What do you do with your wet washing when it's raining and the heating is off?

[Worried123456]

The energy hikes sound terrifying so I know I must use the drier less. What do you do with the washing though? I could put it on the radiators but they are off?! Is it cheaper to turn the heating on then use the drier? Or do I get an airer and just wait for it to dry? The house isn't very warm (but I have a jumper on!) so it would take rather a while!?

I loathe washing on radiators! I think it's terrible for your house- you start to get really bad mould problems.

I have a dehumidifier and a ceiling rack. Works a treat. Dehumidifier in cold damp bathroom with ceiling rack above the bath could make all difference to your house.

We have the whirley type washing lines in our streets gardens. My next door neighbour has an umbrella rigged up on top of hers so her washings out in all weathers, she just puts up the umbrella. I put the heating on but only have the radiator turned up in spare room and put the highdry in there.

Yeah, I'm still in debate as to whether to buy a dehumidifier, but something needs to be done! youidiot can i just ask a silly but serrious question...if you dry clothes in the bathroom with a dehumidifier, doesn't it get a bit overworked trying to dehumidify the toilet?.....suck the water out of the taps?

I have never actually considered this. It still works so I guess not - I do leave the lid down though

do you need to do the washing when it is raining? Apart from baby stuff, most can wait until a dry day. Forecast is better from tomorrow.

never drape washing on radiators and keep wet washing out of the house as much as possible.

I use the tumble drier sometimes and we have clothes horses that can lift in and out of the house. They go outside (under a lean-to roof if its raining steadily) and if I've got the oven on I put them right in front of it with the extractor fan on above the whole lot.

I'd love to wait for a dry day, but we live in a particularly cold and piddling part of the North West UK. Today has dried up a bit, though - have now actually dared to take everything off the airer and peg it out :)

does a dehumidifier run on electricity?

waik - yes.

special - there is no way I can wait for a dry day, there would be a mountain of laundry and nothing to wear!

no, we can't wait for a dry day...potty training so several pairs pissy trousers every day, DS has nothing left to wear! i have just ordered my dehumidifier, it was expensive so i hope it works miracles.

I hang the washing on clothes hangers, then hang those on the curtain rails and open the windows a little bit (or sometimes just the vents depending on how cold it is). Seems to keep the moisture at bay and I don't mind the house being cold, although I find even with the windows open in one room and the door shut the rest of the house rarely drops below 16, and I spend most of my day in the kitchen anyway which tends to keep at 18.

I use my airing cupboard with the hot water tank in to dry socks, pants and other small stuff. It only takes a few hours.

All the other stuff I hang on the ladder rungs which is strung up on the garage ceiling. Mind you we have a very tidy garage!!

Duchesse, Please don't put a dehumidifier in your bathroon. It's very dangerous as water is a conductor ie., can be fatal if water and electricity
are mixed. My dh is a qualifed electricain and has asked me to tell you this. hth.

i have a cover for my washing line. It doesn't get it 100% dry in wet weather but 90% and final 10% on ceiling airer inside.

Google rotaire dryline. I haven't used my dryer in 2 years.

I don't have a tumble drier. Washing goes straight from the washing machine (assuming the weather isn't suitable outdoors) to an airer. I also have one over-radiator airer that fits 2 items. It usually dries in a few days, less if the heating is on. I find that most of the year an airer full of towels will dry overnight either from the heat of the radiators or the natural heat of summer. It's just when there's neither that it takes longer. When I've had an airing cupboard I've transferred the washing to that to finish off. Washing also dries quite well on the outside line as long as it's dry out, even in cold weather.

Jan how do you get enough dry? I am doing a load a day here, I couldn't possibly wait 'a few days' to get it dry. Not to mention how unhealthy it is to have loads of wet washing all over the place.

I don't really think putting a dehumidifier in the middle of a bathroom floor overnight is a huge risk. At least it's one I'm prepared to take :)

shelley72 I have one of those Lakeland heated dryers. It's excellent and very cheap to run. But it works much, much better if you put a sheet over the top, although they say they don't advise you to in case it makes your floor damp (it doesn't provided it's a cotton sheet therefore breathable). Would really recommend it.

I tumble everything that can be tumbled and everything else goes on hangers by the patio doors ,it normally dries overnight with or without heating on .

I have an airer that folds in three ( like an unfinished square). I put small tshirts, boxers, or trousers and put it in airing cupboard around the cylinder (iykwim).

I have another airer that I put everything else on, and I stick that as close to the open airing cupboard door as possible. We have to keep it ajar, as boiler is in there too.

Generally it gets clothes dry enough to wear next day or finish off quickly in tumble. Am even draping towels and sheets over the airer, so we use the tumble less.

Dryer for everything I can. Airer/bannister for anything I can't or don't like to use it for- e.g. jeans. But it takes 2-3 days in this weather. Piglet John has said on here before that dryers aren't that expensive. I use mine for 4-5:loads a week on average.

Towels and bedding straight into the dryer (2 loads a week). Everything else on the pulley, until I need to do another load. Them I finish them off in the drier (40 mins on low heat). If I need to do more than one wash in 24 hours I separate according to what can go in the drier and at what heat (+ whites). I probably do 8 washes a week, of which most will spend a short time in the drier. If I do get a chance to dry outside I do.

I've just received my 3 tier Lakeland heated Airer, dh decorating at mo so not used it but will tomorrow
For me, it's because dh is a big tall fella and I can't tumble his clothes as they shrink. Airer takes too long and I have to put everything over 2 bars or it goes stinky if it touches it's other side. Hate radiator draping with a passion.

Cost me £87.99 with a £5 off voucher and I got a £50 naked wine voucher. So I won't care if it works or not cos my crate of wine arrived today

Hic

For those wishing to try a heated airer ALDI have one on special offer this week for £25.

It's smaller & less sturdy than the Lakeland one but at that price I can get that to be going in with while I save up!

Jan how do you get enough dry? I am doing a load a day here, I couldn't possibly wait 'a few days' to get it dry. Not to mention how unhealthy it is to have loads of wet washing all over the place.

I do washing as often as possible, which means I don't put on a load if I've got an airer full. There's 2 of us (me and adult ds) so a load every 3 days is fine. I don't subscribe to the mumsnettian way of washing towels and sheets endlessly. Also it isn't lots of wet washing all over the place, it's a partially dry load on one airer in one room. By the time the washing comes out of the machine it's damp not soaking wet. Also if you've got one nearly dry load on an airer you can squeeze that onto one side and add a new load on the other side. I had an airing cupboard when I had young dc and I used to transfer the clothing to that when it was part dry.

I think people do far too much washing. Once the dc are past the early years, when their clothing is quite small anyway and therefore less to wash and dry, they don't need clean trousers daily, clean nightclothes every night or endless clean towels. I grew up in the 60s and washing was done once a week by hand, spin dried and hung up to dry outdoors or on an airer indoors, in a family of 5. It was a weekly event and there wouldn't be any washing hanging around the rest of the time. I think it also helps if you use an outdoor washing line whenever possible, not just on sunny days but on dry windy winter days too. I think modern generations put stuff in the wash far too often and are convinced they can't possibly do without a tumble drier because they can't possibly manage without doing endless washloads per day and can't possible live in a house with some damp washing. When really the problem is doing too much washing in the first place.

(Climbs off soap box).