

It's also -30 with only a couple of hours of daylight a day in the winter so laundry goes in the dryer.

Ha, I do three or four loads a day, every day. I would need a very long line.

I always put mine on the line unless raining.

I don't give even the teeniest flying fuck. Lots of things I care about that you probably don't. But that? Couldn't care less

Wow. Very impressive.

That's not impressive. That's terrifying

I don't have a garden so I dry everything on the 2 airers I have. I have a washer/drier but have only dried in it once or twice. I agree op, I think a lot of people who have grown up with dryers haven't done much drying on an airer on a washing line and use a dryer out of habit.

I'd rather not have to look at the washing hanging up but it's free, makes the flat smells nice and doesn't damage the clothes. We never had a dryer growing up, everything went on the line and/or the airer but DM didn't work so maybe that helped with her having more time for washing faff.

I love my tumble dryer and I couldn't give a fiddler's fart if anyone judges me for it. Do people really care how others do their washing? If you don't like dryers then don't have one, simple.

If I was at home all day then I'd happily peg my washing out but when you both work full time a dryer is a godsend, especially in the winter when you're never home in daylight hours.

Yes, I do feel a bit guilty about the energy it uses but I feel guilty about lots of things and you have to draw a line somewhere or you'd make life extremely difficult for yourself. I'm not going to start getting up at 5.30 am so I can hang my washing out before I go to work in the mornings and that probably makes me selfish but there you go.

I don;t own a tumble dryer, so all my washing is dried outside on the line, or inside on airers if it's raining. However, in the winter I wash towels and sheets and dry them at the laundrette. it only takes 20 minutes or so and well worth it.

We do around 8 loads a week and have a 9kg machine. I work 4 days a week, it's worth the money (and the clothes fading more quickly) to me to be able to tumble dry rather than spending half of my day off plus evenings hanging up washing. DH hangs about half of his stuff and tumbles the pants, socks, PJs and T-shirts so it saves him time too.

And we do care about climate change. All our waste is either recycled, composted or goes to the eco incinerator (no landfill here.) we drive a hybrid, drive as little as possible, live in a home we built to be eco friendly etc. We try to reduce consumption as much as we can.
But when it's -20 in the winter yeh, I use the dryer.