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AIBU?

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Drying laundry: radiators versus tumble dryer

32 replies

noworklifebalance · 19/06/2019 23:16

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??

OP posts:
5foot5 · 20/06/2019 14:48

I am a late convert to tumble dryers.

For years I put up with clothes on a clothes horse whenever line drying wasn't possible which let's face it is most of the year. Then about 4 years ago we had a new kitchen fitted and I decide I didn't want to spoil it by still having washing hanging about the place so we got a washer / dryer.

Washer dryers are crap IME. It would take ages to dry the clothes. Then it broke down first in warranty and then just after the warranty was up. The repair company had three goes at fixing it without success and each of the repairmen muttered about washer dryers not being worth the money.

The washer bit was still fine so in the end we bought a tumble dryer and put it in the garage (no room anywhere else). It is great! Really fast and gets the washing properly dry. I wouldn't go back.

reesewithoutaspoon · 21/06/2019 01:55

I have a drop down ceiling maiden. Its brilliant. Just lower it down, load it up and raise it back up . It on the ceiling over the stairs. You dont even notice it and it means all the clothes are out the way and because its at the highest point of the room its wamer there and they dry overnight.

Aquamarine1029 · 21/06/2019 02:00

I would never be without my tumble dryer. Not ever. Put a clean, dry towel in with every load and it will dry even faster.

BetsyBigNose · 21/06/2019 02:48

If the weather is dry, we will always put the washing outside, but that's a rare treat at the moment and we're often loath to hang it out before work in the morning in case it rains during the day, so more often than not, we have to use another method.

We've don't currently have our own tumble drier and in our last house, we used 3 airers in our Dining area to hang wet clothes on, but it turned the whole of downstairs into a humid, damp Chinese laundry - it was horrible. When we moved, we decided that we'd only ever use a maximum of one airer at a time inside the house and even then, it would only be for things that couldn't be tumble dried, or if we'd had to rush washing in from outside during a sudden downpour. It has meant that our new house has never become damp and humid, which is a revelation after several years of fighting a constant battle with wiping condensation from the windows.

We do all our washing on one day at the weekend - it's usually 4 loads and includes work clothes, school and Guide uniforms, 2 or 3 pairs of PJs each, 1 double bed duvet & pillow covers and sheets, 2 x single bed duvet & pillow covers and sheets, 2 PE kits, DH's stinky football kit, 8 towels, underwear and casual clothes for me, DH and 2 DDs (10 & 12). All of these loads (2 big blue IKEA bags full!) fit comfortably into the largest tumble drier at the very nearby launderette and it takes 20 minutes to dry the lot, for only £2. Work clothes and school uniform still get a quick iron afterwards (they would probably look fine without, but DH does it without being asked so I'm not about to spoil his 'fun'!), but we fold everything straight from the dryer and hang things up that require it as soon as we get home and find nothing else needs to go anywhere near an iron, hurrah!

We would never turn the heating on just to dry clothes as some PPs say they do, although it would no doubt be cheaper than the launderette, as we like the convenience of it all being sorted in one go and after years of having our Dining area taken over by damp clothes, bedding and towels, we'd rather use the tumble drier - or - as a PP suggested; for clothes which are 'Do Not Tumble Dry', we will hang them up in a room with the door shut and the windows wide open, which dries them in 2-3 hours.

Blimey, I never knew I had so much to say about drying laundry, sorry! Blush

violetbunny · 21/06/2019 07:23

We have a heat pump tumble dryer. It's a lot more energy efficient than a regular tumble dryer, it's also quite gentle on clothing.

LadyRannaldini · 21/06/2019 21:53

Concertina clothes rack in the bathroom, works very well. I never put clothes on the radiators, other than towel rack, even in Winter.

Newcrossboy · 21/06/2019 21:56

My dryer is cheap to run. Also far quicker. I use it all the time, all year round.

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