To ask how you dry your laundry in the winter?

[Marie0]

I seem to do washing every day - there are only 4 or us that seems too much.

Any way - although I do have a tumble dryer I’m reluctant to use it because it’s quite expensive- so just in ‘emergencies’.

But I don’t really like washing on the radiators all over the house - just doesn’t look nice.

I currently have a de-humidifier plugged in and 2 clothes airers set up.

But they take up so much room and because I wash every day - they are in constant use so a bit of an eye sore.

How do I overcome my laundry challenge?

@Magpie1976 - if you buy it from qvc you'll be able to return if you don't like it within 30 days. I think the cover must hold some if not most of the moisture in, yes.

Dryer for all the undies, nappy boosters and 3xdc clothes. Airer for everything else. Radiator airer for single item needed last minute for next day. Also have a special cover for my rotary line for the nicer winter days to dry big stuff/nappy outers.

Freeze drying clothes in Siberia.

I dry cotton clothes/bedding/towels 80% in the drier and hang them up outside just to let the wind go through them.

Also regarding humidity, there is a direct relationship for relative humidity. So if its 80% humidity outside and 10C,then if you let in fresh air and then heat the house the relative humidity inside will be 40%. I always let fresh air in for 15 minutes on cold days for this reason.

Humidity less than 40% feels really nice and dry. Less than 30% and I start to close the house up to let it rise a bit as its too dry.

I'm always surprised how many people in the UK don't try and control the humidity in their house

Is this you speakout?

Stupomax

Ha ha- no- but I follow Jonna Jinton's blog- I love her work

Lol suupomax, seen me but it out in a good foot of snow up here in sunny Aberdeen!! And we only have about six hours of daylight in mid winter, but I just like the smell of it and it does dry if the sun comes out or the wind blows!!

Also, remember you can put it outside even in the winter and then finish it in the tumble dryer. Drying on lines and radiators causes condensation and damp- which is very expensive. I have a dry house but when I use the radiators the humidity in the room shoots up beyond healthy levels.

We don't have room for a tumble dryer. Our washing machine's in a cupboard.

You won't run the tumble dryer, but you'd have the heating on to dry them on the radiator if it wasn't for the fact that it didn't look nice?
That makes sense 😂
And you run a humidifier constantly? Sure that costs more than the dryer?
Takes 30 mins to run the dryer and get everything done.

For those asking about the difference between using an airer and drying on rads - I doubt anyone could get a full load on one radiator, so putting clothes on every radiator in the house while keeping windows closed is going to cause condensation to form on cooler walls. The heat from the rads will cause the moisture to leave the clothes quicker than if you dry them slower on an airer, too.

If you use an airer in one room and leave the window in that room open a crack, there'll be less condensation throughout the house.

I think most councils have leaflets explaining how to prevent mould in homes. I've seen them online, but don't have time to search right now.

Anyone care to post a link?

Washing line and finished off in tumble. Not as expensive to run as you think.

I have a clothes horse and a mini wall to wall washing line(by Minky) in my utility room. Washing line in garden used part from Nov, Dec, Jan and Feb. I have a combined washer drier but rarely use the drier.

This:

www.amazon.co.uk/DRYZEM-Retract-Retractable-Washing-Warranty/dp/B01LYWRCY5/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ref=plSrch&keywords=retractable+indoor+washing+line&dpPl=1&dpID=41HQW0DEO2L&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&tag=mumsnetforum-21&ie=UTF8&qid=1537480821&sr=8-1

I have to laugh at all the out the clothes outside in winter comments. You all clearly don’t live in Scotland. During the winter rain free days are few and far between and even trying to catch a gap in the rain would require you to be at home all day which doesn’t apply if you work. Also we get far less daylight hours in the winter than England so it’s often still dark in the morning when I’m heading to work (7:30am) and it will be dark again by 6/6:30 in the evening so it’s not even like you can put them out for a couple of hours when you get home.

Does anyone know if there is a lot of difference between the expensive heated airers and the cheap ones other than size and maybe a cover. I'm seriously considering getting one after reading this thread. Liked the look of the John Lewis one at £99 but you can get a smaller one in Argos for £40.

It’s not just Scotland vs England either re winter weather - west vs east makes a difference too.

I’m in damp Lancashire, very small NE backyard, & high walls/other buildings to the W where the prevailing wind comes from. I can dry outside in the summer, but I take the line down in the winter because there is literally no point in putting stuff outside.

ThanksForAllTheFish

I live in Scotland- I line dry all year round.

I’m in Scotland and hang the clothes outside when it’s dry. BUT I’m home all day and can pop in an out if the weather changes. There’s no way I could have had clothes outside all day when I was working.

I rarely use the dryer and use a clothes horse when it’s raining.

I miss my old Edinburgh flat with the pulley in the hallway.

We put ours on an airer and leave it in the bathroom with the window open, door shut!

WickedGoodDoge - I lived in a tenement in Glasgow for a few years that had a pulley above the bath. I used it all the time and didn’t have to worry about it causing dampness in the flat as it was so draughty anyway due to the gaps in the wall caused by subsidence. We were very well ventilated! I did also try to hang clothes out the back when I lived there but had quite a few things stolen off the line so I had to stop.

We dry outside all year round. We have a coastal breeze so as long as it's dry we can get stuff dry / mostly dry. Otherwise it's clothes horse for non-tumble stuff and the tumble dryer for everything else.

speakout - are you home all day? Also I know the east coast gets less rain and more wind than the west coast (where I live). No way could I risk leaving my stuff out from 7:00 to whatever time I get back. I hate the smell on clothes if they have been rained on so would need to wash them again. I occasionally put washing out in the winter if it’s dry at the weekend and the air isn’t too damp. That doesn’t happen too often where I live.

@LapdanceShoeshine, I'm on the NW coast (somewhere that used to be Lancs but now isn't!) and it isn't that damp here. So it isn't as simple as east vs west, more like inland vs coastal, then maybe east v west a touch.