Tumble drier v Washing Line

jlj_2

Since my tumble drier caught fire about 10 years ago, i've always used one of those airers that you pull up to the ceiling. Things dry really quickly on it, most things dry overnight (and I don't have the central heating on overnight either!). If you already have a tumble drier, could you try using one of these airers and then just use the tumble drier occasionally for if you need something dry quickly?

beanieandme

MatthewN wrote:

Dryer or radiators are the cheaper option for us. If we used a washing line then we would need to buy a new set of clothes as they would probably get nicked in our area

lol, good point.

beanieandme

Fidget wrote:

We don't, we have no hallway and only approx 7ft x 3ft landing - I know it is a pain but it does save money.

We would have to move the airer everytime we wanted to get into either of the bedrooms or bathroom. lol, you can do little more than turn on our landing. Being preggy also, I can't squeeze by, hehe. Don't want to risk falling down the stairs either.

A lot of people say don't have wet clothes hanging about with a baby around. What to do, as there wouldn't be enough space on rads anyway.

Fidget

To be honest if I was pregnant and/or had more than one little one (i have one four year old) I don't know whether I would be bothered to hang stuff either. It is a lot more work and sometimes I feel like all I'm doing is washing/moving washing about, folding and hanging out to dry . God know that you get barely enough time to blink when you have babies or toddlers as it is.

It wouldn't be such a problem if the energy cost hadn't risen so much. I have my own thoughts on the green issue but I don't think they would be very popular and wouldn't want to start any great debate about that now !:lipsrseal

going2die_rich

mamashaz wrote:

I have a dilemma about tumble driers or washing lines - which option is the greener?

My family has as few clothes as possible and therefore needs to dry them using a tumble drier. This is because my son and daughter are still at the age where they need clean school clothes every day and I just can't wash and iron them every evening. A tumble dryer cuts down on the cost of clothes (most are bought from eBay anyway) and the hassle/cost of ironing.

But I still feel guilty about using all that electricity. So should I stick to my current option or buy more clothes and dry on the line/airer inside and iron them?

Thoughts please ...

Why worry about the environment when the truth of the matter is you can't really make a difference.

Even if everyone in the UK stopped using any sort of energy that creates pollution, it's affects will only delay the entire plants emissions by a year at most. Hardly worth worrying about it when the biggest polluters China and USA aren't going to stop, if anything they are likely to increase so don't waste your time worrying about something that won't change.

Just got for the most convenient option for yourself.

beanieandme

Fidget wrote:

To be honest if I was pregnant and/or had more than one little one (i have one four year old) I don't know whether I would be bothered to hang stuff either. It is a lot more work and sometimes I feel like all I'm doing is washing/moving washing about and hanging out to dry. God know that you get barely enough time to blink when you have babies or toddlers.

It wouldn't be such a problem if the energy cost hadn't risen so much. I have my own thoughts on the green issue but I don't think they would be very popular and wouldn't want to start any great debate about that now :lipsrseal

We have no heating, our boiler's packed up, recently havng moved in. I've got the clothes airer in the lounge where I spend most of my day. I use a fan heater to keep warm when I need to, depends how cold it gets. I have been really good not having it running when it doesn't need to be. I'm wrapped up warm and am ok at the mo. It's the only way I can get things dried properly by having the clothes in the lounge, making the most of the heat while it's on.

If someone could give me an idea of how much it costs to run a tumble drier, say per once, peak time vs off peak, at least then I would know if we could budget for it.

I also like to think of myself as green. I have AA energy efficient appliances, insulation in the loft, and walls. I do try to do my best to conserve enery, and would like to be able to afford double glazing one day. lol. Plus point though, at least I got my house a bit cheaper, and can choose what windows I have in the future. An A grade high effieciency boiler's the first thing for me to consider before a tumble drier. It's not always about being green, other circumstances can come into it, yeah.

gromituk

going2die_rich wrote:

Why worry about the environment when the truth of the matter is you can't really make a difference.

Because you can make a difference. As well as the immediate benefits, doing something will persuade the politicans there there are votes in being green, and measures will start to be brought in that encourage countries like China and the US to toe the line or they will find themselves isolated.

You're beginning to sound like a broken record, going2die_rich...

gromituk

I hope everyone is washing at 30 degrees, especially if washing every day.

beanieandme

gromituk wrote:

Because you can make a difference. As well as the immediate benefits, doing something will persuade the politicans there there are votes in being green, and measures will start to be brought in that encourage countries like China and the US to toe the line or they will find themselves isolated.

You're beginning to sound like a broken record, going2die_rich...

Yeah, we must try our best to look after the planet... if not for us, then for our kids, and we should try to be good role models and show them our green ways.

beanieandme

gromituk wrote:

I hope everyone is washing at 30 degrees, especially if washing every day.

I wash at 40 deg C every other day. I find even with the 30 deg C powder at 30 deg C it's hard to get things cleaned properly. Anyway, I don't wish to talk about my knickers. lol.