Who IBU, DH or I?

[FetchezLaVache]

Situation: we had a 2-storey extension built earlier this year, but due to massive cost overrun we've had to postpone the kitchen island until next year.

Washing is dried either on the line outside or on a clothes horse in the middle of the kitchen, roughly where the island will go. Obviously, more of the latter than the former this year and we both really hate it!

DH wants to put an old-fashioned ceiling-mounted drying rack right above the future island. I think this is a shit plan because the ceiling is only about normal height (8'), so the island will be out of use whenever the rack has washing on it. Because the island isn't yet in situ, he seems unable to visualise the damn thing with a rack of washing dangling onto it. He is motivated in his thinking by neatness rather than practicality, I should stress. I think something like a Leifheit Pegasus over the (rarely used) bath would be a better option. Which of us is talking shit?? Or is there a third option we haven't considered?

Or is there a third option we haven't considered?

Yes. When the island comes, you buy a tumble dryer, and you use the over-island washing rack (I assume it's the old-fashioned, wooden type) to hold pots and pans and kitchen paraphernalia and turn it into a charming feature.

I thought kitchen islands were out of fashion? Since people just put junk on them.

Don’t you have space for a table drier anywhere?

YANBU. A tumble dryer is the best solution, in my view. The newer ones with heat pump technology are much cheaper to run / more environmentally friendly as I understand it. The drying rack will clutter up the space and obstruct views across your lovely new kitchen, whether or not there is an island there.

Personally I'm not a fan of islands unless you have a really big space, but if I had one I would prefer to use it for storage / a breakfast bar, and have the tumble drier near the other appliances if possible.

Edit: also, most of the islands I have seen have pendant lights over them, which you wouldn't be able to do.

Only lazy people would put junk on a kitchen island. Most people use them as a useful extra surface for food prep.

YABVU.

Mainly because it's 'DH or ME' - why is everyone getting this wrong lately ?

I blame reality TV.

Why would what’s fashionable impact her kitchen design, she’s not some teenager who doesn’t know her own taste

Have you thought about damp? Drying clothing inside can cause real issues with damp in some properties. Good ventilation is a must but can lead to a freezing house in winter. A dehumidifier is another option, but you need to make sure it's a modern, efficient one. That then leads to the same question about space. If you can find space for a dehumidifier you'd probably be better off putting a tumble dryer in it.

When DH and I ran a little experiment we found our tumble dryer was much more efficient. We now use that when we can't use the outdoor airer rather than dry washing indoors and have a freezing or mouldy house.

At one point I dried washing in our spare room with the window open and the door shut. Not everyone has a spare room though.

I love his idea but its a crap place to put one. Your kitchen will never be tidy.

Oh dear.

It's "I" because the person (who IBU) is the subject of the sentence, innit?

DH is being unreasonable.

I am being unreasonable. Not me am being unreasonable.

But thanks for your time anyway.

this ones got me.

’Who is being unreasonable?’
‘I am being unreasonable’

or - she is the one acting (by being unreasonable) the unreasonable is not acting on her.

or - ‘is DH being unreasonable or am I’

So I think she’s right

But it does sound a bit weird

And thanks for yours, everyone else! Lots to think about here. There really isn't room for a tumble drier, unfortunately. We couldn't even put one in the putative island, because it's a stone flagged floor and we didn't think to have wiring put in and it would be prohibitive to add it now.

The kitchen is a decent size, it's fairly wide so I think it can take an island. There are units all along both long walls so no scope to add anything, but we could really do with more storage and worktop space, esp storage. To be fair, I'm not necessarily a bit fan of islands myself, it's more a needs must situation!

Very good point about the damp/freezingness potential, @Resilience. It's an old cottage and there are damp bits as it is. Currently there are bifold doors into the back garden which I try to keep open as much as I can to air the place out. We already have a dehumidifier under the stairs, but there's no room for a drier as well.

Hmmm. Now I want a tumble drier and a photogenic rustic ceiling rack decorated with pots and pans. Maybe some bunches of dried herbs too, or is that too much?

I would have a free standing clothes horse. When washing not out it can be stored in a cupboard rather than permanently visible.

Yes, the overhead rack is making ugly washing on display a permanent thing. At least a clothes horse can be taken away or put outside in summer.

Could you not swap one of the storage cupboards over and have the tumble drier in the existing run of units?

Alternatively, is there somewhere else in the house, like a utility space? They don't need a drainage pipe, so they can go pretty much anywhere.

Where is your washing machine? Is it on the run of units along the wall? I'd be tempted to remove any wall units over the washing machine and have a hanging maiden directly above, making that a laundry section.

Or how about a hanging contraption above the stairs (assuming you have enough head height).

I have the kind of pulley you describe and it’s brilliant BUT it’s out of sight in the utility, there’s no way I’d have it in the middle of the kitchen-I can’t stand drying washing “on display”

Can the traditional pulley go anywhere else - in the bathroom, or at the top of the stairs?

Can a tumble dryer go anywhere else? Absolutely definitely no room under the stairs? Or any other cupboard? Can the existing standing airer go elsewhere?

I wouldn’t put up a ceiling airer where the kitchen island will go, absolutely not.

(And it should definitely be “Who is being unreasonable, my husband or me?” Not “my husband or I”. Sorry!)

Or get a washer/drier @FetchezLaVache ?

I think the ultimate best solution is to put in a tumble dryer by taking out a cupboard from the existing run when you get the island. You’ll be gaining extra storage then so you wont feel the loss of one cupboard. Pare down ‘stuff’ to suit if need be.

The airer in the unused bath sounds like a really good idea (in fact, I want to nick that idea now!).

You just need a dehumidifier, run it for a few hours when you first put the laundry out. Especially in a small room like a bathroom, it will work a treat.

You don’t need a tumble drier. The earth is being destroyed fast enough as it is.

I have a tiny cottage with the 8 foot ceilings.

And a Sheila Maid over the kitchen table, because the garden isn’t currently suitable for drying and my washer-dryer combined (no room for a tumbler) doesn’t finish a load off.

It’s annoying to have clothes always out and I run a dehumidifier when they are to avoid (more) damp.

I wouldn’t have it above an island, which would be higher than my tiny dining table and therefore entirely out of action with a load up.

Try: above the bath or above the stairs, or in a spare bedroom?

You don’t need a tumble drier. The earth is being destroyed fast enough as it is.

We don’t currently have a tumble drier and use a dehumidifier. I’ve been looking into cost comparisons recently and energy efficiency, and actually heat pump tumble driers are actually more efficient in most cases - you can now get AAA rated ones, and as you need less time in use compared to a dehumidifier it can work out better. Obviously the devil is in the detail of which dehumidifier you have and which heat pump drier you choose, but it’s not a blanket ‘tumble driers are bad’ equation like it used to be.

I think drying your washing above one of the main features of the main room in the entire house is a fucking dreadful idea

It won't matter what beautiful new units or worktop you put in your lovely new kitchen - all you and your guests will see is your DH pants and your knickers drying.

Genuinely putting the drying rack there will ruin the entire look and feel of the kitchen.
You could put a table where the island will be and hang bras, t-shirts, pants, knickers etc from the ceiling to prove your point

Do you have a utility room? Could it go there?
Get a tumble dryer if you can.
I don't think drying clothes over the bath is a bad idea if it's hardly used.

I suspect the reason the airer currently sits where the island would be is the op has no room to put it elsewhere. Hence why she wants to put it over the bath. It says all rooms used.

I’d put it over the bath before I put it over the kitchen island. A leifheit Pegasus is just a fee standing clothes horse. So she just wants to stand a clothes horse in the bath and let laundry dry there.

its not great to be showering and have clothes drying in the bathroom but a much better option than having in the kitchen.

I dry clothes on the bannisters using those over radiator hangers. They dry far better anyway as the warm air rises through the house. (I'm lucky to have 2 sets as I'm in a 3 storey house)

I got rid of my tumble dryer due to cost. I'm pretty surprised how many people have suggested getting one. It's not very environmentally sound either 🤷🏻‍♀️