Reluctance to use a tumble dryer is a British quirk

[User3735]

I've noticed that there is a lot of shame around using a tumble dryer, and even people who have one are reluctant to admit it, and make excuses why they have one and say they use it rarely. The claims of them being extortionate and terrible for the environment seem exaggerated to me whenever I look at the latest energy uses and cost. According to Which, the average tumble dryer costs around £150 per year to run (and less than £60 per year for a newer heat pump dryer). Yet people will buy expensive heated airers, rails and dehumidifiers to probably a similar value.

I have observed this tumble dryer reluctance from people from all financial backgrounds. The only pattern I have noticed is those who had one in their home growing up are more likely to use them, and those who didn't think they are to be avoided at all costs. I wonder if they did cost significantly more when they were new, and it is a misconception of running costs?

I have always had one, and when they have broken I have replaced asap. Our current dryer broke down this summer, and I put off replacing while the weather was better, but I now seem to have been influenced by the tumble dryer haters and I have a strange sense of satisfaction of powering on through winter without one. Whilst I get an utterly pointless sense of satisfaction that I am winning, the time spent shaking out, hanging and turning clothes takes up quite a ridiculous chunk of time compared to tumble drying and I am very time poor. Given our wet climate and issues with damp, I really can't understand why so many people are against them?

I don't even have a bedroom but might be tempted if I did! 😂

I have one but don't use it as much as I would like to, plenty of clothing I own ( not expensive) the wash label states do not tumble dry , also I don't like to put anything I particularly like in there because it does ruin clothing after a while , they shrink and fade .

I use my tumble dryer daily. It costs very little run, no need to iron most clothes and never have loads of washing hanging around drying. Wouldn’t be without one, and clutch your pearls, I use it during the summer……

The amount of fluff in the filter shows how much garments lose.

I have always had a dryer and I know plenty of people who use them especially when they have kids.

Indeed - having lived here over 20 years my own views (and prejudices) have completely changed. My MIL was quite wealthy, could easily have afforded a dryer and always had the space for one all her adult life but she still either hung all her laundry outdoors or had it strewn on the “rads” when the heating was on. And ironed it religiously when it came back inside.

Again, I’m not saying my childhood prejudice was fair, but this country has its own class/wealth and poverty indicators (a whole other thread) that many foreigners would find bonkers.

This is me too. Saves so much time. I have heat pump now and it works well. I have always had a dryer.

I use mine all the time, summer included. We have cats and when the tumble dryer broke a few years ago we spent ages going over our clothes with a lint roller.

Have you ever considered the possibility that you could keep your beak out of other people's gardens?

I use my dryer regularly, even in summer. In summer it’s mainly towels and bedding as I suffer with terrible hayfever so don’t want to put my face to something full of pollen. Also, when hung out everything has a metallic smell. No idea why, but it’s not a nice fresh smell.

Yeah I don't get this either. I refuse to live anywhere that doesn't permit drying laundry outdoors. 😤

I have one, I see it as a necessity and I use it all year. There are some clothes that I don't put in it but the majority of things are fine and doesn't need ironing after.

Nothing against tumble dryers, glad I have one. Still, they use a lót of electricity, so I'm carefull what I use it for. Hardly any clothes, I prefer to hang those. Same for bedlinen, I hang sheets outside if possible. I use the dryer for towels and pijama's. It's only the two of us nowadays so my tumble dryer gets used once a week!

My towels take a day and a night to fully dry from wet - and I don't have central heating, so there is no heat on at night. You must have awfully damp houses in the UK if things won't dry inside.

Me neither! I just don’t get what’s wrong with it (I do get why people may not want to hang out their pants but the vast majority of the volume of my laundry is totally unoffensive.

I have one, not ashamed of it but i dont use it often. Only if kids are sick and i need fresh bedding asap incase the spares need washing too, if the uniforms arent dry in the morning or for fleece because it brings it back to life.

Im not keen on the feel (definitely cant stand the feel dryer sheets give!!) or the weird smell (it's not just my dryer, ive used others and it's the hot air smell that sticks in) but i am neurodivergent so maybe that's why the feel and smell get me. It also buggers up band tshirts and printed images so more of a faff for me sorting out what can and cant be dried plus my kids official uniforms are from a supplier that uses recycled plastic to make the fabrics and cant be put in a dryer.

But i do get you with the spending a ton on heated airers and dehumidifiers so you dont have to use the dryer or put heating on. By the time you have paid for the gadgets and the energy to use them - it would have been more cost effective to put the heating on with the bonus of you being warm too!

No shame in my household, used anytime we can't use the line and feel so much better for it, my health is much better without the damp, mould and higher energy bills to dry my clothes than these TD na zis. I have a heat pump one and it's stacked to save space. Best investment IMO.

I have a tumble dryer and a dri buddy and I use both.

Had a dryer for years.

I love to peg things on the line but I live in west yorkshire and despite what you've been told we don't get all year round sunshine

Also I hate the smell of musty clothes and hate having it hanging around for ages.

We had a washer dryer when we lived in a tiny city terrace with nowhere to hang washing outside. It was rubbish and cost loads to run - separate dryers are always better. When it broke we had to use airers and a dehumidifier - we did have a problem with damp even without drying clothes indoors, just the construction of the Victorian terrace with double glazed windows and no air bricks. I remember hating clothes hanging off cupboards etc, still managed to cloth nappy two babies though and did not have musty smelling clothing.
Now we live in a small rural town, north facing garden with washing line that's used April-October (conveniently retractable). Family of 5, cloth nappied youngest, no dryer though we probably would have space for one in the garage. Every winter I think about getting a dryer, but to be honest our dehumidifier is cheap to run, we have a heated airer that we only switch on for harder to dry items eg jeans, we chuck a sheet over the airer if not switched on and clothes are always dry by the next day. No problems with damp or condensation at all, older children and DH all pitch in with the washing as they should, I'm sure we'd use a dryer if we were given one but it's not hardship without. Underwear doesn't get hung outside, our towels aren't fluffy but also not rough.

Are you American? So much sunshine going to waste there as they all put everything in the dryer with no regard to the environment 😭
line dryer is better for the planet, the clothes, probably health (getting some fresh air and vitamin D hanging it out). Uk weather is terrible though, as a cloth nappy washer I spend far too much time dealing with drying so maybe am unreasonably biased against tumble dryers.

I am in Australia in a city where we get more sunshine than most places, and I still tumble dry. The sun here can bleach the hell out of your clothes very quickly, also there is no way I'm going to hang out clothes when its super hot (its 39 degrees today and it isn't even summer yet). Fear not for the environment on my behalf though, I have loads of solar panels and a very energy efficient Miele, so when the sun is out its free to use the drier.

I think it goes back to the past when a line full of perfectly washed laundry (especially whites + bonus points for sparkling cloth nappies) was considered a matter of pride for the perfect housewife!

I have a tumble dryer and a drying cupboard. Anything that risks shrinkage or shouldn’t be tumbled goes in the drying cupboard and everything else goes in the dryer. I am in the USA and in the 21 years I’ve been here I’ve never seen washing hung out on a line, so I assume everyone here has one.

We have a second hand one, we've never used it, but I really would like to. I've used driers in launderettes before but never owned one.

Thing is DH is from the wasteful, too expensive brigade so it's sitting in the garage, unloved surrounded by endless wet clothes.

I use a tumble drier for every wash.

For ten years, I lived in crappy, tiny rental houses with no room for one. Family of 5, I had washing hanging all over tiny gardens in the summer and then when weather was bad and over winter, my house was always full of wet washing that took days to dry.

I hate hanging out washing, I hate washing being all over the house.

First thing I did when I bought this house was buy a tumble drier and I make no apologies for using it all the time, why would I?