Drying laundry: radiators versus tumble dryer

[noworklifebalance]

Ok, really dull title but there is no way to make it more sexy...

Aibu to think it's more economical to put the central heating on in a couple of rooms (turn the rads off in others) for 2-3h to dry clothes than use a tumble dryer?

We have a washer dryer from the time we lived in a flat with no outside space but haven't used the dryer bit since we moved into our house.
With the weather we are having I am having trouble getting the clothes dry and so am wondering how best to go about it - limited central heating or tumble dryer??

Do you actually need your flat heated though? Drying clothes indoors also contributes to damp which might be a concern if you own the flat (possibly less so if you’re a very transient tenant)

I have a condenser tumble dryer and am always shocked at how much water it produces when drying clothes. My house is much more comfortable with regard to damp etc since I prioritized using the tumble dryer.

The immediate financial calculation of dryer v heater depends on lots of things. How modern and efficient is your dryer? What type of heating do you have and would you be turning it on this week to stay warm anyway? Are you happy to have clothes draped all over the place, or is it worth it to you to be able to get your laundry all tidied and put away in an hour or two?

That’s probably not very helpful!

How hard up are you? The absolute cost of either is not going to be high (about 30p to run the dryer I think). The difference between them is really only worth worrying about if you are the point of struggling to feed yourselves, in which case I'd suggest not using either and waiting a bit longer for the clothes to dry naturally indoors.

It probably depends on how efficient your dryer and heating are.

I find the cheapest and healthiest way is to hang the clothes on an airer in one room, leave the window wide open, and shut the door so the cold doesn't come in the rest of the house. If there's not much breeze, point a fan at the clothes so the air circulates better.

Whether you can do this or not depends on your spare space and how fast you need your clothes to dry.

I hate dryers so I wouldn't have one at all

Clothes horse - and you dont need to put the rads on, it all dries off over night

Dryer every time. Cant stand clothes that have been dried on the airer.

Clothes on radiators should be illegal IMO. It looks terrible, like a student hovel; there's always a fluff-covered sock stuck behind the radiator; it makes your boiler work harder and your radiators less efficient; and makes your house mouldy and damp.

Clothes horse + dehumidifier every time.

We have a large hot press/airing cupboard and a drying rack inside it that we use all year round. Stick the clothes on the rack in the evening and they're dry the next morning. We do put washing out on a sunny day but mostly hang stuff in the cupboard.
They're very common here in rural Ireland but don't seem to be so common back in the UK wherever I've lived previously.
I've got a tumble dryer that's used very rarely. No need unless it's a puffy winter jacket that needs re-puffing.

our (draughty, old Victorian Terrace) house is much warmer in winter now that we tumble dry the majority of our clothes (and heating bills down accordingly). We had a crappy tumble drier left by the former owners which we rarely used but eventually replaced it (when child 3 came along) with a v efficient Bosch tumble drier and the whole house just feels better. It's condensing as well and after a load of towels it's how much water comes out.

We ditched our dryer.
When the weather is wet we go to the launderette and dry it in their industrial dryers. can dry all bed sheets and towels and 2-3 other loads in 2 dryers in about 25 minutes. costs about £2-£3.
When it's dry clothes horse in the garden.

I wouldn't heat the entire flat if you don't need to just to dry some clothes. Is there no where you can hang them overnight - drying rack? Otherwise yes tumble dryer would probably be most efficient.

Airers here all year round. We use a dehumidifier as well and peg out when it's warm and sunny enough.

Do love the feel of tumble drier stuff but we don't have the space for one.

Does using a tumble drier not shrink your clothes?!

I only use mine for towels, bedding and underwear.

Not at all more economical. I can tumble a whole 8kg load in my condenser dryer in 35 minutes and it costs me 11p.

Putting the heating on would cost double that in gas and tbh just take far too fecking long.

And no, @SupermassiveBlackHo most clothes are made for tumble driers now and at home dryers arent as hot or harsh as launderette ones.

I find the easiest is to hang clothes on a rack in the utility room then tumble dry just to finish off.

If you fold them whilst still warm you won’t need to iron.

Although my preference is line dried whenever possible.

The water from just 3 full loads dried in my condenser dryer fills a large watering can. Drying clothes on radiators and airers is a huge problem causing condensation related 'damp' and mould.

Writing rack. Tumble dryer clothes take ages to iron.

Thanks for all the replies.

To clarify:

• we are no longer in a flat - we used to be, which is why we bought the washer dryer.

We are now in a house and line dry usually expect it's been raining constantly.

• Just drying on a normal indoor airer is taking ages at the moment so we have put the heating on just in one room plus a dehumidifier.

For the pp who said it will look like a student house - it's the spare bedroom so no-one sees it.

• in winter usually dry this way as the heating is on. No damp/mound problems in this house; we did have major condensation problems when in our flat (hence buying the washer dryer at that time).

We've ditched our dryer. A Lakeland Drysoon airer in a room with the window open dries it all really quickly.

https://www.lakeland.co.uk/21736/Dry%3ASoon-Standard-3-Tier-Heated-Tower-Airer?src=gfeed&efid=EAIaIQobChMIsOfSgo344gIVCr7tCh3AyQhjEAQYASABEgJEGvDBwE:G:s&sskwcid=AL!49!3!251275991187!!!g!40411170769!&evchn=shop&effid=EAIaIQobChMIsOfSgo344gIVCr7tCh3AyQhjEAQYASABEgJEGvDBwE:G:s&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIsOfSgo344gIVCr7tCh3AyQhjEAQYASABEgJEGvDD_BwE

For me its the drier every time TBH.With the current weather its impossible to dry it all!.I dont think having the heating on in just 2 rooms is very much cheaper.also your CH may be affected by turning on 1 or 2 radiators and leaving the others off!.You dont want a big bill to sort out the boiler in the Autumn!

I wouldn't put heating on if the house is warm enough. I tumble dry quite a lot as we have a washer dryer so it's easy to just put it in then take it out ready to put away. I am trying to tumble dry a little less because I'm worried some baby clothes are shrinking (or is the baby just growing?), when I don't use it it's line or clothes horse. House is well insulated no way am I putting heating on in summer it'll never cool down!

None of those two. If you can't dry outside (not sure where you are, it's dry in the SE) best is a dehumidifier and a deying rack.

I have a heat pump condenser dryer which costs pennies to run. i love it. i also have a Lakeland heated clothes horse which i use in the spare room with door closed and window open. i love this also.