Missy's spend £10 a week on groceries get the house sorted & hit this debt hard diary

greenbee

Hi missy - I'm reading diaries as displacement activity (should be putting away clean laundry/swapping winter & summer clothes/moving furniture ready for builders/prepping for work next week etc), and was thinking about your laundry problem.

Your DH may have strong opinions from an eco perspective, but he should also consider the impact of drying washing indoors on the fabric of the house, and the realities of having to do laundry for a family, particularly if you're fitting this round work as well. I've always taken the most eco-friendly option I can, but it's not helpful to end up with damp and mould in the house or having to rewash stuff that smells fusty.

I have a TD (16 years old and counting) and a heated airer - I rarely use the TD (just towels, and sheets if absolutely necessary) but at this time of year use the heated airer a lot, particularly as running means things need washing immediately to avoid the house smelling! It uses very little electricity and dries things very efficiently - you can fit a HUGE amount of stuff on it and it does sheets/duvet covers very well. It also avoids the house getting damp. And you could put it in the sun room which is too cold to use in the winter... or if you have a nearby plug, in the bathroom so it keeps that warm. It is a good idea to open the window a crack too, as that helps avoid damp.

In the meantime, try putting your airers up in the sunroom - if you're not using it, then you don't have to take them down, and if it has big windows (as the name implies) you might be surprised how well things dry in there, particularly if you have space to spread the airers out and get some good airflow (with the window open a crack - you may want to put a draught excluder on the other side of the door to keep the draught out of the house!).

If you have a heated towel rail in the bathroom, make the most of this, shut the bathroom door and open the window a crack.

An extra spin for towels can also make a massive difference to how quickly they dry.

Hiddenidenity

Sound's like you have a plan

Have a lovely time at your dad's having dinner x

missymoo81

Greenbee, thank you!!! I really appreciate the advice! I will definitely spin my towels another time, didn't think of that! And I assumed if I put the washing into a cold room, ie, the sunroom, it just wouldn't dry? But I guess for things like towels and children's normal clothes that they only use at weekends it wouldn't matter if it took longer and you're right the sun should come into the room if I open the blinds and the crack the vents. I've seen an airer for £13 a good big one... So may invest. Thanks for that. And you're the second lovely person to say about heated airers.... Do think OH would have a fit, he's not a fan of hair straighteners or hair dryers or irons or the kettle, they are lol pet whinges as anything with a heating element shows on his app as using s lot of energy. I just need to be more organised. I know come a month or so's time when the wood burner is on it won't be such a problem, it's just this interim when it's cold and wet outside but the heating isn't on indoors. We do have a heated towel rail in the bathroom, but it runs with the heating! I guess I shouldn't moan at OH's frugalness, our gas and electric is only £40 a Month on a big 4 bedroom house. We don't turn the heating on at all downstairs in winter we just light the woodburners.

I'll get there organisation and maybe a second airer is the key! Thanks again everyone for your lovely advice on this x

greenbee

Of course a kettle uses a lot of electricity ... but for a short time! You don't have it on continuously (unlike boiling water taps...). It's all about balance. I have electric underfloor heating in the bathrooms, and am going to put it in the kitchen and office when those are done. But it's the kind that's designed to be a secondary heating source not a primary one - it takes the chill off the floor rather than trying to heat the room. It uses hardly any electricity and is really handy at this time of year when you don't want the heating on, but the floors can be a bit cold. I've also had the bathroom towel rails put on the hot water circuit as well as the heating one, so at the moment they still dry the towels even though the heating isn't kicking in (I have a Nest thermostat, and since putting that in, zoning the heating & balancing the radiators, using the UFH my oil bills have dropped dramatically - and the electricity bill still isn't high as I'm not using the TD much).

Most importantly you need to avoid the house getting damp - not heating can cause problems, but drying washing can make it even worse.

Try the sunroom with the existing airer and see how it goes before investing in another airer, but it may well work. And at least the laundry is out of your way and not making your living space damp.

missymoo81

Hiddenidenity wrote: »

Sound's like you have a plan

Have a lovely time at your dad's having dinner x

Thanks hidden, although I'm just assuming I'm going for dinner, I invited myself round and they set the time of 4.30.... Which to me is around dinner time for small peeps, so we shall see, if not it will be a quick pizza for dinner!!!!

Ok so shopping should come to
Bananas £2.60 - going to stop at Tesco on my way to meet friend tomorrow in the hope these are reduced!
Pasta 30p
Milk £2.48 X 10 pints
Tom ketchup 42p
Rich tea 30p
= £6.10

Need to check I don't need any chopped tomatoes...

missymoo81

greenbee wrote: »

Of course a kettle uses a lot of electricity ... but for a short time! You don't have it on continuously (unlike boiling water taps...). It's all about balance. I have electric underfloor heating in the bathrooms, and am going to put it in the kitchen and office when those are done. But it's the kind that's designed to be a secondary heating source not a primary one - it takes the chill off the floor rather than trying to heat the room. It uses hardly any electricity and is really handy at this time of year when you don't want the heating on, but the floors can be a bit cold. I've also had the bathroom towel rails put on the hot water circuit as well as the heating one, so at the moment they still dry the towels even though the heating isn't kicking in (I have a Nest thermostat, and since putting that in, zoning the heating & balancing the radiators, using the UFH my oil bills have dropped dramatically - and the electricity bill still isn't high as I'm not using the TD much).

Most importantly you need to avoid the house getting damp - not heating can cause problems, but drying washing can make it even worse.

Try the sunroom with the existing airer and see how it goes before investing in another airer, but it may well work. And at least the laundry is out of your way and not making your living space damp.

Thanks lovely. No I totally get it, especially the kettle thing, it's hard as he only has 1-2 cups of coffee a day and only if I'm having one, and I have about 8!!!! I have been known to fill the kettle and put the rest of the water into a flask for my next cup. OH knows he's super tight lol. It's just his way. But it's a very valid point about the damp. I will check on whether it is making rooms damp. It's a newish very open plan house, with vents in the Windows which we open in bathrooms etc, so I think we're OK. We have under floor heating downstairs as primary heating but it takes a long time to get warm like you say, and under carpet, which we have in the lounge, it really doesn't work that well, and we like the whole Hygge lifestyle so love having the woodburners on and we are able to boil the kettle when the woodburner is on and cook on there as its a stove too.
Thanks again Greenbee, will move the airer into the sunroom today and see how we get on! Really appreciate you taking the time to offer advice.

missymoo81

Ok may still be sitting on my big behind not doing anything, need to atleast hang up sheets, put another load on and unload DW, right I'm moving......

greenbee

Warming yourself up with a cup of tea is cheaper than putting the heating on

My brother has electric UFH as a primary heat source in part of the house and was horrified by the cost. They have a real issue as their central heating doesn't go into that part of the house - but I think they may find it is cheaper to add a couple of radiators than keeping using the electric mat.

I'm hoping to replace my open fire with a multifuel stove this year while the builders are making a mess.

Hope the hanging up the sheets and unloading the DW has warmed you up I've just done my DW and need to tidy up so I can work out what stuff I can pack up next...

missymoo81

I have just sat back down again. Finished unloading the DW and reloaded it. And hung the washing up and put another wash load on. Have taken rolls out of the freezer for lunch and have sorted through the bag of apples I was gifted. Am cross with myself as 1/3rd of the bag was bad but it was just E cause if left them there for ages and not sorted through then. So have a bucketful of apples to stew and freeze, my freezer is rammed at the moment so need to find room!!! Did find 1kg Bag of potatoes in the garage though. Greenbee I have indeed warmed up lol off came My fleecy pyjamas and am now in shorts and a vest top!

Going to make tuna rolls shortly. Then sort dry washing, (my absolute pet hate) actually that's not true, I dont mind sorting it's the putting away I loathe!

missymoo81

Ok have just hung second load up and have a tiny white load on. Most sheets etc are hanging on doors etc so do actually have room for the third load. Don't feel like I've stopped much since 11. Made lunch and took all clothes off clothes horse, sat with small ones for ten minutes. Loaded dishwasher again. Sorted clothes, am yet to put away. Need to go out at 3.15. Need to load car, bath small ones, hang up whites, iron and remake all beds!!!! Oh and wash my hair and get ready. Gosh I'm tired! Right going to drink coffee and then get on it.