How do I get all my laundry dry in this weather?!

[RandomCatGenerator]

Such a boring subject, sorry.

I simply cannot get my laundry dry, especially towels, in this cold weather. Unless I put the heating on full, which I’m loathe to do, I’m at a loss.

I have a one year old who gets through a lot of laundry including reusable nappies. My husband also does a lot of sport which also generates lots of washing.

help?

We also might hang everyone's washing on hangers and then hang these on their bedroom door frames, often to 'finish off'.

Perfect line drying weather at this time of year.

It depends where you live. It is too damp where I live. However, our reservoirs are desperately low so we really need the rain.

I dried a load of washing in the bathroom using a dehumidifier. A small enclosed room with the dehumidifier did the trick. If you aren't using one make sure you have plenty of ventilation. The amount of water I drained from the tank was considerable, and it has to go spmewhere. If you don't ventilate the water will condensate and eventually you will have a mould problem.

Mine gets hung up pretty much as long as it is not raining outside and then finished in the tumble dryer if needed. A full load rarely needs more than 10/15 minutes in the tumble dryer. My electricity monitor says that it costs me less than 10p to do this.

a new efficient tumble dryer - costs about 67 p for a full load for 200 minutes - it’s not that bad - read the science articles behind it - they really aren’t too bad - but dry them off outside first even if it is 30-60 minutes pegged out on the windy cold dry day

It’s frustrating isn’t it. It’s dry and windy here atm but forecast to be heady rain by 1pm. I am working 9.30 - 5.30 so I can’t even take advantage of this mornings perfect outdoor dying weather.
we have an inside line in our utility room but it’s not great until the heating is on regularly which won’t be happening for a while!

Heat pump tumble dryer - don't use much electricity as others.
Dehumidifier- not sure of electric costs but you need a small space if you want them to dry quicker. Watch for humidity changes and when water is full so area doesn't get affected by mould.

I used to dry cloth nappies really quickly in the airing cupboard because we could fit an airer in there or use an octopus hanger if there isn’t room for an airer.

Watch the weather forecast. Wash towels and bedding on dry days. Hang outside for a couple of hours, inside onto airers to finish off.
Smaller stuff, outside if it's dry, otherwise airer and banisters.

So long as it isn't raining, everything goes outside for a bit, even in the dark after the clocks change.

I dry outside on the line as much as possible, if the ground is dry, washing will dry. Obviously not it’s misty or the air feels damp.
if it still on the damp side I’ll finish off over the airier. I’ve put the airier in the shed sometimes, with a window open, it gets warm in there, it’s a potting shed really with four big sloping windows on one side so acts like a mini greenhouse.
if you have room on your upstairs landing you could put the airier on that, Heat rises.
This time of year I get it on the line early and bring it in early, around 3pm.

If you have a dehumidifier already put it in a small room with the washing and close all doors and windows in that room.

Give your washing an extra spin before you hang it out.

Space it out well, use an octopus hanger for small stuff, put dresses and shirts on hangers and hang from curtain rails so they get the sun too. Move things frequently.

Avoid washing heavy stuff like jeans and coats more than necessary.

If you have a baby and need warm dry clothes, you need to make your money cuts elsewhere imo!!

Just dry the clothes.

Modern tumble driers are really efficient and cost effective. The cost of buying and using ours far outweighs the hassle and cost of constant steaming washing hung over radiators etc making the place damp. Particularly if you've got endless towels, sports kits and cloth nappies.

Always give washing an extra spin, this makes a big difference. Then a dehumidifier in a small room with doors and windows closed. If you have an open window it is trying to dehumidifier the whole world. The room will get very warm, so once the washing is dry you can open the door and get a heating boost for the rest of the house.

I don't know if this is helpful to anyone or not, but I use a cheapie double bar clothes rail on wheels for drying indoors. I've no kids though!

It has so much room on it and takes up little space really. I put things on hangers and use sock dryers. It is in the spare room with the window open a crack. I can move it easily to catch any bit of light/sun/heat eg onto the landing etc . Then wheel it back to its usual home!

We have reusable nappies too @RandomCatGenerator and a baby that’s poorly and is needing extra changes of clothes (and me
too!) I love our new drying rack from Amazon!

Separate spin dryer they spin at 2800 rpm compared with front loader anything between 1200 and 1600 rpm towels and sports stuff dry quicker
get 2nd hand one

I'm having reasonable success watching the weather forecast but it's so changeable at the moment. Yesterday was meant to be dry so I put three loads out including jeans and towels and then it started chucking it down at lunchtime. I had to give in and use the tumble drier.

Other than that I've got airers up in the garage - there's a good through breeze if I leave the doors open a bit. If we get a dry spell I pop them outside.

Do you have any outside space OP? Even during the cold weather I find that if there's a breeze cottons, including towels, dry in about 3 hours.
Of course you have to keep an eye out for rain showers & it's not practical for every day.

Line dried two loads yesterday almost. Just got the last of the second load on the airer. First load out first thing, it did get rained on but then dried, started rotating around 1.30 after I got back from the supermarket bringing things almost dry in to go on the airer and putting the biggest things from the second load on the line. Brought things in as they were almost dry yesterday afternoon on the indoor airer followed by putting second lot on the line everything was out by just before 3. All brought in by about 6.30 as it was starting to get damp outside again. I put last things from the second load on the airer this morning before the school run. We did have the dehumidifier running last night but upstairs not near the airer. Yesterday was perfect drying weather near me.

I dry as much as possible in the garden,then hang clothes on clothes hangers in upstairs doorways, and finish sheets and towels on the bannister rail in the upstairs hall. Heat rises, and it dries overnight.

When we had the bathroom done we put in a heated towel rail and extractor fan, and a really strong shower rail. On wet days, we hang clothes on the rail and put other stuff on an airer.

I always dry on drying rack outside if not raining and then just bring inside at night to finish off.
2 years of reusable nappies and they are always dry the next morning

I've dried 2 loads outside this morning. Windy days are perfect for drying. I weather watch and line up washing bedding/towels etc. With that. For more urgent items such as work/school uniforms I use the dryer, otherwise they go on a clothes horse.

My washing is still getting dried on the line. We moved in May needing a new tumble dryer, because our old one is vented but we don't have a vent, but we've still not bought one yet.

We have got a Lakeland heated airier but we've not used that either. I'm going to get a cover for that because it will help the washing dry faster.

May I have the link? :)

I’m definitely going to start giving our washing an extra spin after reading this thread.

we used to have a spin dryer when I was a kid. It was one of the most dangerous contraptions I have ever used - no safety lock so it could be opened mid spin, but it got loads of extra water out of the clothes.