What's cheaper running a tumble dryer or using radiators to dry clothes?

A few months ago our tumble dryer packed up, during the summer it was fine as we could just dry clothes on the washing line, now that it's winter we can't really do that.

At present I'm not sure whether to buy another cheap second-hand tumbled dryer or to continue to use the radiators in the house to dry clothes. Does anyone have a rough idea which is the cheaper option?

Cheers
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Comments

  • jalexa
    jalexa Posts: 3,448 Forumite
    Does anyone have a rough idea which is the cheaper option?

    I'm not even going to answer your direct question because one method results in water vapour inside the house and one doesn't.

    Even in winter, as long as there is a breeze, clothes will get drier on a line.
  • grizzly1911
    grizzly1911 Posts: 9,965 Forumite
    I am sure there are many smarter than me that can do the maths bit.

    Practically putting wet clothes on the radiator will cost in fuel but will also cause problems from a condensation point of view. this will also add to the feeling of cold/dampness. It can also lead to paint damage & corrosion of the radiator.

    Luckily we use a clothes horse in the airing cupboard which holds one load. We also use another one in the spare bedroom if needed. This adds to condensation but nowhere near the same amount per given period and is therefore less noticeable.

    We do have a half size TD but it gets used probably 10 times a year for panic items, undies or for towels if the weather is really bad and we are running out of space.
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  • jalexa wrote: »
    I'm not even going to answer your direct question because one method results in water vapour inside the house and one doesn't.

    Even in winter, as long as there is a breeze, clothes will get drier on a line.

    The only problem with drying the clothes outside is that I can't always rush to bring them in if it starts to rain.

    I'm aware that covering radiators with clothes restricts the efficiency of the radiators, but if it's cheaper than running a tumble dryer I will continue to do it.
  • chris1973
    chris1973 Posts: 965
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    edited 15 November 2011 at 8:15PM
    The previous tenants in my flat used to dry washing on the radiators, it contributed to a massive mould problem which, when they moved out, cost them their deposit, so in their case, it cost them £495 - which will cover quite a bit of electricity.

    Mould doesn't make discrimination between rented and owned properties, so even if you dont rent from a LL and own your own home, the remedial work in time will probably end up quite expensive.

    If you get a decent rate on your Electricity, a 2.2KW (2000 watt heater + 200W Motor) tumble dryer will cost around 26p per hour to run, probably slightly less as the element will cycle on/off once the air in the drum is at the right temperature.
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  • candygirl
    candygirl Posts: 29,455
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    My clothes never dry outside in Winter:(:(
    "You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf"

    (Kabat-Zinn 2004):D:D:D
  • Radiators are to heat the house, not to dry clothes on; sooner or later it will cause mildew on fabric and paper and usually in places that are not quite visible like behind a painting for a sideboard.
  • The only thing I would say is that we live in a barn conversion and the biggest radiator in the house is next to a bare brick wall so there's no worry about it damaging the paintwork. Clothes seem to dry in around an hour and they are never wringing wet when we put the clothes on the radiator, when the tumble dryer was working we would generally use it every day so it probably cost us quite a lot in electricity.

  • [snip]
    Luckily we use a clothes horse in the airing cupboard which holds one load. We also use another one in the spare bedroom if needed. This adds to condensation but nowhere near the same amount per given period and is therefore less noticeable.
    [/snip]

    We use a clothes horse exclusively nowadays. I would say it makes a lot more sense than putting wet/moist clothes directly onto the radiator. Using the clothes horse there is nowhere near the condensation problems and of course you're letting the radiators to do the job their supposed to do - warming up the room.

    We load up a full clothes horse in the evening and by the following morning things are pretty much completely dried. Items like denim or heavy materials might take a bit longer, but it hardly makes the difference. Certainly if we can time it so that things are on the horse overnight, we never feel as if we are 'waiting' for things to dry.

    In terms of positioning, we put the clothes horse a bit of a way in front of one of the lesser used radiators in our kitchen. So, any time the radiator is on, you're getting that warmth all around and through the clothes horse.

    (It helps just turning the clothes around on the horse too after a few hours - just so that the downward facing sides of the clothes get flipped over).

    We did used to have a tumble dryer in the house, but it got consigned to the garage, making way for a second fridge. We've not used the dryer since and to be honest we've not missed it a moment.

    My advice is to get a clothes horse, or a couple if you need to. I think you'd be surprised how little you would miss a dryer if you manage to time things right and get your washing on the horse overnight.
  • lilac_lady
    lilac_lady Posts: 4,469 Forumite
    I use the airers that clip onto the radiators but don't put the clothes directly on to them.

    I tumble dry all the smaller, lighter items when there's a backlog of damp washing.
    " The greatest wealth is to live content with little."

    Plato


  • Bella56
    Bella56 Posts: 215 Forumite
    I have a tumble drier but now dry laundry on racks in the bathroom overnight, with our new dehumidifier on. It takes a bit over 8 hours and we've used an electricity monitor to see how much it costs (13.4 pence, versus 62p for 2 hours in tumble drier).

    But then again I hate mould so am not a fan of drying indoors normally. Our bathroom is small and we keep the door closed so the humid air doesn't escape.
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