Please help settle an argument between me and dh

[fatbottomgirl67]

Bit of background We live in smallish house. 5 of us , 3 big teenagers, me and dh.Lots of washing as you can imagine. Husband has practical outside job, kids all Into out door activities. No tumble dryer and not getting one. Washing drys on radiators and airers at this time of year. Here's the problem Dh has an obsession with putting the airer in our bedroom. I hate with a passion having damp washing in our bedroom but he can't see the problem
Bedrooms should be a place to relax not be surrounded by wet clothing. I should add our room is really warm so does dry well but I really hate it. I set it up In the dining room. But he hates it been visible. Who is being unreasonable?

Why won't you get a dryer?

Ours is a godsend, I'd rather get rid of my oven than my tumblr dryer, and I only have 2 small kids

I have never owned a tumble dryer. My DH rigged up a series of poles in our utility room - it's a great solution which avoids the expense/environmental issues around tumble dryers

The airer we are using is this one but the one TheWooly linked to would be very similar.

Decorative screen for your bedroom to hide the sorer?

I’d hate both bedroom & dining room so I’d be pushing hard for utility room. Is the bathroom not an option?

What are you storing in the utility cupboards?

At night why don’t you put the washing in the kitchen? It will dry really quickly with the Rayburn on.

We have a tumble dryer but I often wash bedding in the evening and put it in the sitting room to dry overnight as we have a wood burner in there. In the morning it’s toasty dry and is put away.

Woolly that is exactly what I want.
Really don't want the added expense if a drier. I agree it would be good but they are costly to run and we have a lot of free heating we can use

We have this in our house too. I think laundry should be hung out to dry in the bedrooms because no one is in them during the day and the washing is out of sight and out of the way. Also it's easy to put stuff away because it goes straight into the bedroom drawers or wardrobe.

DH hates laundry in the bedroom. He complains and because I do the laundry I do it my way.

When we were in a flat with a washing line under a tree (so stuff got mucky while drying) we used to dry in our bedroom during the day and move it out at night.

We bought a dryer for the first time when we lived there as the whole situation drove us mad!

We now always put stuff outside (all year round) if it's dry and if it's not fully dry when we bring it in we either tumble it or stick it on an airer. But we are lucky that a) we have a dryer and b) an airer fits in the utility.

In your shoes I'd be sorting the utility out as you suggest. Have a declutter / rethink about storage and get your overhead airer.

I can't stand washing in living areas, so I'm glad we have room to contain it elsewhere!

It's really not healthy to sleep with damp washing in your room - daytime in there, nighttime elsewhere!

I’d just get a tumble dryer since you have a utility room! Mine has a delicates setting and doesn’t shrink clothes. It’s been a revelation.

I have exactly the same scenario as you. 5 of us and no tumble dryer. I put the airer in one of the kids rooms because I don’t like it on show downstairs but I don’t want it in my bedroom either. It works for me! 😉

You're both right.

Which isn't helpful. But everyone else has outlined the pros and cons of each and the only solution is a utility room.

Tumble driers don't cost that much to run. I hang the clothes up in my bathroom in winter for a few hours then when they are nearly dry, they only need about 20 minutes in the vented tumble drier (condensers are crap and much more expensive to run) and they're bone dry.

The cost of running them is also offset by the fact that many clothes come out with all the creases gone and not needing an iron, so costs and time are cut.

or one of these...www.lakeland.co.uk/25221/Dry%3ASoon-Deluxe-3-Tier-Heated-Airer-Cover
might help when you've still gots loads of stuff. Sometimes I put the dryer in the bathroom, they can all use the downstairs loo and I don't have to trip over it downstairs. We are open plan so finding somewhere to dry it all is a nightmare. We have a dryer but OH moans about electricity allllll the time when I use it.

I wash one load and dry it on the radiators and then do another load so they're not all over the place, however on the chance that there are extra clothes I will put them on the airer in the boys bedroom throughout the day when they're in school. I would hate the idea of airer being in the dining room. O want to enjoy food without clutter everywhere

DH and I have a similar argument, we've compromised on whoever does the washing decides where it dries. It means I have to put up with it in the living room but means DH actively tries to get the washing on before I do because he really hates it being in the bedroom.

Could you get a washer dryer (why don't you want a tumbledryer BTW, with 5 adults you could do with one!)

YANBU for not wanting it in the bedroom, you will have frigging pneumonia or asthma or some shit like that!

I have a heat pump dryer. Dries the clothes really well and isn't that expensive to run at all. Wouldn't be without it!

Couldn't survive without a tumble dryer. Hang on clothes horse until 7 in the morning then into dryer for 30 mins half price electricity.
Would never put damp clothes in our bedroom. Would seriously do my head in. Get a dryer. You won't look back and NO IRONING! Whats not to love?

This is why I loved living in NZ where every house has a utility room!

YANBU I hate it in the bedroom too (the airer).

Personally I’d agree with DH. I’d prefer to have the washing away out of sight in the bedroom.

However, I agree with others that neither of you are wrong, and ideally you could find a different solution.

We’d never get a tumble drier either.

I would totally get a tumble dryer. We have a washer dryer and really only use it for towels and sheets and when the airer is really full because things aren’t drying when it’s cold.

I dry mine most of the way outside and then it's in our bedroom. Do you peg out at all? Even 50% dry is a load of moisture not within the house.

We have a dehumidifier on most of the time (is that something you'd consider for wherever the airer ends up? It speeds the drying up no end!) and the room is aired daily so I don't consider it unhealthy. I don't tend to notice it as it's a pretty much permanent fixture in winter so doesn't affect my ability to relax but I do understand your point. We don't have TV or anything in our room so literally go in in the dark to sleep!

If laundry is your responsibility in the household that'd explain why it winds you up more. Since you have a utility I'd say use it and really do look at a dehumidifier. Usually c. £120, uses way less energy than a tumble drier and doesn't affect the clothes at all.

Why is everyone telling the OP to get a dryer when she said she doesn’t want one?! That’s not the question she is asking.

I live in a flat and we have the same arguments..I dry in the study which annoys DH..but he doesn’t like the washing anywhere else either as he doesn’t like to see it! I just point out when he does the laundry then he can decide where to dry it...

Surely you should be drying everything on a rack on your Rayburn in the kitchen?

Something like this first one on google

www.blakeandbull.co.uk/pages/use-your-aga-rayburn-to-dry-anything-save-money-our-guide

Just get a tumble dryer. They aren’t as expensive to run as you might think and anyway wouldn’t a few extra pounds a month be worth it to save the arguments and having wet washing draped everywhere all the time??