Clothes Drying

mrsscattercushion

I use an electric dehumidifier, a Meaco 10L small home one, cost about £110 in the sale a year or 2 ago. Running costs quoted as 3.88p per hour based on 15.2p per kwh. Works great on the washing and use it periodically downstairs, to keep on top of any condensation.

Helen2k8

I bite the bullet and use the tumble drier - at least for anything bigger than socks. That way I can decide if/when to put on central heating, and the house stays dry. The alternatives involve days of wet cold laundry strung up all over a wet cold house, or a warm humid house with a horrendous heating bill.

Edit to add:
If it's a bright windy day I'll hang things outside to "lighten" them, even if they need a blast in the drier to finish off.

Mr_Singleton

Anoneemoose wrote: »

Hi.

Does anyone have any recommendations for drying clothes other than radiators? I have a tumble dryer but don’t like using it for clothes, mainly towels etc.

You don’t say WHY you don’t like using a tumble dryer to dry clothes as it seems odd not to use it. The only thing I can think of is that your TD is old, inefficient and thus expensive to run.

Would it not be better to buy a modern heat pump tumble dryer? I bought 1 yesterday and independent tests have shown that based on 150 loads a year running cost would be £21. Compare that to the faff of a dehumidifier and it seems like a no brainer.

happy35

I use my tumble dryer for sheets and towels but use 2 airers and a dehumidifier to dry everything else. My dehumidifier is a Meaco DD8L, had it for years and still going strong, I think clothes shrink in the tumble dryer.

pigpen

I have the heated airer from Lakeland.. it is much much better if you get the cover too.. or just use a duvet cover to hang over it.. I also don't drape clothes over each rail I hang stuff on every other rail then fold heavier items and place them flat on the shelves.. then cover it over.. a washload of towels, jeans and combats dried in less than 24 hours.

I also have a standard airer which I stand against a radiator, it dried much quicker than just freestanding in the middle of the room

Valli

When I moved in here the house had mould, previous owners used a de-humidifier but had no TD. Mind you where she lives now she doesn’t open the curtains let alone the windows.

If I cannot line dry I use the TD.

Anoneemoose

Mr_Singleton wrote: »

You don’t say WHY you don’t like using a tumble dryer to dry clothes as it seems odd not to use it. The only thing I can think of is that your TD is old, inefficient and thus expensive to run.

Would it not be better to buy a modern heat pump tumble dryer? I bought 1 yesterday and independent tests have shown that based on 150 loads a year running cost would be £21. Compare that to the faff of a dehumidifier and it seems like a no brainer.

Thank you. No, ours is relatively new and works fine. I don’t like to use it for clothes that we would wear out because I find it shrinks everything, even on a low heat. I also feel like things get misshapen.

I do dry underwear and towels and bedding and maybe old pjs and things.

But, because of being ill, I sometimes can’t do any laundry and it backs up. And we have a large washer so often there’s big loads to dry. Although I do try and reduce them. If I am really ill, I sometimes pay someone to do the laundry, but that’s generally in the summer and it’s a lot cheaper! In the winter it costs more because of needing to use heat.

beautiful_ravens

ouraggie wrote: »

..... hang tops and t-shirts on hangers and arrange the rest so there is plenty of airflow around it. Sometimes I peg things on the airer bars instead, using them like short clothes lines IYSWIM (My OH's mum always moans that her washing takes 3 days to dry , but I notice she does things like hang a big towel on the inside of her airer and just over one bar of the airer, so it is effectively double thickness and also surrounded by other stuff. I would put the thinner stuff on the inside, hang everything over two bars and hang tops on hangers.)
I put knickers, socks, flannels etc on one of those things with pegs hanging from it. Sheets, big towels and duvet covers go over the upstairs banister.
We also use the summer house sometimes as a drying room.
.

You must be me :rotfl:
I would say the same. Thin or quick drying fabric in the middle of the airer. Thick fabric over two bars on the outside. Smalls on a peg airer. Keep an eye on whats dry and rotate when necessary.

Also I would add - jeans should hang right way up because the law of gravity means that moisture will 'fall' down, away from the thickest fabric. If the jeans are upside down, the thick parts will stay wetter longer.

Wind dries better than sun because of friction created by the movement.

carriebradshaw

I wish I could get hold of a flatley drier like the one my sister had when her first baby was born, there was no central heating in their flat and only a tiny balcony to try and dry washing on. This was a great solution as it warmed the baby's room and dried the washing at the same time.

Siebrie

If you have a stairwell with banisters, I suggest a dryer rack over the stairs. Even in our humid house the laundry dries quickly, especially if I turn on the hallway radiator and open some upstairs windows to create a draught. I hang the laundry in such a way that it creates a funnel (sheets around the outside, smallest items closest to the banisters) and every time we walk down the stairs we give the laundry a shake to refresh the air inbetween the items. Anything to prevent stale, static air.