How are you drying washing?

[YouLookinSusBro]

It's been really wet and rainy here over last few weeks so no chance of outdoor drying, but I've used over £50 in gas in the last week (prepayment meter) drying on radiators and small airers over the back of doors. I really cannot afford £50+ a week on gas 😔 especially as it's not even freezing here yet and could manage without much/any heating if it wasn't for the washing.

I've thought about heated airer but they are pricey and quite honestly there's nowhere to put it

Time your laundry so that it's hung up on an airer whilst you would normally have the heating on. We also use a dehumidifier which costs about 6-7p in electricity per hour for us. They are quite pricey to buy but I wouldn't be without it now, especially if you have a conservatory or any rooms that feel a bit damp or particularly cold.

We both work all week and are fed up of using the radiators etc to dry washing. We’ve just brought a heat pump dryer and it’s quick and simple to use - no washing hanging about on airers.
Beds have been changed and now we all have clean bedding - done if a few hours.

Im not convinced that the other options are acceptable given the amount we work! Something has to give.

I don’t understand heat pump’s, is it a tumble dryer and is it expensive to run?

We are a family of five and the washing does make me want to scream!

Heat pump dryers are relatively cheap to run but do not work well in temperatures under about 15c, so no good for in garages or unheated spaces

Wash as little as possible, extra spin on 1400, hang on airer in living room.
Put second wash on. When second wash finishes (and has its second spin), put anything especially damp from the first load into the tumble drier (washer drier).
Hang second load in living room. Hopefully nothing that would need tumbling too.

Between this and the opening-and-closing-the-windows-palaver (plus leaving curtains closed as much as possible, so not able to be opened on waking up and closed at bedtime), not spending massive money on heating and washing is a full time job atm! 🙄

Oh and I forgot karchering the windows each morning too!

Radiators and over the bannister

We do much less washing in winter. We don’t have a tumble dryer. Extra spin on washing machine. We haven’t got any heating on yet.

I have an in door washing line that retracts it has 5 strings. I have it on my top floor landing bloke to the ceiling. I also a small room with the hot water tank. It gets quire warm. So I have an airer in there as well.

I always washing school uniform on a Friday so its always dry by Sunday evening

I'm jealous of everyone who can dry washing above their stairs. We have a hole where (a good few years back...) ex put a foot through the attic! So the heat doesn't collect and stay there like in most houses

I've gone back to the tumble dryer after hanging and dehumidifying for 2 months. Making the house damp then running the dehumidifier for 2 days to combat it was driving me nuts, and all the hanging and clutter. However, I only do one or two washes a week so the cost of the dryer is minimal. It's just so much quicker and less fuss.

Exactly the same here. So economical to run. Mine is about a year old and it uses 300w.

I have a spare box room so I hang on airers with the window open. Dry within 24 hours and smells fresh

I don’t understand heat pump’s, is it a tumble dryer and is it expensive to run?

They keep the heat in the machine - unlike other driers which heat the room as well.

A study suggests a heated airer is 74p per load and a heat pump drier 85p per load

So we thought it was worth it.

£7 extra per year -

Obviously depends on house hold use number of people etc.

Family of 5 adults -

Happy to use the sunshine when available!

Have you got a fan op? I've been setting up a pedestal fan on the lowest setting pointed at my airer with the window in that room open a crack and the door shut. It doesn't need to be warm in the room you're drying in I've found, the movement of air will dry things in up to about 24 hours depending on the fabric composition.

I've got a dehumidifier as well but I find the fan dries the washing just as quickly, is much less noisy and uses much less energy.

I don't have a tumble drier so this fan method has taken all the worry out of drying washing inside for me.

I do too,there's no other option in this house, I peg out sometimes if it's windy.

I second this. Have done this for the past two weeks when doing a big load. £3/4 and it works a treat. And can multi task by taking my laptop and work

Just to add without the fan (same.airer set up, window still open a crack and door shut) I had some heavy jumpers that didn't dry quick enough and so we're smelly and had to be rewashed but the fan has solved that problem.

I'd recommend trying it to anyone, especially those who can't get or afford a dehumidifier at the moment.

Light things I stick on the heated airer and turn the dehumidifier on.
School uniform goes on the radiator then its warm when she puts it on.
Heavy things go to my mums to go in the dryer. She said it's pointless you having wet washing everywhere when I've got an empty tumble dryer.

Been using a heated airer but it is slow. Washed a load of throws today so had heating on for 2 hours to dry them and warm us a teeny bit as it’s freezing!

I have a large clothes airier that I shut in the small spare bedroom. If I put it in just before the evening heating comes on by the time I’ve got ready next morning it’s usually dry. Socks are hung on the landing banister and pants go on bedroom radiators. (Nice to put on in the morning 😀)

I already had a dehumidifier as our bathroom is annoyingly damp. I bought a cheap drying rack and now use the bathroom as a drying room. Shirts, dresses, etc, hang from shower curtain on hangers, smaller things on the drying rack.
I wfh so not having the noise of the dryer going is actually a good thing! Plus clothes look better.

It’s just a type of tumble dryer. It’s much more efficient that previous types.

I spin twice then dry overnight on 2 airers with a dehumidifier in between . I have economy 7 so it costs pence and is dry and fresh by morning .