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Original poster

Are tumble driers worth it?

87 replies

RedStripeIassie · 20/03/2017 11:11

I'm renting a new place soon with a space and a hole going outside to fit a tumble drier. Is it worth getting one? Are they expensive to run and do they do a decent job?

I've only got one child so it's not loads of washing and I've got a garden.

TIA

OP posts:
Neverknowing · 20/03/2017 16:16

Tumble driers are EXTREMELY expensive to run, worth it if you have the money but my electricity bill went up a lot when I got one! I have a heater airer and it's amazing, I love it!! I do a load of washing every other day though!

Neverknowing · 20/03/2017 16:18

Maybe it depends on the drier though, mine may have been just expensive to run.

spydie · 20/03/2017 16:43

I couldn't survive without ours.

BeyondThePage · 20/03/2017 16:57

Mine costs 23p per load on average - so 4-5 loads a week = £1, worth it for less damp in the house.

PigletJohn · 20/03/2017 17:24

I just spotted you are looking for a second-hand one.

Large appliances go for next to nothing because they are so awkward to transport. People who have moved house or had a kitchen refit often get rid of them. Luckily tds, especially vented ones which have hardly any works inside them, are relatively light. A washer or a cooker is a bit of an effort even for two men, but a td you can push around the floor on your own, and I would have thought two weedy women could lift one into a hatchback.

try ebay and freegle
www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_sacat=0&_nkw=bosch%20tumble%20drier&rt=nc&_mPrRngCbx=1&_udlo=1&_udhi=50
and sort by "nearest first"

I'd certainly go for a vented td if used, because someone might be getting rid of a condenser that needs an expensive repair. Bosch seem pretty reliable.

Look for sensor drying and a low-heat option, and see it working before you pay.

MiaowTheCat · 20/03/2017 18:30

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Anatidae · 20/03/2017 18:36

I love mine! I dry outside on the summer but since in live 60 degrees north that's a short season. Get a decent washer too with a fast spin so clothes aren't sopping wet when they go in.

whataboutbob · 20/03/2017 19:51

I am a landlady and had a vented tumble dryer put in my rental flat because with no outside clothes line tenants were drying on the radiators and it was causing damp. The fact that there is a space where a vented TD was suggests that the flat "needs" one to prevent damp.
Unfortunately mine was an Indesit and needed an adaptation to make it safe, when the guy came round I had the opportunity to see him dismantling it and as Piglet John since it was quite hollow inside.

Flipstick · 20/03/2017 19:54

I don't know what I would do without mine!

NotMeNoNo · 20/03/2017 19:58

We don't use ours much but when we do its really appreciated. Doesn't need to be expensive and of course you can still line or air dry as well.

FreeButtonBee · 20/03/2017 20:09

I do love mine although the dryness sensor is a bit trigger happy. Luckily I have discovered the '30 min keep on cooking' setting which is generally enough to finish things to properly dry.

I think my 10 yo Miele washing machine may need to be replaced though. The spin is no where near good enough anymore. Things are very wet conjg out which means the tumble has a lot more work to do. I am slightly in denial as it is a great machine which has given barely any trouble despite three very sicky children over the past 4 years giving it a major work out.

Shortdarkandfeisty · 20/03/2017 20:12

Get one, life changing!

Sgtmajormummy · 20/03/2017 20:19

Something I hadn't considered when buying my condenser tumble dryer is that, like air conditioners, they don't work at low temperatures.

Mine's in the garage and this Winter it was 5 or 6C in there. The manual said not below 7C so I was a bit nervous...

fruitbats · 20/03/2017 20:36

I have a Beko dryer. I chose that make as it states it can be used in a garage. I don't have room indoors. Wouldn't be without it but only use it in winter. I line dry when I can.

bojorojo · 20/03/2017 20:56

Indesit TD caused fires. A massive one in Shepherds Bush. Beko are not very good either to be frank. The German brands are best. No idea about second hand. Why would someone get rid of a perfectly good TD? I would be very wary.

I have a condenser which expels the water down the drain. Best design ever. No emptying of water trays. Anyone who recycles water wouldn't like the draining type though!

twocockers · 20/03/2017 21:35

There's been so many recalls in dryers I wouldn't get a second hand one as you wouldn't know it's history or if it should have been recalled or adapted.

A PP said hers was a condenser one and it wouldn't work at low temperatures- mine is in a cold shed and works brilliantly.

I'd not be without my drier now!!

Original poster
RedStripeIassie · 20/03/2017 21:38

Wow, such passion for the drier!! Seriously thanks for all the sound advice. I think a new one on a payment plan is the way to go for me. Clean fresh clothes and a damp free future await me Wink

OP posts:
Zoflorabore · 20/03/2017 21:39

3 words- worth every penny Grin

Sgtmajormummy · 21/03/2017 07:49

Sorry, if you modify my post above with "heat pump" condenser dryer it might make a bit more sense! Blush

MissDuke · 21/03/2017 09:52

We have one in the garage that was given to us but we rarely use it. I am nervous about fires and the expense and also the environmental impact. We mainly dry outside or on radiators. Our house isn't damp and we just open windows which to be honest we would do anyway. Some day I might invest in a more efficient one if such a thing exists.

ArriettyClock1 · 21/03/2017 10:21

I couldn't cope without a tumble dryer - I don't think they're expensive to run but even if they are, they are worth every penny.

So convenient and easy. I couldn't bear the faff of pegging out washing - what's that all about? First thing we did when we moved to this house was remove the ginormous washing line and posts from the garden. Our dryer gets used all year round.

willconcern · 21/03/2017 11:48

Wow, surprised by this thread. I have 2 DCS who play muddy sports, DH and I do loads of exercise so lots of sweaty kit, plus a dog whose wet towels need regular washing. I had a tumble drier but rarely used it. It languishes in the garage, unloved.

I dry outside when possible and have 1 big airer/drying frame on the landing.

I will never get a tumble drier again. Total waste of money. Expensive to run and terrible for the environment.

willconcern · 21/03/2017 11:49

I am truly shocked at anyone using a tumble dryer all year round. Faff of pegging?? It takes all of 5 minutes....

tovelitime · 21/03/2017 11:57

Absolutely essential IMO. Imagine doing 3 loads of washing of an evening and having it all washed dried and folded by bedtime. I don't peg out, I hate lone dried clothes but I hand shirts and sweats in my utility room. Anything else goes in the drier