tell me how you'd dry laundry with my house set up

[alabasterangel]

We moved to a new house in the summer and have line dried since then.

I think we've reached the end of that till spring, mostly because the back garden is north facing, and it's still coming in very damp after 8 hours. Besides, I also need to think about winter drying.

The house is unusual. It's built into a hill (kind of split level) so the lower floor (living room, utility room, dining room) is downstairs and into the hill and (other than the living room) is palpably colder than the rest of the house. The utility is huge but has no window and is constantly about 17 degrees.

The upper two floors are toasty and without any heating on the temperature hasn't yet gone below 19 degrees (and more often is about 20).

I have a dryer, in the garage, but I am concious that costs about 60p an hour to run. I've thought about a heated airer but I guess it'll cost me the same as a dryer, plus the outlay. The dryer takes an hour to dry a load, and I think the airer would end up costing that if left on overnight so I might as well use the dryer, and this is an exercise in trying to cut down the costs overall. Plus I don't have a window in the utility only an extractor, so that would be adding extra costs.

If I put the stuff on an airer on the top floor, it does eventually dry (24 hours) but it has to go on the landing and gets in everyones way (and irritates me). Seeing as I do at least one load a day, it would be a permanent fixture and I don't fancy that. A dollymaid upstairs isn't an option - there isn't really anywhere suitable for it. Loads of room in the utility, but no warmth!

I've thought about turning all the radiators off except the utility room and just using that, but it's a small radiator (2ft) and is it really economical to do that? Running a whole boiller for one radiator?

I feel like I have no system!

Any ideas? Inspiration?

[EarSlaps]

Another vote for a dehumidifier in the utility room. It will warm up the air in the room nicely and the clothes will get dry more quickly so they don't go musty. I always pop ours on when I have clothes on the airer in the winter, when I forget you can feel the difference in the air.

Another, cheaper but less good option, would be in the utility with a better extractor fan and a powerful fan too to get the air moving around. When I lived in Finland as a student, our block had a drying room that had an extractor fan, a heater and industrial fan. Things seemed to dry more quickly in there than in the tumble dryer!

[alabasterangel]

Thank you. I've learnt a lot about how wet stuff dries today

Any dehumidifier recommendations? There are some on amazon for less than £150....?

[misscarlar]

I am in a flat with very limited outside space. I try not to use my dryer all the time. We have lines over the bathroom. I find an extra spin in the machine helps and shirts are dried on hangers and then put away as they don't get creased that way.

[loubielou31]

Using the tumble drier venting straight into the garage will make things in the garage go mouldy or rusty. (I know from experience so now we have to tumble dry with the door open until DH fits the vent into the window!)
I would say that the best thing to do is put things on the line when you are able to, they will dry some as long as you get them in before it starts going dark and the dew starts to form and then finish them off in the tumble drier. Those drier balls help things dry faster bouncing around. On a rainy day and extra spin will mean things dry quicker.
OR hang them on an airer outside when it is dry enough and then carry the whole airer back into the utility room with the extractor fan on.
I think I would use the tumble drier if outside really isn't an option. I think clothes smell funny if they've taken too long to dry.