drying laundry

Silvertabby

babydragon_64 wrote: »

Hi, I really need some advice.

After living in a damp, rented flats for the last 18 years I have finally managed to buy my own place. My rented flat had a cold damp back yard, no direct sun so it was impossible to dry laundry outside. It did have gas central heating though so I could open the windows and have the heating on low and the washing would dry in a few hours.

One of the pleasures of the last few months has been drying my washing outside on the line on a gorgeous summer's day (south facing garden). Summer doesn’t last forever though and the last few weeks have been pretty rubbish weather with a lot of rain. I work full time so I cannot put laundry out before I go to work as it has rained most days. So I am having massive problems drying laundry at the moment which is only going to get worse as autumn and winter approach. My laundry currently ends up smelling a bit funny sitting on a clothes airer for a couple of days. It's quite a big clothes airer so I don't have a lot of options where I locate it in the house.

I live in a small townhouse, with main rooms facing south so they are pretty warm and have been since I moved in. There is an integrated garage, quite small, quite cool. When I moved in in April it was cold in the garage. There's no gas central heating (no gas in the property, or on the estate) and only a couple of electric storage heaters which are currently turned off as I haven’t needed them so much. I am hoping to take these out and replace with thermostatically controlled economical electric radiators but this will take time.

The kitchen is small and there's no room to add a vented tumble dryer. The garage is a possibility but it is cool and sloping and the only place an electric socket could go is against an internal wall so there is no ventilation. A condenser dryer or heat pump dryer would fit in here but I have read they don't thrive too well in a cold environment.

There seems to be mixed reviews about heated clothes airers, don’t dry clothes very well, can cause condensation, etc. So I am really at a loss about what to do. Any advice or thoughts anyone has would be much appreciated.

Debs

'They' say that fridge freezers shouldn't be placed in garages either, but ours - in the inner corner of an integral garage - is still going strong after 25 years.

Our condenser tumble dryer also lived in the garage, without any problems, until we had the kitchen/utility re-fitted. Our next door neighbour still has her condenser drier in her integral garage.

I think you'll find that the warning about garages refers to single walled separate garages, which do get very cold and damp in winter.

EmmyLou30

We've got a condensing dryer in the garage with no issues. I only use it for towels and sheets though as everything else shrinks even on the cool setting - I'm not sure if everyone just buys their clothes one size too big to allow for this or what but I can't see how everyone is using a dryer for all their clothes!?
So long as I have the bulky slow to dry things done in it though I'm happy. The rest goes on a clothes airer either sat in the kitchen or utility and never had any issue with condensation or mould despite not opening the windows.

Bobby_Wader

We have had a condenser tumble dryer in our detached garage for a few years which has no heating/insulation and we have had no problems at all. We have lovely dry clothes which smell lovely. Also, being in the garage keeps it out of the way. Just got to remember to empty the water tank :-)

Slinky

Bobby_Wader wrote: »

We have had a condenser tumble dryer in our detached garage for a few years which has no heating/insulation and we have had no problems at all. We have lovely dry clothes which smell lovely. Also, being in the garage keeps it out of the way. Just got to remember to empty the water tank :-)

Our condensing tumble drier is in the utility area which fortunately is right next to the downstairs loo. When the tank is full I use it for a 'free flush' of the toilet.

Bobby_Wader

I use mine for watering my pots :-)

Snuggles

I haven't used a tumble dryer for around 15 years. As another poster mentioned, I always found they shrank clothes.

Don't have space for one now but wouldn't have one even if I did. We use an airer and a dehumidifier, works really well.

klew356

My mum and dad have a washing line in there garage and you would be amazed at how quickly clothes dry? She also does an extra spin which makes all the difference. I have a condenser dryer and it is great, I have it in my spare room but it would work just as well in their garage? Really simple to use. Id go for a separate tumbler to a washer as you are tied to that machine to get everything done where with separate machines I can have the next load washing while the first in drying

getmore4less

I thought I had posted this.

Get the washer out in the garage as well, get all your laundry out of the house.

Could partition a bit of the garage off so any heat from the house gets trapped in the laundry area,

Working_Mum

Do you have a cupboard where you have the hot water tank?? Is there any room to put up some hanging rails or host a laundry airer in there?

I re-jigged my airing cupboard and now I have racks to hang shirts on hangers, an airer to drape clothes which don't hang up (like pants etc) and a sock holder thing I got from Poundland which holds about 25 pairs of socks from little clips.

I hang stuff in the evening and it is dry by morning using the heat from central heating pipes under the floorboards and the how water tank - no extra costs or faff from my point of view!

MRSTITTLEMOUSE

beduth wrote: »

Buy a dehumidifier with a clothes drying setting, they are brilliant.

I'd second that. I can leave an airer full of towels overnight with the dehumidifier on dryer setting and in the morning they're ready to be folded and put away. I would'nt be without mine.