Drying Clothes, Uni Flat

ultimatedingbat

Greetings I live in a flat on the third floor of a building and I am struggling to do laundry. Basically the washing is quite expensive to do overall as it costs £2-£3 to a do a load of washing plus another £2-£4 to do the drying. Now I've been handwashing throughout uni and never had a problem, but this year I am struggling to get things dry! No radiators in the flat, just a towel rail and some under floor heating. I've got an airer and a hanger. Any tips?

blossomhill_2

Can I suggest you look at what you are washing? So often people wash things that just really need a freshen up (eg remembering from my misspent youth, :j clothes that I'd tried on then dumped on the floor before a night out, woudl then dump into hamper instead of hanging up again) - if you can refresh these clothes your washing bill should go down and save your cash for dryers

To freshen up clothes that aren't dirty, soak a J-cloth in diluted fabric conditioner and put it into the tumble dryer with the dry clothes for a few minutes. If you iron, iron with a scented ironing liquid

This should save money on washing powder too

You could also save a few 20ps by bringing the washing home almost dry to finish off on your airer

Can I offer another tip - instead of large bath towels, try using a flannel to dry yourself after a shower or bath (rower's tip here ) - as soon as the flannel is wet, wring it out well and carry on drying your bod, repeat until you are dry, rinse flannel out and dry it off for next time - it saves having big damp towels around the place over winter and they are a nightmare to get dry - I think we are too conditioned to the image of cuddling up in bath sheets and this method really dries you quickly and efficiently, and I find it warmer, I just use a hand towel for the back

Another washing tip is to put wet washing into a handtowel, swing it round your head outdoors - centrifugal force forces most of the water out like a spin dryer :money:

HTH

pandora205

I've just bought my daughter (who has moved into a rental property) a heated airer from Lakeland. They're not cheap but it seemed to be a good solution as she has no where to dry stuff.
http://www.lakeland.co.uk/23357/Dry-Soon-Winged-Heated-Airer;jsessionid=977638384E4026572A099E634767E60F.app1

Argos do a cheaper one.

Don't know how well it works yet but their more expensive one has rave reviews.

kerrirobberts

blossomhill wrote: »

Another washing tip is to put wet washing into a handtowel, swing it round your head outdoors - centrifugal force forces most of the water out like a spin dryer :money:

HTH

I'd love to see my neighbours in London doing this hehehe, but nice tip thanks

givememoney

I am in a more fortunate position than you, but although I have my own tumble drier I rarely use it.

I take washing out of machine then hang the smalls over an airer then stuff that can go on hangers I hang on a couple of those `over the top of the door` plastic holders (see illistration) that way some things dry flat and don't need ironing.



Large thinks like duvet covers I throw over the top of open doors and they dry quite well that way.

siaoeh

if you can leave a window slightly open/ajar through the night (or even daytime) and feel safe to do so, put your airer next to it, or hang clothes on hangers and onto the curtain pole (test for strength first) and leave it overnight, it should dry easy enough :-) We live in a house and when I can't hang the laundry outside (it rains a lot where we are LOL), I do that and the clothes usually dry overnight, if not 2 nights tops, even towels and bedding. I hang my airer up on some strong hooks on the wall by a window in the guestbedroom, and leave the top window open/ajar. I also hang shirts and tops on hangers and hang them off the curtain pole by said window.

RAS

ultimatedingbat wrote: »

Greetings I live in a flat on the third floor of a building and I am struggling to do laundry. Basically the washing is quite expensive to do overall as it costs £2-£3 to a do a load of washing plus another £2-£4 to do the drying. Now I've been handwashing throughout uni and never had a problem, but this year I am struggling to get things dry! No radiators in the flat, just a towel rail and some under floor heating. I've got an airer and a hanger. Any tips?

EDIT: Whoopsie have posted this in the wrogn forum can someone move it for me

Hi

Can you access a spinner at all? that makes a major difference to how easy it is to dry stuff. If I go to the launderette, it is worth the 50p spinner to save about £1 on drying.

And you can part dry stuff, so that you do not have stuff dripping all over the place.

KateLiana27

I've always just used my folding plastic airer (cost about £7 from a local homeware shop, Argos do a similar one). Don't overload it and most things dry in 24hrs. Hang bulky things over the banister, backs of dining chairs, etc.

ultimatedingbat

In terms of what im washing, its clothes that have to be washed as im in school all day in them. My going out clothes mostly get febreezed and hung up. I've got a plastic airer but it jjust takes AGES to dry

Butterfly_Brain

I know that you are a student and money is tight, but have you thought off buying a jml dri buddy?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Seen-JML-Buddi-1200W-Version/dp/B003G5FJIO/ref=sr_1_1?s=appliances&ie=UTF8&qid=1321001305&sr=1-1

HarryL

How did laundry get so expensive! It would cost me 40p to do a wash at uni and 40p to do the dry. of course I never had the change SO i usually broke a fiver in shop next door before i could do laundry.