To wonder how on earth anyone copes without a tumble dryer?

[Bumbles55]

Ours broke yesterday and I feel like I’ve lost a limb! Having to wait an entire day or more for washing to dry (and having to put the heating on full blast 24/7 in order to facilitate this) is torture. I’m so used to washing uniform etc at night and being able to quickly chuck it in the tumble dryer in the AM whilst we get ready. Washing loads take proper pre planning now! Despite it being only DD and I at home we easily get through one full wash per day so the house is already absolutely covered in clothing drying on radiators etc.

The new one won’t be delivered for 2 weeks - unsure how I’ll survive in the meantime 🤣

Easily.

You think so? I’ve been around a long time and I know few men who willingly do laundry if there’s someone else to do it.
As for not requiring any effort to peg out, I must be doing it wrong then as it takes me ages if there’s loads of pants and socks. I stand there on a sunny day thinking that if I had just bunged in the dryer, it’d be half dry by the time I finish with the wretched pegs.

Never had one and never wanted one. DH had one before we met and I put his work shirts in and they were so creased they couldn’t even be ironed out! Fuck that!

I’ve also heard they shrink things, set on fire quite often and are expensive to run do no thank you. We have radiators, clothes horses, de-humidifiers, windows, a washing line… I wouldn’t have a tumble dryer if you paid me. We’ve actually got a space in the utility room for one but I put the bin there to hide the gap 🤔

We tumble dry everything. Just use the gentle setting for the few things we have that say don't tumble dry and otherwise try to avoid buying clothes that say don't tumble dry.

I don’t think that’s ridiculous
I can’t rewear exercise clothes or sports bras as they’re soaked in sweat
tops next to my skin are one wear (a full day, not counting something on for a couple of hours!)
even using a good antiperspirant, my work office is boiling and I sweat and it smells
knickers and socks obviously also one wear

trousers, skirts, cardigans, towels etc I don’t wash after every wear/use

I did two loads of washing on Friday night. Put them on an airer in the utility room (unheated). Put the airer outside in the sun when I made coffee at 7am. Brought it in at 4pm Folded and stacked, in the airing cupboard.

I've never bothered with a tumble dryer and have never had an issue getting things dry.

I check the weather forecast before I go to bed. Put washing in if a reasonable day is forecast. I wouldn't dream of putting the heating on for laundry 😁 My utility bill for a 4 bed house is about £1,250 a year. Like most efficiencies, it takes a few seconds planning, that's all.

We don't have the space for a tumble dryer so got a washer dryer when we moved in. Bosch machine had multiple issues over the last 5 yrs. Had enough finally and replaced it recently with just a washing machine. We had a heated airer. I do all the laundry 3-4 loads a week. I cope. When we finally have the space will get one.

I’ve had tumble driers for around 40 years (mum got one when I was a teenager), bought at least 4 of my own over 30 years (4DC), and nearly all family members/friends have them but never known one to catch fire.

You must have left your DH’s shirts in way too long!

I put shirts in the dryer for a literally 5 mins so they’re just getting warm, hardly need ironing then as little bit of heat takes most of the creases out. Just put straight onto hanger. Same with gym wear, jumpers and silky materials. Never had ruined clothes.

I do sometimes put thick stuff like joggers, hoodies and jeans on an airer overnight in winter in the utility room if I can be bothered and they are generally 50% dry by morning so just pop them in dryer for 15-20 mins and again no creases.

No way would I dry towels in winter over an airer or on the radiator, they wouldn’t feel clean to me and must take days, and I love the feeling of using a still warm towel after a bath in the winter.

I wouldn’t say our bills are massively impacted by having a dryer (we have a condenser one which is very efficient), and I guess it’s not much more than a few takeaway coffees a month and I’d rather take one from home in a flask than have damp washing hanging all over the place all the time which picks up musty or cooking smells and doesn’t feel clean!

I always spin twice and hang big stuff on line then just finish off in dryer as necessary. Wouldn’t be without one and if mine broke tomorrow I’d be straight to Argos to get one I could take away immediately in the car!

Haven't had a tumble dryer in about 3 years wash early dry pretty quick if in desperate need of something to dry fast I will put my tall fan near it and let the air push it never a issue

@Bumbles55 I am in Edinburgh. We had the gritters out one evening!

i used to have a whirligig and nothing dried all winter but now I’ve discovered a proper line I’m amazed how much dries even when it’s cold. As long as there is a breeze or sun it seems to work.

Never had one. Family of 3 so have done 20 year of baby clothes school uniform etc. always put the washing outside or on the airer/radiator rails/airing cupboard

We have one but don’t use it very often. Heated clothes airer is much better, so ironing requires to.

I only ever use the dryer in winter. Even today after the rain stops I’ll have washing out on the line drying in the breeze because nothing makes washing smell fresher than being outside. I love the smell when it has dried outdoors and although I appreciate the convenience of having the drier in the dead of winter when things don’t dry properly outside, it’s just not the same from the drier. That lovely fresh outdoorsy smell just isn’t there.

I have a washer drier, it does a terrible job.
It can only dry half a load of washing at a time, and takes about 3 hours to do it.
Anything large just ends up in a big ball in the centre of the machine and will be crispy on the outside and hot and damp on the inside. Definitely can't be put away without additional airing.

I have one but hardly ever use it. I dry the washing on two airers in a small room with a dehumidifier. Washing dries very quickly and it’s much cheaper than running the drier, which I just use in emergencies! (Obviously I hang washing outside to dry for at least half the year)

I find my washing needs no ironing if it's been in the dryer, which is fantastic as I really despise ironing. I never needed one until we moved to a forest area that seems very humid, we struggle to get things to dry properly on the line here they just end up damp.

I’ve managed years without one, including 3 kids and cloth nappies. Only DD and I know and do 2 washes a week.

i live in a damp bit of the country, working full time means it’s hard to always hang washing out. We hang stuff over bannisters (DH also v allergic to pollen so hi stuff isn’t hung outside) or over a clothes horse in the kitchen. It’s not ideal. We do have a tumble dryer but use it to finish off drying mostly.

also OP you put a wash on every day? What on earth?

I think that's right. When I notice a laundry smell it's because it's time to clean washing machine because bacteria have grown in detergent residue. The smell is similar to that of wet fabric and can easily be confused. I just use tablets in machine and smell goes away. Definitely not a case of having got used to smell. As you say, all it takes is a little patience. By not having TD we are helping our finances and environment.

It's also really bad for pets, seen reports of causing such illness in cats. I babysat next doors dog for a week once, 1st thing I did was turn off the plugged in air fresheners, there were 9. Poor dog!

I've never found dryers any use - they only ever seem to be able to dry a few items at a time when I've had them so we just dry stuff around the house, which isn't ideal, but I've never found a dryer that seems like it would make a difference without being run constantly

I've never had one. I do washing for my holiday lets so have a king-size bed set, towels and bathrobes every other day (at least)

I have a Lakeland heated airer and a dehumidifier. I only ever use the bathroom radiator to dry things but I put duvet covers over the bannister.

If you have a full.load of washing every day you must be washing your clothes and towels most days? They really don't need that ( apart from underwear) and it would reduce your workload considerably if you cut it down to what actually needs washing.

@AntiHop I have a very sensitive nose, too, and smell things others don't. So, yes, if you say your washing doesn't smell, then you're right. We haven't yet turned on heating, so at the moment I finish drying with brief spell in airing cupboard. But for most of the year even that's not neccessary. Clothes dry nicely over a couple of days, and less in summer.

What tablets do u use?

@Cuwins WPro Washing Machine Cleaning Tablets. They come in packs of 3. If smell is already there you run 3 cycles one after the other. But if you just want to prevent smells, you just run one cycle from time to time. I find one per month prevents problems, but I recently left it for several months, so had to do 3 cycles to get back on track.