How much does tumble drying cost? - and other ways to dry laundry

lilys-dad

we have a hoover condenser dryer. it has a sensor in it to detect if the clothes are dry (you can set it to silk dry, air dry, cupbord dry, bone dry) we can fit in 2 loads af washing and takes about 2 hours to dry the lot. when its finished and you dont switch it off, say at night, every 30mins or so it will do 2 revolutions to stop the cloths getting all creased.
its a b rated its the most efficant one i could find

the tec data says 4.4 kwh on top cycle dont know how much that is

heres a link http://www.hoover.co.uk/products/18/laundry/20/tumble-dryers/878/vision-hd/ to the specs


use it mainly in the winter.

we useually have about 4-6 loads per week

BiscuitBoy

I heard about this on Chris Evans’radio show a couple of years ago. It's called the Rotaire Dryline - it fits over your rotary line and your clothes still dry even when it's raining! You can leave the washing out and forget about it. Can install it in 5 minutes. Just don’t leave it up in gales! No complaints whatsoever. You can buy it online - just search for it.

AdmiralX

thegiraffe wrote: »

Everyone says tumble drying is 'very expensive' but I can't find actual costs for drying a load (I know this is going to vary depending on what tarrif you're on/what energy rating it is, but I'm having trouble finding even an average cost in actual money... )

Any advice appreciated, as I'm fed up with my home looking like Widow Twankeys and considering getting one.

Also, what about heated airers, etc? Does anyone have one and find them useful?

Many thanks

thegiraffe

Depends where you live. Some places are damper than others.
Here in London, I have stopped completely tumble drying since two years ago, we hang all, from duvet covers to towels and clothes in the bathroom, and they dry in the plain air! It takes a few hours for heavier things. Some socks dry on radiators.

sk240

I have a basic full sizes white night vented tumble dryer, its set on the lowest heat setting and uses 1200w, it takes about 90 mins to dry everything (including towels and jeans etc)
My electricity averages 15p per kw, 1.8kw is consumed in that time so costs me 27p per load

Hintza

BiscuitBoy wrote: »

I heard about this on Chris Evans’radio show a couple of years ago. It's called the Rotaire Dryline - it fits over your rotary line and your clothes still dry even when it's raining! You can leave the washing out and forget about it. Can install it in 5 minutes. Just don’t leave it up in gales! No complaints whatsoever. You can buy it online - just search for it.

We go through an average of one rotary drier a year. Have had cheap one and expensive ones. The wind just trashes them where we are .

Just put a pulley in the new house and combined with our underfloor heating the clothes are drying within about 12 hours. Will be interested to see if the rotary one will get used now.

BiscuitBoy

Rotary clotheslines aren't as bad as you make out. Yes, you may have to take them down if it's extremely windy - as you would anything elsr in your garden that you don't want damaged. Our washing line stays up even in high winds, but we have to take the Rotaire Dryline cover off, or it would take off like a kite. The Dryline cover still works in the wind and rain, though.

billy.whizz_2

I've had 1 of these for about a month. I found it on internet – I was looking for a way of drying clothes under cover. We have a big problem with seagulls here in Devon nand it’s quite wet, but I wanted to stop using tumble drier. 2 families use it – reckon it saves 50p per load, so around £3.50 per week. Think will pay for itself in 1 year. Found it quite easy to install. I'm already recommending it to my friends. Has been very wet and windy but washing will still dry even when it’s windy and raining together – really surprised!:T

ratcliffe22

Those Lakeland ones look very VERY similar to the ones in Ikea for about 30-35 quid, and the Ikea ones are very well made, so you can get one for less than half the cost of the Lakeland ones should you happen to have an Ikea near to you.

Personally I use an overhead Lazy Susan, as pictured earlier in the thread. I have had this for about a year since a friend made it for me, and it has been incredibly useful. If you can mount it over a radiator, then in the winter you can dry your clothes incredibly quickly using the excess heat generated by your heating system.

themull1

I love my condenser dryer, i can get loads in, i hate seeing washing lying over all the radiators in someones house, or in the kitchen, it would end up stinking if you wanted to do any cooking!