Drying clothes without using the dryer

[RedRobyn2021]

Are you still going to use your dryer?

We live in quite an old property and I worry about causing damp/mould

Anyone on here with young children who don't use a dryer? How have you found it?

Before our daughter I never had a dryer, I just opened the windows every day and I was out five days a week at work.

Now between me and my partner we are home 5 days a week and will need to heat the property and I feel like it would be unfair to my daughter letting it get as cold as it did before we had her.

Really worrying, hoping for ideas, solutions and to hear what others are doing?

Sorry, I meant slow cooker instead of oven. Microwave probably uses least amount of energy!

I use the launderette. Bit of a pain but I have no space or money for a dryer!

Unless you are never at home, of course you can peg out! Do it before you go to work, or after you get home. (assuming weather forecast is not for driving rain).

I always used to use my Lakeland heated airer but last two houses had tumble dryer and I got lazy - the airer will be coming back into use from the garage soon and the tumble dryer ignored

I don't have a dryer or any space for a heated airer. In the winter the washing gets put over radiators or on hangers which are put on overdoor hangers. Not ideal but it's the best I can do.

In the summer it's gets hung out, in the winter it hangs in the airing cupboard. The airing cupboard is fairly big with the shelves taking up only half of the depth. DH invested some racks that drop down from the wall on the right so we can dry a whole load of washing overnight. It's a brilliant thing.

If I must dry inside, the only place I'll do it is in the bathroom.

Put the clothes on the airer stood in the bathtub with the shower curtain pulled over and leave the window open , which is in the wall next to the bath.

Clothes dry, nobody needs to see the clothes airer, and the room is set up to deal with a bit of water condensation.

I've also put things on the airer in the kitchen with the oven door left open after cooking 😂 dries knickers quickly lol

We've never had a tumble dryer. Or at least, I did have one once and never used it. Dry outside. Or dry in your smallest room with a dehumidifier. Now I have it, I don't know how I ever lived without it. Best kept secret!

We've never had/ used a dryer and just dried washing onthe line or on an airer on wet days but then we had the heating on quite often last winter so things will be different this year. Considering a heated airer.

We also tend to keep the airer in the kitchen as it tends to be the warmest room.

In the 'olden days' people tended to wear layers under their outer clothing (petticoat, slip, vest etc) and only wash the outer garments when they really needed to so I can see people doing more of that.

Besides I'll probably need the thermal vest and long johns anyway.

So I'll wash those more frequently and radiator dry and other clothes less frequently.

I tend to use the heated airer or radiator for drying all but undies, pj's and leggings for myself after too many dryer shrinkage on decent clothes incidents.

I do use the dryer for the kids clothes in winter but we will all have to wash clothes (except undies) less often.

We’ve had a heated airer for years, they’re great and last well. Still get condensation on the windows though: Would heated airer outside be stupid?? (Obviously not when raining!) Will actually put it in the garage this year to avoid damp. Never thought of that before!

Dehumidifier and basic table top fan to move the air. The fan makes a huge difference.

old fashioned pulley airer over stairs will get benefit of any warm air rising through house. I have never had a tumble dryer and only problem I have found its early spring and early autumn before heating is on, things like jeans take too long and smell musty.

I hardly ever use a drier unless someone is sick. There’s just two of us. I hang things up on a pulley airer in the spare room. If I have the heating on in there as normal, it’s fine. If I don’t I need to crack a window.

Yes many years without one and had 3 little ones and washable wipes too. Best use a high RPM on washing machine, (purchased one with 1600), and then spun all washing again in my old white knight spin dryer, which ran for 5 minutes on 2000 rpm. I could get a jug of water out of say 2 towels. Then the washing went on Airers / heated airer and dried very quickly. House is old and draughty and never had mould issue.

spin dryers use a lot less electricity than a tumble drier.

washing went on line weekends and sunny days when at home.

Line dry as much as possible

We have a small utility room where boiler/mega flow are and t dryer

Have a wall airer over radiator and another airer there.

Have never had a tumble drier. Line dry where possible even over winter, and then a heated airer or radiators. It helps if you are not neurotic about washing every single thing after one wear. Reduce the amount of washing you do is my top tip.

Will still be using the dryer when I can't get stuff dry on the line outside (which is only a few months of the year anyway)

We use clothes horses and a dehumidifier. Works really well.

Everything dries on the line in summer and on the clothes horse in winter- I put the clothes horse in front of the wood burner at night and it's dry by morning

I’ve only tumble dried towels and bedding for years. Everything else goes on folding airers like these. Just got DH to fix a washing line in the garden to try and reduce dryer use.

www.argos.co.uk/product/8500368?istCompanyId=a74d8886-5df9-4baa-b776-166b3bf9111c&istFeedId=c290d9a9-b5d6-423c-841d-2a559621874c&istItemId=ixitixixt&istBid=t&&cmpid=GS001&_$ja=tsid:59157%7Cacid:898-274-0554%7Ccid:16646009685%7Cagid:134368424869%7Ctid:pla-1411173743655%7Ccrid:589288230853%7Cnw:u%7Crnd:18386398760952339067%7Cdvc:c%7Cadp:%7Cmt:%7Cloc:9046247&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=16646009685&utm_term=8500368&utm_content=shopping&utm_custom1=134368424869&utm_custom2=898-274-0554&GPDP=true&gclid=CjwKCAjwgaeYBhBAEiwAvMgp2l6rLj1zXFRGSI2z08vu5TOHtskfddJNJXLwg8BBoKldBZcrG-b6qhoCfOEQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

www.lakeland.co.uk/53350/lakeland-beechwood-and-steel-foldable-airer-and-ironing-tidy

I have a 12yo and have never had a tumble drier. However - we've lived in new builds which are well ventilated, so no issues drying on an airier in the bathroom.

Now we're in an older house I've bought a dehumidifier for drying in the spare room over the winter. I always find that drying outside makes the clothes smell funny - like ozone, I don't know how to describe it 😬

Dehumidifier is an eco one, 220w. At the October cap price it's about 10p an hour. I'll probably use it for 4 hours a day, but I try to only do 3-4 loads a week

I got my first dryer 2 years ago but we only use it in the winter. We have 3 teenagers and mostly stuff dries on our tiny balcony.

Rarely use the dryer ! We have a washing machine with a dryer setting on it

Only use it to finish off towels !

have never put clothes in it as I always found the dryer wrecks clothes

we either put the washing outside or in d weathers bad we just put it on a clothes horse and we use a dehumidifier

For those looking at the lakeland heated airer, they have an ebay shop with refurbed ones, fair bit cheaper.