Clothing Condensation

[Deleted User]

kacie said:

Anyone have any tips on reducing condensation on the windows from drying clothes? 
I can't have a tumble dryer, and also can't dry clothes outside, no space for a dryer and no outside space. 
I do have a tiny dehumidifier, which while doesn't seem to help does fill up quite quickly. Don't, again, have space for a larger one.  

I have to dry my clothes indoors often as the weather in Wales is abysmal. I always do my washing at night time and then put my clothes in the kitchen, shut the door with the dehumifier running overnight. Another option is to use a pulley system in the bathroom and leave window open a notch? It is a hassle but much rather do that than buy a dryer, especially now with the energy price increase.

tooldle

How small is the dehumidifier, if it sits on a windowsill? The key piece of info is how much water the unit can 'pull' from the air per hour. The more powerful the better really. It sounds as though you are doing all the right things. 
I have cats, so have fitted limiters to my windows. The allows them to open about 1 inch, not enough for the cat to get out. Mine are casements.

kacie

I have this @tooldle https://www.argos.co.uk/product/5807428 
I have sash windows that open from the bottom and  I'm probably being overly cautious with it, as they're heavy windows and I don't think he could get them open wider to escape. 

tooldle

300mls extraction seems very very low.
I have this machine Meaco 20L Low Energy Platinum Dehumidifier - 3 Year Warranty – Meacodehumidifiers-co-uk It has the capacity to extract 20 Litres from the air in 24hrs. 
there are two of us living in the house and we rarely see condensation in the winter months. I normally empty the machine every 24-36 hours, so we are extracting 6 Litres per 24-36hr period. 

tooldle

Just adding this link Specific average moisture generation rates. | The Institute of Specialist Surveyors and Engineers (isse.org.uk) which gives some idea of how much water vapour a person breathes out each day. It also give some approximate figures for other common actions generating water vapour in a household environment. 1 Litre of water is 1Kg

oystercatcher

If you can stand it have windows open a crack all the time. dehumidifier is probably best placed as near the washing as possible and emptied frequently a larger model may be more efficient.
Running a second spin cycle if your machine will allow will remove more water from laundry and always run the fastest spin you can unless the garments are very delicate.
Remember cooking also produces lots of moisture in the air so open windows and run dehumidifier then as well as much as possible. 

kacie

I've moved it to the floor next to the airing rack, door closed, cat happily lying on me so hasn't complained about the shut door yet! 
Maybe I'll be able to get a bigger dehumidifier in the sales, although not sure where I would fit a bigger one 

elsien

I’ve got a window vac to get the water off the windows each morning in the winter. Not ideal but leaving the window open a bit doesn’t solve the issue. 

Mistral001

kacie said:

Floss said:

cattom said:

how can you live without a dryer or outside line? I have both. maybe you could change your washing machine for a washer/dryer combination.

Quite a lot of people live without an outside line or tumble dryer, and changing an appliance may not be affordable.

OP, do you have a room that you can open the window & shut the door, to put your clothes airer in overnight? As others have said, best to remove the moisture where possible, but I appreciate that can be costly & a challenge with a small dehumidifier.

Not if I want any sleep! the cat hates closed doors, might be okay if I'm awake to distract him during the day. 

I currently have the dehumidifier on the window sill, would it be better elsewhere? 

Looks like the dehumidifier is really very small.  The small electrostatic dehumidifiers you get for say £50 will not cope with moisture from drying clothes.  If your funds do not stretch to buying one of the refridgerant types at about £120, then I would  concentrate on heat and ventilation preferably in rooms that are not inhabited for very long during the day as has been said.

Teapot55

Just to say: don’t run a plug-in (electric) dehumidifier at the same time as having the window open.