Drying Clothes

MrsBSaver

Hi All,
Looking at alternative options to dry my clothes in this weather. What do people think of plug in heaters (such as the JML) and then using a regular clothes airer? I’ve heard that the heated clothes airer only dry where the clothes touch the bars.

[Deleted User]

Why does everyone feel the need to force-dry their clothes? Genuine question - my clothes come from the spin cycle onto a boring old clothes horse to dry, and have done for years.

It can’t be to do with damp, because drying clothes on a radiator or other heated thing puts the same moisture into the air. Why is it then?

OP - heaters are either expensive or tiny. I don’t know what “the JML” one is, but it can’t break the laws of physics.

superstylin

[Deleted User] said:

Why does everyone feel the need to force-dry their clothes? Genuine question - my clothes come from the spin cycle onto a boring old clothes horse to dry, and have done for years.

It can’t be to do with damp, because drying clothes on a radiator or other heated thing puts the same moisture into the air. Why is it then?

OP - heaters are either expensive or tiny. I don’t know what “the JML” one is, but it can’t break the laws of physics.

We use a dehumidifier to speed up the process of drying. Personally I don't like to have airers and drying clothes on view in the house for too long. We dry things in the kitchen and the airer gets in the way of the garage door or the side door (we don't have anywhere more suitable to put it). The dehumidifier means the airer is only out for approx 8hrs for 2 washing loads. If we didn't use it the airer would be there for probably 2 days trying to dry the thicker items. 

BooJewels

I use one of the pulley operated airers that are suspended under the ceiling, if you have ceiling height and space.  I have high ceilings and a utility room, so this is ideal for me - but I appreciate not everyone has the option to accommodate one.

Air movement is more important than heat to dry things - warm static air won't take the moisture away, so ventilation is a more significant factor.  I decided the other day, having discussed this in another thread, that me walking under my rack regularly must stir the air around enough, along with opening the back door, as the only heat source in there is my boiler - which moderns ones don't actually get very warm.  Things are dry in 24 hours.  Unless I happen to need them, I tend to leave laundry on the rack until my next load needs it.

Penguin_

I saw a good tip online, if you dry on a clothes horse one you put all the clothes on it & put it next to a radiator that's on when the heating is one. Then put a fitted sheet so to covers both the horse & radiator.

powerful_Rogue

Heat pump tumble dryer.

Rattusnorvegicus

I use a heat pump tumble dryer(without heating element) and leave it running for about 8 hr, doing 4 seperate 10kg loads on the weekend. It costs me £1.37 (peak up to 800w to get started and  less than 400 when running hot) for the 8 hours so long as i keep it hot (because of the recycling of hot air) and full of laundry. Its incredibly efficient for towels, bedding, clothes, duvet loaded one after the other. I add a dry old bath towel to speed things along.

Hanging outside if possible is free, and fast in windy conditions. I live in a flat so not possible for me. But having a rack that hangs over the top of a slightly open door allowing airflow over hung clothes works too. Its all about getting airflow if your not getting heat.

If you want the method i think is cheapest and best otherwise.... its a rotating tower fan in front of an open window on high speed uses 50 watts, and place the clothes rack 2 to 3 ft from the fan. It sucks in all that air, and blows it all over the clothes as it rotates.

I find it takes 6 hours to get thick cotton towels dry.... so the cost is 13p total which is far more efficent than my tumble dryer....

Not sure all that helped. But i like the idea of ingenious ways to generate airflow over a clothes rack for free/cheap seems good to me.

Astria

I don't use any plug in heaters, but I do transfer clothes from the washer machine to a heat pump tumble drier and then onto a clothes horse, with a dehumidifier on standby - automatically comes on when the rh% goes over 60%.

Things like towels come out of the tumble drier basically dry, but some things crease up easily so I transfer them to the clothes horse earlier so the creases fall out and it prevents having to iron them then

superstylin

Just a note regarding heat pump tumble dryers, we looked into buying one but they require ambient temps of 10°c to operate so can't be used in a garage or outhouse. Hence why we went for a dehumidifier.

Chrysalis

MrsBSaver said:

Hi All,
Looking at alternative options to dry my clothes in this weather. What do people think of plug in heaters (such as the JML) and then using a regular clothes airer? I’ve heard that the heated clothes airer only dry where the clothes touch the bars.

Why use power at all? I just put mine on a drying rack and give it some days.

comeandgo

Chrysalis said:

MrsBSaver said:

Hi All,
Looking at alternative options to dry my clothes in this weather. What do people think of plug in heaters (such as the JML) and then using a regular clothes airer? I’ve heard that the heated clothes airer only dry where the clothes touch the bars.

Why use power at all? I just put mine on a drying rack and give it some days.

I do similar, clothes on a horse that fits over the bath and it will be dry next day.  No need for any fancy electric heaters.