how to make the laundry dissapear (particularly in winter)

[daisydee43]

hi

really struggling with laundry, hate all processes of it. really like tidy house so having overflowing laundry bins stresses me out. have washing line but weather so unpredictable and work all day. have tumble dryer but only use in emergencies as kills electric. have airer in bedroom but no other spaces to dry. hate airer being out as looks messy help please

Dehumidifier (a decent one that isn't too expensive to run and has a variety of settings) plus a couple of airers so clothes can really spread out (heated airers if your house is cold). Hang out clothes on airer in sitting room/spare room/kitchen last thing at night and put dehumidifier on full whack.

What hopefully said.
We're in a tiny one bed flat. Close the door/windows in that room is meant to help when dehumidifier is on. Mine cost £120 on Amazon. Has a clothes drying setting. Also stops damp/mould. Light so you can just move between rooms.

hi will a dehumidifier dry clothes over night? if i spread them out of course

Yes, I put airer and dehumidifier in the kitchen, as smallest room, close door & window and leave overnight. You want it in smallest room as it takes moisture out of air also so if you put in large room there's more air to dry if that makes sense?

I have a heat pump condenser tumble dryer and it is so cheap to run, I use it about 5 times a week and it costs about £8 a month. They are expensive to buy though.

Long term that may be a good solution, short term could you get a Lakeland heated airer. It will dry quicker than a non heated one so the turn around will be quicker.

Hobby, can you tell me the make of your dehumidifier please?

reduce, what things can be worn again? can the bedding last another day if you air it better? can you use towels one more day?

OP do you have an airing cupboard? That's where i have my dehumidifier and dry the laundry because it is the smallest space and already a pretty warm and dry space. An 8kg load dries overnight. When i wash the clothes it is spun at 1600 and then i spin it once more before hanging to dry. I couldnt go back to using a TD (havent had one for 3 years.) my clothes dry mostly wrinkle free, and no shrinking but still soft. You can even hang them on hangers to dry so all ready to put in the wardrobe.

yes i have a dehumidifier used when drying out bathroom after leak - never dreamed of using it for clothes

no airing cupboard - boiler cupboard is our main storage cupboard

Is there room in the boiler cupboard to fit some rails and hang laundry?

Or another option would be to buy one of these and put the dehumidifier on the floor of it, hang clothes and zip it up. It has the added benefit of keeping all the laundry out of sight and not draped all over the place.

What mausmaus said. Eke out pjs, trousers and vests an extra day, wash children's clothes only when stained and use good bibbage/aprons. Never wash anything that's half-dirty just to "make up the wash". Instead, postpone the wash for another day or three.

If your tumble dryer is old, or a condensor, could you save significant running costs by switching to a different model? It's not just that it dries things quicker, it's that it saves the hanging out which is a decent chunk of the work involved.

I'm a tumble dryer fan and think it's worth the running costs for the convenience and speed of turning things around. Also far less ironing if you whip things out and fold or hang up when the drying cycle finishes.

We recently bought a dehumidifier to help with indoor laundry woes after a colleague suggested it. It is brilliant. The laundry dries overnight and smells fresh/of detergent, rather than musty. We love ours. No data on bills yet, though.

I use my tumble dryer. I didn't used to but with two DCs under 3 and all the washing that goes with that I swallow the extra on the electric.

Out of curiosity, is the cost of running a dehumidifier and a heated towel rail all night less than running a tumble dryer for a cycle?

They used to be cheaper but i would say the newer more efficient TDs probably match them in running cost.

I remember pigletjohn posting up to date stats a few years ago but cant remember the outcome.

That's one for googling in my lunch hour

For us, the dehumidifier also deals with condensation in our late Victorian house so is doubly useful. A tumble drier only does one thing and half the time it shrinks your clothes. Woollens and delicates are safer on an airer with a dehumidifier. Dehumidifier every time for me.

I have a spin dryer, everything goes out on the line for most of the year.

Everything's going out overnight this evening.

You obviously don't live in the same part of the UK as me, Fluffy. You'd be wearing the same outfit for 6 weeks at a time if you were relying on line drying here.

You need a decent airer, too. The tiny ones like 3 Xs on top of each other or the "gate" style don't cut it. Get a proper euro style one from argos or ikea, then you can spread clothes out better and they dry in not as much time.

I have 2 methods (live in small flat, no outdoor space, no tumble dryer):

1. One load at a time, hung on folding IKEA wall fixed drying rack high above bath, plus items on hanger, plus socks, undies etc on one of those folding many arm peg devices. For when I am super organised.

1. Several loads, onto Lakeland heated dryer plus dehumidifier to get it dry asap. They work very well together. Costly but as I use this method for a weeks washing at a time I'm OK with it.

If I was to choose one item I would choose the dehumidifier and use it with a normal drying rack. It really makes a massive difference to how damp the flat is (ie not at all damp when I use the dehumidifier) so it has additional benefits to simply drying clothes.

We use a dehumidifier too. IMO the secret is to have as much possible on hangers so the air gets right round them, and it reduces creases. I use a Lakeland hang away and a x wing airer, and can dry at least 3 loads overnight