I miss my airing cupboard!

[sylvm]

We moved house a few months ago and now have a combi boiler and no airing cupboard. Have splashed out on a tumble dryer but I am finding it soooo hard, especially now it's not really worth putting the washing outside.

I put the washing in the tumble dryer and when I check it later it feels nice and warm and dry, so I take it out to put it away. Then later I discover that it wasn't actually properly dry at all .. how do you tell when it is "done" with a tumble dryer. What I really need is a nice airing cupboard like I used to have to put all my washing in to finish off. I know it will get easier once we are using the central heating but I don't really want loads of washing all over the radiators. All I have atm is a tiny little electric towel rail which can't cope with the things that you can't put in the tumble dryer.

How do you all cope with your washing? (sad question really!)

I'm still hanging mine outside - even through the winter I can usually put it out most days. I have a tumble drier but hate using it, so it's emergency use only.

Otherwise I use my airing cupboard (sorry!) and I also have a clothes airer that stands in our lean-to bit. The children's school jumpers aren't supposed to be tumbled anyway, so if the weather isn't good enough to hang them outside, I just drape them over the top of a door and they're dry within hours.

Do you have a spare cupboard at all though - what my brother-in-law did though was to have a small radiator put inside a cupboard he didn't use much, and he now uses this as a home-made airing cupboard.

I have moved to a house without an airing cupboard too. I've had one built into the tiny spare bedroom and have had an extra little radiator put onto the wall at the back of the cupboard.

It's ok, but not as good as my old bone dry warm airing cupboard.

I know what you mean about tumble driers.... it all feels dry when you stick your hand in, but seems to go cold and damp again after an hour or so.

Tumble dyers are not good! I put mine on the other day, for 40 minutes, went out.....3 hours later I return to descover the tumble dryer still tumbling (timer switch stuck) and washing as dry as a bone. It was quite worrying though...it could have caused a fire or something!

dryers even!

Don't have a tumble dryer, so I hang mine on an airer - outside on dry days & in a bedroom on wet days. Seems to do the trick!

Does it actually dry atm though? If I put washing up on an airer in the house, it stops being soaking wet but doesn't actually get dry enough to wear. I always feel this is the worst time of year for getting washing dry, not cold enough for central heating, not hot (or dry) enough for outside.

I hate my tumble dryer (unfortunatley it's a washer/dryer) Had an inexpensive whirlpool one which was great but when it went up the spout I bought a fairly expensive LG one as we had DD and I do LOADS of washing.

Anyway this LG one has some kind of sensor thingy which is meant to weigh the washing/water etc and tell you exactly how long it needs to dry for and dries away, and away and away. Other day had 3 towels in and it estimated 3 hours!!!!! Oh and I went out, came back and it was coming up error (and had stopped) as it said there wasn't enough 'load' in there and there was an imbalance WTF???

Wish I'd got another whirlpool - sometimes technology moves on for it's own good!

Sorry rant over (and hijack) I have an airing cupboard and love it. If you have the room I'd make one out of a normal cupboard if you can.

It does Sylvm. I try to leave it somewhere windswept, so whatever room the airer is in, I have all the windows open & the breeze seems to get it dry. I'm careful not to overload the airer too, as otherwise it doesn't dry out.

You have my sympathy on this one! I hate having laundry all over the house. At the moment, I have taken to tumble drying things and then hanging them over the airer so the steam can evaporate and I can tell whether they're really dry or not. Defeats the purpose of a tumble dryer, I know, but (a) they're expensive and (b) the clothes end up terribly crumpled unless you get them out asap once the tumble dryer has finished. At least they only stay on the dryer for a short while. Roll on winter and central heating...

I have just moved to house with airing cupboard, not sure what is is for. Can I take things straight out of washing macchine and put them in here? Won't it make cupbaord damp?

If you don't want it send it to me please [grin}.

Seriously, some people just use it to keep their bedding/towels in, slightly warm ready for use. In all of our previous houses (3 over the last 24 years) we have put rails in and hung the washing to dry. On the assumption you have your hot water tank in there it will never be cold (even in summer) and we have always got washing dry.

me too No warm cupboard for drying clothes and didn't have to iron either!Am looking for the perfect clothes airer or dryer I hate the tumbler and it is so expensive

sylvm - my airing in cupboard (in our new house) has wooden slatted shelf, guess so that heat can circulate. It is always warm in there. But can I take clothes straight out of washing machine and put them in the airing cupboard?

lasvegas, I'm the same anyone out there know?

Lasvegas no you cant put wet washing in there or it will be full of mould and mildew. Its ok to finish off things that are slightly damp though

lorina thanks a lot. My Nanny keeps putting wet stuff in there I suspected she was wrong but wanted to find out right thing before I mentioned it. ALl our towels are stored in there so gald I found out before mould set in.

Well I always put my washing in the airing cupboard straight out of the washing machine - never got any mould - I think I'm going to have to get one built but it still won't be so good cos it won't have a hot water tank in the bottom.

Gosh, never heard of wet clothes going straight into airing cupboard before - you learn something new every day on Mumsnet! (unfortunately don't really have room in mine - it's full of bed linen and towels.)