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Original poster

Clothes drying solutions

58 replies

Werk · 20/03/2021 10:02

We have just moved house and there is nowhere obvious to dry clothes - I did not realise this when looking round as, although there is a utility room it is also the downstairs loo.
DH doesn't think we can dry clothes in there for that reason. There is also no window, just an extractor fan.
In my old house we converted the old outside loo into a utility - it was great, tucked away. We installed heating and ran a dehumidifier- a load dried in a few hours. We had a pull out thing on the wall and a separate airer which I stuck outside on sunny days.

We now seem to be having wars with the airer - DH doesn't want it in the kitchen so he moves it into the hall. I hate it in the hall because it is the first thing you see when you come in.

I don't want it in the bedrooms.

So where do you dry your washing (obviously when it can't go outside). I am going to invest in a tumble drier but not everything can go in that.

There might be space for a small pull out airer on the wall of the bathroom but it will spoil the look, I think.

So, what do you all do? Does anyone have one of those old fashioned pull down things? We could possibly have one of those in the utility (if DH can get over the loo thing) but how high does the ceiling need to be?

OP posts:
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Original poster
Werk · 20/03/2021 11:34

@SBBTOL interesting - this could work over a cupboard in the utility/ loo.

Thanks for all the suggestions - some ingenious ones here!

OP posts:
ceilingsand · 20/03/2021 12:53

Remove the saniflo from wherever that is situated, and put it there?

FastFood · 20/03/2021 13:14

I have a big airer which can take two loads (including one for bedding). Put it in the living room on a week day (when I'm busy in my study) and my two loads dry in 24h.
I live by myself so it's just two loads a week.

Love the idea of the WFH study being transitioned into a utility room from friday 5pm!

MyCatLovesFish · 20/03/2021 13:37

Those of you who use a dehumidifier can I have recommendations please? I'm moving to a house with a tiny utility room which can only accommodate a combined washer/dryer and I reckon I will try and get as much as possible dried on an airer in combination with a dehumidifier.

Original poster
Werk · 20/03/2021 17:09

Mine is a meaco one from Homebase, I think.

I have a combined washer drier at the moment and I don't rate the drying function much. I use it to finish off drying towels and the odd bit of emergency uniform - I certainly wouldn't rely on it to get everything dry.

Ok, so if I took out the shelves in the cupboard above the washing machine I would be able to fit a wall mounted rack - it would be quite high so I would need a little step to reach the back. I could plug the dehumidifier in there too. Hmmm. Probably need vents put in the cupboard doors but unless anyone is round I could leave one door open. It does remove a lot of storage space though but I think we could work around that.

The saniflo is in the loft ensuite, so two floors away from the washing machine. I guess any excess washing could be hung in there but it will be mine and DH's main shower room and like a PP said, would it all get wet again when someone showers?

OP posts:
Reasonistreason · 20/03/2021 17:20

My dehumidifier is Meaco too from JL. Excellent at drying as it has a laundry mode. And no condensation either.

RandomMess · 20/03/2021 17:38

Honestly just put it above the top stairs like we have??

At least then your washing is next to your room and everyone else's is a floor lower... it will dry more quickly there I should think.

TheLette · 20/03/2021 20:24

We have a Victorian style ceiling airer over the stairs. It's excellent. Cost about £70-80 plus the cost of a handyman to put it up. Keeps floor space free. I love it!

gretagreengrapes · 20/03/2021 20:33

We have a pulley maid over the stairs and it comes down to bannister level to hang stuff on. Really high victorian ceilings though. I'm also going to get one of those pull down wall ladder racks over the bath for smalls / or can be used for towels.
Before this we did put a rack in the bedroom as I think laundry smells like cooking downstairs!
If you can fit in a pulley maid they are fantastic and things dry very quickly.

RandomMess · 20/03/2021 20:40

We live in a 1960 build. The top floor is chalet bungalow with low ceilings it still works.

Hang the dresses on coat hangers at the end were the biggest drop is though!

FourteenthDoctor · 20/03/2021 20:42

We had An airing cupboard in an old house and used that for drying when we had a combo boiler put in. We had a small radiator put in the existing cupboard - it was great. Now I have a garage and a tumble however nothing dries like that cupboard used to

TheRedBalloon · 20/03/2021 20:42

Have you looked at Pulley Maids, they have lots of ceiling airers to choose from.
We have a tumble dryer in the garage, and an airer and dehumidifier in the conservatory. I'm paranoid about having damp clothes in the house and getting damp spores etc (irrational I know!)

RoomAtTheEndOfTheWorld · 20/03/2021 20:56

I've never had a utility room and I don't have a tumble dryer but I have a free standing tower airer on wheels that holds 2 loads.
It lives either in the hallway or mainly in the bathroom. We are lucky that we have a bathroom and a separate shower room with WC (like an en-suite I suppose as it's quite small but it's accessed from the main hallway, not from the bedroom)
The bathroom is quite spacious and only gets used when DS has a bath a few times a week so it mostly stays in there with no bother.
In previous houses it's always lived in the spare room as that's the only room never getting used really!
I also use the radiators in both bath/shower room and hallway when the heating is on.

Mumof1andacat · 20/03/2021 21:01

Tumble dryer tucked in the understairs cupboard, rail in the airing cupboard, bits on the radiator and those radiators airers. Occasionally I might but the air up and do have due have a dehumidifier. I only have a two bed house so dont have much space up or down stairs. Spring and summer I will dry washing on the line. Best thing I do it as soon as there is a load, get it washed.

NoIdeasForWittyNickname · 20/03/2021 23:55

Like some PPs, we have Lakeland heated dryer + Blyss dehumidifier (bought from Screwfix). No utility room (yet), so it all lives in the spare bedroom, but with this set up the washing usually dries within less than 12 hours and the room can be reclaimed quickly. The dehumidifier has a separate laundry drying mode, which is very useful, but it is a bit noisy though.

PigletJohn · 21/03/2021 00:08

you say the ute has an extractor fan. You can drape wet washing in there, with the fan running, and it will suck the water vapour out and prevent it spreading round the house.

If the extractor is noisy or does not work, buy a modern one with a ball-bearing motor. Running cost is negligible.

mrshoho · 21/03/2021 07:45

We're in a 1930's semi too and have the same issues with drying clothes. We've got a lakeland for winter that gets put up in the kitchen. We've also got this ikea rack in a little space in the kitchen that's tucked away out of view. It's high up so doesn't take up much space. When not used for clothes in the Summer months we put other stuff on it. Could you fit something like that in your bathroom?

Clothes drying solutions
Myopinionrules · 21/03/2021 08:04

We have a washer dryer, so we wash our clothes, place them in a separate spin dryer to get most of the water out then dry them back in the washer dryer, works well for us

AlwaysLatte · 21/03/2021 08:12

We used to dry clothes in the tumble drier in the garage, then when we knocked it down to build an annexe we designed a laundry room with washer and dryer, pull down pulley maid airer and a wall mounted fan heater, plus a little sink and drainer. It's been brilliant, there's room for a wheeled laundry sorter too so no more dirty OR clean clothes lying around the house. Game changer! Could you put up a small shed to do similar?

tiredmum2468 · 21/03/2021 13:37

@bonfireheart
I was considering one of those heated airers from Lakeland I saw them advertised
Looks good as the tumble dryer is prone to shrink stuff

bonfireheart · 21/03/2021 14:24

@tiredmum2468 I've had mine for almost 10 years and never let me down. And also great for that Sunday panic when you remember you have to wash and dry the school uniform! Am sure it is much much cheaper to run than a tumble dryer too.

Shortiemyboo · 21/03/2021 14:27

Tumble drier and clothes airers in master bedroom

Shortiemyboo · 21/03/2021 14:27

And heated drier

Shortiemyboo · 21/03/2021 14:28

tiredmum2468

@bonfireheart
I was considering one of those heated airers from Lakeland I saw them advertised
Looks good as the tumble dryer is prone to shrink stuff

The lakeland one is rickety, John lewis one much better

MyCatLovesFish · 21/03/2021 22:31

Lots of ideas here thank you. I had one of the laundry pulleys in a previous house over the vast oil fired boiler and it was amazing at drying clothes. I really don't have the ceiling height for one now.

The same house had an Aga and I used to put folded laundry all over the top and sheets on the front rail and it would dry without needing to be ironed.I miss that Aga, (but I really don't miss the enormous oil bills and the way the oil always ran low during a cold snap resulting in frantic calls to the delivery company).

I do have a large shed with power so I am toying with the idea of a heated airer in there out of the way. It will be very cold in Winter though so I will also look up Meaco dehumidifiers for the utility room.