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?

From google, most useful figure I can see is 4.5kWh, ie 4.5units, per cycle. That's quite a lot, but then you'd have to subtract the costs of the dehumidifier if you were able to switch that off because you were using a tumble drier.

Heated airer seems to use much the same amount of electricity as a dehumidifier, but of course you might still have to use the dehumidifier since the heated airer will just be dispersing the moisture from the clothes into the air.

Thank you MereDinto that very helpful and efficient!

Clothes horse under the porch is my method. It’s outside so out of the way, gets plenty of wind, and doesn’t get rained on.

We don’t have many radiators (underfloor heating in most rooms), I have 2 ordinary 3 tier airers. They take at least 3 loads and it dries within 24hrs if hung well when heating on.

I don’t have any issues with damp from it-no dehumidifier required. I usually use landing (ours is wide) or spare bedroom. My washing machinevsoins well so things come out very dry too. I thinknthat helps hugely.

I tumble bedding and towels, so about 3 loads per week. It does cost a few £’s, a lot will depend on your tarif and efficiency of the machine.

Sorry-should read “My washing machine spins well”

Good old laundry pulley in the utility room/laundry. It's mostly windows as it's also the back porch so it's good when sunny. I finish things off in the drier to make sure as sometimes things can feel damp when just cold.

Could you have a look at why you’re putting washing on every day even though there are only four of you? Are the clothes you’re washing actually dirty or could they be worn again?

Extra spin on washing machine if required.

All sheets and towels go in tumble drier (if weather is bad). Clothes go on airer. I really want a “ceiling” airer to make use of the dead space in the stairwell.

I think getting rid of all the sheets and towels drying inside takes a lot of the moisture out of the air, because they are so voluminous compared to clothes.

Tumble drier. I don’t know how expensive it is to run but we have had major camp problems in our flat in the past and having damp washing hanging around drying is asking for trouble, and will cost much more to sort in the long run than a tumble drier! That said, whenever it’s basically not raining my washing goes outside in my very small garden!

Combi of tumbldr and lakeland airer.

I also use a dehumidifier in winter. I don’t have a tumble dryer but if I did have one I would only use it for towels and bed linen, as i do think they make clothes wear out more quickly.

I am going to try and get a heated airer this winter. I am sick of having to put the heating/radiators on when it's not even cold, trying to dry all the washing, and wasting the gas. And I am sick of losing the heat when it IS cold (because the washing is covering the radiators.)

Wondering whether to go for the Argos one that is £40 to £50, or push the boat out, and get a Lakeland one. (Which is £110-130 ish.) Problem is, the cheaper one doesn't hold that much.

Got to get one of them. Can't be doing with the washing hanging about the house for the next 6 months, causing damp, and using the gas unnecessarily!

Wash once a week, take to your nearest launderette to dry.

(Also I can see how you would put washing on nearly daily with 4).

3x sheets every two weeks
2x towels per two weeks
1xwashing per person per week

That doesn’t seem crazy if you have messy kids or do sports or swim? Especially when you add in cloths and tea towels etc.

I used to do about a load of washing a week when I was a student and that was only me.

Just buy a tall airer. If it is tall, then it'll just take up less space but can still hold quite a lot of clothes (look into Lakeland heated airer too).

I've got the Lakeland one..it's great...had it over 5 years now and use it every day.

Tumble drier every day time. I dry everything outside when it's warm/dry enough, so I don't mind using the drier when I need to.

We don't have a tumbledryer, never replaced it when it broke and flipped the electrics.

We do how ever have radiator airers, sometimes hanging them on the doors if it's long or over the banister.

Wouldn't be without this though -
www.lakeland.co.uk/21736/Dry:Soon-Standard-3-Tier-Heated-Tower-Airer?gclid=Cj0KCQjwof3cBRD9ARIsAP8x70OlmkmpueCvyBiSAmpFZ7rz3iIUtL0oEwPp-Jo6y3CdhdKXjz3lkMcaAqz6EALw_wcB&src=gfeed&s_kwcid=AL!49!3!251275991187!!!g!40411170769!&ef_id=W2tHpQAAAJxVugNC:20180917221414:s and a cover for it as well to keep the heat in

Wash once a week for 4 people? Seriously?

Lakeland heated airer. It’s amazing and I love it! Totally changes the winter clothes drying game

Tumble dryer as soon as indoor airers start to cause condensation on the windows.

Black mold nightmare otherwise and opening north facing windows doesn't help enough when outside is cold and damp.

There’s 3 of us but I do 2/3 loads every day! In winter I will tumble dry everything, it’s horrible on the radiators and I find it damp. I don’t find it that expensive, after the wash has finished I do a final spin on 1600, it doesn’t have to be in dryer for so long. All done, nothing hanging about. if you have a smart meter maybe a good idea to check your usage and spending on it. That may help.

I also don’t think a wash everyday is extreme. It’s the only way I can ensure the basket stays empty! There are 5 of us and we are all messy 😂

We wash once a day with only 2 people. I use a combination of tumble and heated drier. There are very few days when I can't get the washing on the line for a short time at least even if I finish off in tumble or on drier.

I have the Lakeland heated airer and set it up next to the regular airer so the heat isn't wasted. I am not mad about it as it is wobbly and flimsy, you can't lean on it to reach the other side as the plastic clips that hold the shelves are not that strong. You also need to lay the washing on the shelves rather than hang it if you want it to dry. The cover makes the whole thing expensive, and I managed for a year without it, just draped the sheets and other large items over the top. I still drape things over the top of the cover to get extra drying done.

I still have stuff on the radiators and only use the tumble drier for towels and fleece items.