drying washing in a flat

[MyVisionsComeFromSoup]

OK, we're downsizing in a few weeks and I won't have a garden to hang out the many many loads of laundry I seem to have each week. I think I have two options (three if you include the dryer in the washer-dryer the flat has, but from what I know, the dryer function has a smaller max load than the washer function?):

1. a Lakeland/similar heated airer
2. several non heated airers and a dehumidifier.

Pros and cons of each option please? I'm thinking a decent dehumidifier is going to be more expensive to buy than a heated airer, but, which is going to deal best with the 1/2 loads of washing a day I seem to have, in terms of getting stuff dried quickest?

Obviously I'm going to crack down on the "but I can only wear x item once" moans, but even so, there's still towels and bedding which adds to the issue.

I use a condenser dryer in winter and a non heated airer in summer. It has the option of heating but realistically only the bit of the clothing touching the airer heats. I don't know what your flat is made of, but mine has big stone walls so the flat is like a sauna in summer - things on the airer dry in a few hours.

Hope this jumbled mess helps

I’ve just looked at the Lakeland heated airers about 5 minutes ago! I know someone who has one and they love it. They’re not cheap but cheaper than a tumble dryer apparently - I know what SneakyGremlins means about them only drying the bit the airer touches, but if you put the cover then the surrounding air inside is hot so dries the other bits too.

I used dehumidifiers when I lived in a flat. It was quite shocking how much water was collected from one load of wet washing. I tumble dried towels and bedding though.

We’ve got a dehumidifier and non-heated airers. It works really well and quite quickly. We used to just hang washing on the airers in our spare bedroom but started getting patches of mould on the walls so got the dehumidifier to prevent this.

There are 2 types of dehumidifier AFAIK, refrigerant ones and ones that use desiccants. We actually have one of each. The refrigerant one was more expensive but works much better, is quieter, and is cheaper to run (also, despite the name, it pushes out nice warm air).

Mmm, mixed thoughts. I'm probably tending towards the dehumidifier option, as Id worry a bit about causing damp, especially since this place was completely redone last year.

I used a Lakeland aired with cover and a cheapish roughly £40 electric dehumidifier from Amazon to dry fairly large loads in one room of a student house and I never caused damp! I can try to find the dehumidifier if you want.

Maybe consult the soup?

If it works for you let us know, considered getting one myself but not sure

I used to take mine over to the laundrette to dry. Then I bought a condenser dryer.

I have a heated airer like the Lakeland one. It's not great. I find it good for airing damp clothes after they come off the line or have been ironed. It's better than an airer for washing straight out of the machine, but not a miracle worker.

In your situation, I would hang things over an airer to start with. Put clothes on hangers where you can. Some airers have arms from which you can hang shirts etc. You can do this with the heated ones too.

When washing is damp, finish with quick tumble dry or iron (I know not everyone bothers). Or finish drying on radiators if you have them and they're on. That way, you can get another load on the airer.

Essentially, you need to cut back on laundry. When I was washing for seven adult sized people, I used to sneak things back if I deemed them 'clean enough'.

Dehumidifiers are great for days when you can't keep windows open long enough to get rid of the damp produced by baths showers, cooking and drying laundry. We only use ours in the winter and have it on a timer to run for a couple of hours in the evening, but I put it on during the day if needed.

LOL Sneaky, I should probably change this NN (which came about during an old episode of the Musketeers where a Joan of Arc-type figure was being fed hallucinogenic soup by her evil mother). I don't think I've ever had hallucinogenic soup, but if I do, I shall make sure to check it's thoughts on dehumidifiers .

Flat is rented, so limited scope for adding in a condenser dryer, plus the radiators are those trendy upright ones which won't take as much stuff as my current normal ones, maybe I could rig something up to take clothes on hangers though, like an over the door hanger maybe?

Losing drying space is one of the very few regrets I'll have in ditching the garden though, next flat will have to have a balcony I'm thinking.

We have a heated Lakeland airer and a dehumidifier. It's not the cheapest arrangement but it means clothes dry relatively quickly and don't SIT THERE LOOKING AT ME FOR DAYS ON END!

I don't have the official cover for the airer, but I tend to drape the largest item (often a sheet or massive towel) over the top to keep the warmth in. It works really well.

We have a hanging rail and clothes horse, we use a dehumidifier and it dries the clothes really quickly. I also bought a 2nd hand spin dryer and everything goes through that first. We also have a tumble dryer but that is for emergency use only.

I've got a washer dryer and I luvs it .

The drying load is less than the washing load, but this seemed fairly normal across all the models. My machine will take about 5 hours for a load (30 degs takes about 2 hours then 3 hours for the dryer element.) i tend to leave the machine on at night, gives everything time to dry and clothes are lovely and warm in the morning. It also adjusts the time dependent on the wetness of the clothes. Also means the kitchen is toasty warm from the heat of the dryer .

The most irritating part is if you've got stuff that's non tumble dry, you can't take them out the machine before the dryer bit starts.

I've used regular airer's before and still do every so often. They get the job done, but take forever. If your flat is short on space you might find they get in the way all the time. The constant hum of a dehumidifier would wind me right up.

We've had the Lakeland heated airer for 3 years and its fab, works best when you put a sheet over it with all the clothes on, we always have the windows at least in trickle vent when in use though as it can get quite humid.