To give in and buy a tumble dryer

[Am1beingUnreasonable]

At my wits end!

There is myself, husband and two children (1 and 5) in the house. I can keep on top of the washing but drying everything is driving me insane!

We have a small apartment in the town so that kids are close to the school, and a holiday home out in the sticks by the coast that we are at most weekends. The holiday home is much bigger, but no garden. The apartment we are in most of the week also has no garden. So drying outdoors is out of the equation.

In the holiday home I have room to dry more clothes on airers but the holiday home is colder even with the heating on, so clothes don’t dry over the weekend whilst we are there, so doing laundry there doesn’t really work.

The apartment is warmer but I only have room for one small airer, which isn’t enough for the washing for a family of 4!

Ive tried my best to avoid having a tumble dryer because of the rising costs but I’m at my wits end. We tried a dehumidifier on the laundry setting and it barely made a difference. Same for heated airer.

Does anyone have any magic ideas about what might work before I just cave in and buy a tumble dryer?

Also, what are your costs vs benefits like? I’ve worked out it’s going to be around £2 a load for washing, which will be £10-12 a week for us which isn’t horrific but obviously not great if there’s a cheaper way of doing this I’m not thinking of.

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MNHQ

If you can afford it op then not a question. Do it.put aside the cost and I’d sing the praises of them all day.
coming months you don’t want your kids getting I’ll for being damp either.
also it not part of it at all but the smell when you laundry is being dried is heaven.
mine thing worth thinking about is if you are on day and night electric, or one is cheaper?
alos check sheets mid cycle because they ball together and dont dry in the middle of the scrum,taking half the other washing into the ball with them!

Haven't read the full thread so sorry if it's already been said, curry's have a heat pump dryer £329.

I would say avoid the candy heat pump dryer. My mum had one and water leaked from it and was apparently a common fault.

I have a large drum washing machine and a tumble dryer. I wash a load that hangs up above the dryer, then another load which then goes in the dryer. So once the dryer has one load in it drying all the other clothes dry from the heat. I like to think I get two loads dried for the price of one.

We have a washer/dryer and it's an absolute life saver for us.

We live in Cumbria and it rains a LOT. Drying stuff outside just isn't an option most of the year and it's much cheaper to run the dryer than it is to run the heating or the dehumidifier.

We do probably 4-5 loads a week and tumble all of them in winter. In summer we do use the line in the garden but this time of year the weather is just too unpredictable and we're both out at work all day so can't just bring them in when the weather turns.

We have a condenser dryer. Warms house up beautifully when on. Heating off, dryer on. Laundry sorted v quickly

Sounds like a lot of inconvenience and effort. Also, blowing a fan heater on cold - doesn't that cool down the house? On the stove? What if you want to cook?
A tumble dryer is far more quick and convenient.

It's not an inconvenience at all! By 'on cold' I mean 'not using the heating elements some fans come with' . Just the movement of air, like a breezy day outside will dry things quicker. It doesn't cool the house to any noticeable degree, since you're just circulating the air horizontally before it all goes up to the ceiling
A stove top fan sits either on a radiator or a stove (we have a Rayburn so plenty of hot surface on top without opening the lids, it doesn't get in the way of cooking and if I am cooking I move the airer over) , but equally can go on a logburner. Circulates the warm air effectively and spread the heat around the room, if you pop an airer in front it makes a massive difference to drying time.
Read this for an explanation: www.survivefrance.com/t/stove-top-fans-why-you-need-one/10152

Just get the most energy efficient one and do it. It's life-changing.

For us, it's roughly £1 to run it for an hour. It's an Electra Condenser Tumble Dryer from AO and it was £239. Fits in the cupboard under the stairs, and heats downstairs nicely when it's running too for an added bonus! 😬

I can do sheets on the airer/over the bannisters, that's fine, but the endless clothes/school uniforms from two adults and two teens pushed me over the edge after doing without for 13 years. I can't be doing with drying racks all over our tiny house ALL THE TIME any more.

You certainly don't need the heating on when it's running, do you? 😁

We use ours a fair bit.however do things like double spin towels before drying .also light things to dry on a hanger and some outside if weather permits. I read somewhere about 250 pounds a year .Worth every penny .also damp clothes not good for people breathing in damp air

I wouldn't be without mine. I use it for small items and I peg out towels and sheets and then finish them off on the drier if necessary. I don't want my house to be damp , we haven't got the heating on her so it won't dry inside. If it is really sunny I hang things on the conservatory.

God I love my tumble dryer. I fell for a Lakeland heated airer pre-tumble and frankly it was shit in comparison. Took ages to dry anything and it's bloody huge. Dont get the love for it at all.

I try to dry the big things on the line outside and chuck everything else in the dryer. Wouldn't be without it.

However it shows how inefficient condenser and vented driers are and why they cost so much to run.

My heat pump does not warm up the room at all. It is so much cheaper to run because it uses a lot less energy to generate heat and efficiently retains it to dry the clothes, rather than allowing it to escape into the room.

How do you know if a dryer is a heat pump (or whatever?) I have a Samsung eco bubble washer dryer (about 6 years old) that isn’t plumbed in, because there were built-in washer dryers here when we moved in. The built dryer in is vented and dries really well, but is about a pound a load. I’m wondering if the Samsung would be cheaper? The dryer on it is a bit crap, it takes aaaagges to dry a load, and can’t be stopped and checked (so I’m wondering if it’s more energy efficient?) It’s on for 90 minutes, regardless. So I never used it, apart from sheets or towels occasionally if someone is ill. But I’ve always been able to have the heating on enough to dry things. I can’t do that now, some I’m wondering if it might be a good compromise?

OP what about a small oil filled radiator, or other electric heater to dry your uniforms quicker? I’ve been known to point a fan heater at things for a a few minutes to help dry. Not necessarily cheaper to run, but certainly cheaper to buy!

@Eeksteek google the make and model for the instruction booklet or sales info. That should bring up the info you want.

I've also just given up and bought a dryer. I just think the airers take too long, take up too much space and actually when I costed them up weren't that much cheaper. Anyway I'm very happy with mine so far.

Wish I'd bought a heat pump one though now 😩

This.

I think it’s too old. (They look really different, anyway)

Get a heat pump one I'm planning on getting one when mine packs up.

@Eeksteek then you will either have to watch you smart meter when you use it - if you have one. Or, read your meter before and after using it to see how much power it roughly uses.

My heat pump dryer uses about 1.8kwh for a full load.

My condenser drier doesn't heat up the room.

Oh, do it. With young kids it’s a total non-negotiable for me because I cannot be doing with hanging up 100 small items a week. We have a Samsung heat pump one.

Get a tumble dryer. They are amazing. You don't have to use it all the time. We try not to use it much now but it's fantastic for ..

Tiny kids clothes
Bedding
Towels
Uniform if you need to wash and dry fast

Making a real effort not to use ours so often but oh the inconvenience of hanging stuff up and waiting 2 days for it to dry!