May we have a clothes drying thread please?

[Rooners]

Not a whole section, just a thread.

About to move and we're finally going to have a bathroom with an actual window [faints] and space to dry clothes.

I'm clueless. Do we need to fit some sort of extractor? I hate having one on when I'm having a bath, as our current bathroom is an en suite and under some stairs and I never want to have that humming again, at least, not all the time.

Can we fit a fan thing into the window? Or how does it work?

Also do we need an airing cupboard or can we manage without? I have to admit I love airing cupboards more than anything but the space isn't vast and we might be getting a combi boiler.

So what are your thoughts on clothes drying - we are sans tumble dryer, but please feel free to pile in with your own questions and ideas about what works best, including electrical solutions, and hopefully we can all benefit before the winter sets in

Ooh yes I'm planning on getting a ceiling airer too - but I take it over the bath isn't the best place for this?

[MinimalistMommi]

The white knight is really quiet Rooners and probably takes about an hour to dry a load! it's a fantastic tiny little tumble dryer! Read the review on it, everyone raves that it does what it says on the tin so to speak!

You will find that an airing cupboard even with simply a combi boiler in it will feel warm and dry because of the pipes etc in there. We have a glo worm combi boiler in our airing cupboard and I often fold clothes in there if they've been outside on the line to air off.

[PenguinsIsSleepDeprived]

Holly - yes, it is a hot press.

[hollyisalovelyname]

Is an airing cupboard called a hot press in Ireland ? Is it where the immersion heating tank for hot water is ?

[Jamdoughnutfiend]

Hey everyone, lakeland have 20% off this weekend on the heated dryers - just ordered the 3 tiered one

[Rooners]

Penguins, yes I had one once and it was brilliant! Must get another, thank you.

Thumbwitch, I didn't know you were in Aus! How cool is that. It's odd isn't it but I find I have more trouble drying stuff in the summer because the heating isn't on.

If we do have a combi, I'm definitely going to get a radiator in a cupboard somewhere so we have a warm cupboard at least.

There's a big old linen cupboard built in on the top landing, and it's currently got shelves in which is great, but the top third or so is filled with the feeder tank and if we have a combi, that can go - so that is looking like the best option for airing cbd. if our plumber chap can bung in a rad.

I'm after an over bath airer too and a Sheila Maid, once we get the keys and I can figure out the best place to hang it.

The plan is shaping up nicely

[Thumbwitch]

I hate not having an airing cupboard, I really do. They're not really a "thing" in Australia, as the hot water tanks tend to be outside. I never needed a tumble drier in the UK as my CH, clothes airer and airing cupboard always did the job - but after my first winter here, a tumble drier became essential as nothing got completely dry the entire winter unless I hung it over one of the electric radiators!

Get an airing cupboard if you can. I think you'll regret it if you don't.

[PenguinsIsSleepDeprived]

if you have a balcony, do you have some of those little clippy smalls hangers? Great for underwear, small children's clothes etc.

[Rooners]

I did have a tumble dryer actually, but I found the running costs were quite high - is that still the case with a compact one?

Also I hated the loud noise and things never seemed to get really dry unless you left it on for hours and hours?

I was probably using it wrong.

[Fluffycloudland77]

We are spin dryer mnet sisters!

[hiddenhome]

[hiddenhome]

We bought a spin dryer last year and it's fantastic.

It's about the size of a kitchen bin and the spin gets about a pint of water out of a full wash. It really cuts down on the drying time.

Ours is a white knight and we got it from Amazon. It sits in a corner and I use it during the colder months. It wasn't expensive.

[MinimalistMommi]

Rooner have you thought about a super compact vented dryer? Like. White knight (119.00) or an indesit (159.00)

Side by side comparison : www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/s_action/compare/21327164-22071488.html

When you see them in RL they are very small and compact.

[Rooners]

Thank you very much everyone for all the ideas, it is just great to read what other people do and try and work out if it will work for us.

We do have outdoor drying space but as it's a flat, we have to go down some outdoor stairs to get to it - I will try and fix up a long washing line though as I really prefer them to the rotary ones.

There's also a small balcony which I think the previous people fitted a folding wall-mounted line to, like a sort of umbrella upside down sort of thing, but I don't fancy that - I might put my standing airer on it though.

Fan wise, I think it helps to have something sort of pulling the moisture out iyswim? Though I'd prefer just to leave our little window open, when we are at home anyway.

I gave my old sheila maid to my Mum as I was worried about the ceiling coming down, but I think if we have access to upstairs this time, which we will, I'll be able to fit one to the joists properly instead of random lath.

I gave our spin dryer to the people upstairs last year as I couldn't figure out how to load it right, and sitting on it so it didn't travel round the kitchen got a bit old.

[Fluffycloudland77]

MinimalistMommi

www.amazon.co.uk/White-Knight-28009W-Gravity-Drain/dp/B007BMSL60/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1408869519&sr=8-1&keywords=Spin%20dryer&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21

If its noisy you've loaded it badly. I love mine, HiddenHome has one too.

[VeryLittleGravitasIndeed]

No it's not particularly noisy. It's in the entrance lobby (stairs go up off the lobby so best place to cover the whole house) and we really don't notice it.

[MinimalistMommi]

Fluffy which spin dryer do you have?

[MinimalistMommi]

very is the dehumidifier noisy?

[FunkyBoldRibena]

OP will you have a garden? I dry on the line most of the year [try to tie in with non rainy days by checking the next day's weather].

Then, once line dried they go into the airing cupboard.

No dry days - they go onto the Sheila's Maid in the bathroom which is situated above the vertical radiator.

In a big wash, no dry day situation - they go on the rads, and I have a standard airer, and on Sheila [as she is known] and then into the airing cupboard as they get closer to being dry.

All socks and undies when they can't go on the line get put straight into the airing cupboard and on the bathroom rad and dry pretty quickly.

Find what fits your house. We don't have a bathroom extractor at all, we have a very old house and very high ceilings so have throughput of air through opening the windows and it never gets mouldy.

[VeryLittleGravitasIndeed]

We got a big dehumidifier - the kind that can do a whole house. Changed my clothes drying life! A load on an airer dries overnight now.

[westcountrywoman]

Get a heated airer from Lakeland. They're on offer at the moment too. No worries about damp as the washing dries quickly. Cheap to run. I love ours.

[Ainmnua]

Sorry if this is a stupid question but why do you need a fan in the bathroom? We just keep our window open a lot.

[Fluffycloudland77]

You need a spin dryer.

Dh takes the piss out of me but I get a pint of water out of the wash & everything drys on clothes horses overnight even with no heating on.

I can line dry most for most of the winter because things only need an hour to dry outside.

[MinimalistMommi]

Bert I'm curious! I've never attempted to dry clothes in our airing cupboard as I would be concerned about musty smell. I only air clothes in it.

[MinimalistMommi]

I hate, hate hate drying clothes in doors, it looks a mess and unless you have something like an extractor fan or a dihumidifier it's not good for the house. I'm assuming that the heated lakeland airer although it dries clothes quickly will still release unwanted moisture into the air?


OP, I hate the noisy fans, can't relax with ones of those whirring around while having a good soak! Outdoor drying space is best with option of tumble drying in bad weather. We have a huge airing cupboard with a combi boiler in one corner of it.

[mipmop]

Thanks PigletJohn. For the avoidance of doubt, I have no plants growing in the loft.

Rooners-
I would say you definitely want a fan as well as a window in the bathroom. I currently have an airing cupboard but may lose it if I get a combi boiler (while it is nice for airing clothes after they've dried outside, it must be horrendously inefficient for a hot water tank to give out so much heat). I also have a retractable washing line which I like. I have a clothes airer that can go on the patio (and be brought in quickly if the weather is showery). It wasn't designed for that, it's just a standard tall one but if the centre of gravity is kept low it's fine outside. You can buy ones that are for both inside and outside. Neighbours have a covered area a bit like a car port where they dry clothes outside all year. It seems to be effective. I am about to buy a condenser tumble drier but I don't know yet where it will go (no space for one in the kitchen), it may end up in a carpeted room on a bit of plywood. I find that summer weight clothes suit life without a tumble drier, but I don't think I'll cope without one this winter when heavier clothes like jeans etc need to be dried. Also large items like bedding take up so much space. Last thought- even if clothes can go outside for an hour between showers on an overcast day - that small amount of time seems to be effective. Particularly if it's windy, which showery dates often are.