Clothes drying help please

brighthair

julie_d wrote: »

Well done on getting your heating bill so low, do you live on your own? I have just walked upstairs and adult kids gone out - all bedroom lights left on! my jaw dropped as I snapped them off.
Dry clothes overnight on the airer as every one is in bed no one will see.

I live alone and work 12 hr shifts 3-4 days a week, the rest of the time I am at the stables so never really in.
Things I changed:
One light on, in the room I am in
Going to the loo - I leave the door ajar to use the hallway light
EVERYTHING except the freeview recorder, fish tank and fridge gets switched off unless I am standing there using it
Candles, fleece pjs and a slanket for warmth
I probably save money on hoovering - never being in, I only hoover every other week :rotfl:
Water - I leave water in the bath for heat, when its cold I use it to flush the loo

Aril

Do you have an airing cupboard? My husband put two washing lines up across the inside of the airing cupboard door so that I can put some washing there aswell as on the airer. No TD here either and a north facing garden so can't dry washing outside now we're in the autumn.
Aril

brighthair

Aril wrote: »

Do you have an airing cupboard? My husband put two washing lines up across the inside of the airing cupboard door so that I can put some washing there aswell as on the airer. No TD here either and a north facing garden so can't dry washing outside now we're in the autumn.
Aril

nope, new build flat - no room for TD, and washing lines/airers outside are banned :mad:
I like the house at about 16-17c which is fine for me but clothes are taking 2 days to dry. I put the heat up to 18.5c and everything is dry now but it's taken so long, theres another load to do :rolleyes:

angchris

pop your airer infront of the oven after you have used it (it stays warm for quite a while), if you leave the door ajar the clothes should get a bit of extra help for an hour or so.

skintbint_2

if i have the heating on i cover the airer with a dry sheet and cover the airer/radiator to trap the air in to dry it quicker, would imagine would work well with the one from lakeland. Also bought horizontal airer rather than vertical as can get 3 loads on and they dont overlap as i use pegs so washing dries quicker and cant stand wet washing around the house

anguk

What about using an old-fashioned spin dryer after you've washed your clothes? They spin so much faster than a washing machine so the clothes take much less time to dry.

Something like this, or maybe try freecycle/freegle, I've seen them in second hand shops too and there's normally quite a few listed on Ebay.
http://www.comet.co.uk/shopcomet/product/699273/CREDA-S202PW

Olliebeak

Putting the airers in front of windows on a sunny day is good as well.

Sorry if this seems like a cheeky/stupid question - do you make sure that you only wash clothes when they really need doing? I think jeans are among the worst culprits for taking ages to dry in the winter months, well those AND bath towels/sheets. I don't wear jeans myself, but OH does, and he doesn't like them washed every time they're worn - I think I probably only wash one pair a week (he has about four pairs altogether) and dry them inside out as it makes sure that the pockets dry properly.

I always wash on the 'quick programme' and then give everything another go on the fastest spin prog to get out as much water as possible.

Radiator rails are a good idea but make sure that you don't cover the tops of the radiators with clothes, as that would interfere with the flow of heat/air around the rad.

Shirts, blouses etc can go on coathangers and hung from curtain rails, door hooks etc. My king-size duvet covers fit over my landing bannister and fitted sheets get draped over the edges of doors. I've even got a 2-seater sofa cover over the edge of my kitchen door at the moment - really should take it down as it's bone dry and been there for about four days lol.

To make sure that you don't get bogged down with drying, make sure that you wash regularly when you've got a 'full load's worth of stuff' - so much easier to dry one load than two .

Good Luck with it .

Picklepie_2

I have a Minky Tower Indoor Airer and its just fantastic, takes up hardly any space and stand it by a radiator and things are dry in no time. Takes up to 4 loads. Yes Olliebeak I agree, the jeans and towels I put actually on the radiator and this works well for me.

Seakay

This looks like the Lakeland one to me, but seems to be a lot cheaper
http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/80119043

I leave clothes on an airer in a spare room with the window wide open (as long as the rain isn't coming in!) and the door shut to minimise the chilling effect on the rest of the house. Sun definitely helps, but that's not always an option in winter!

I tend to avoid damp clothes on radiators wherever possible because I don't have the heating on much (or at all, at the moment) but more importantly because I have quite a few problems with damp in the house, and as the walls don't have cavities condensation builds up in seconds.

Triggles

The difference between that ikea one and the lakeland one is that the lakeland one actually heats up an dries the clothing - their description says it uses 3p an hour. I'll admit we ordered one last year and it backordered, and we decided to cancel the order and see how we did without it. We've gotten along without it so far, but the temptation is still there with a new baby and lots more washing!