Clothes Drying

TaxH8Ter

Hi,
My wife is struggling to get our clothes dry in Winter. She refuses to use the dryer. I wonder what my best option is as the weather isn't great in the North West.

1. Run the radiator in the room where the clothes are for longer each day (has a Tado smart system)

2. Use a fan to move the air around

3. Buy a small electric heater to blow warm air on the clothes 

Swipe

Put them on the washing line outside when the ground is dry

propertyrental

TaxH8Ter said:

Hi,
My wife is struggling to get our clothes dry in Winter. She refuses to use the dryer. I wonder what my best option is as the weather isn't great in the North West.

1. Run the radiator in the room where the clothes are for longer each day (has a Tado smart system)

2. Use a fan to move the air around

3. Buy a small electric heater to blow warm air on the clothes 

All these options will result in increased water vapour in the air, which can lead to problems of damp. The water has to go somewhere....

So whichever you go for, you'll need to ventilate ie open windows or use an extractor fan to get the damp air out of the property.

purplepixi

I have a spin dryer - spin the clothes after the wash. It's much faster than the washing machine. Then you can hang them in a room with a dehumidifier. But to be honest I then pop them in the dryer for a short 30-45 min cycle. They don't need a long cycle if they've been extra spun. 

matelodave

Probably cheaper to run the dryer than to cure a damp and mould problem caused by not using it.

An alternative is to get a dehumidifier which, although cheaper to run than a tumble dryer,  will take a lot longer and set you back a couple of hundred to get one with enough capacity to be effective.

wit40iwtwan

I hate tumble dryers (ruin clothes, cost money and once had one catch fire that meant being without a home and very nearly lost my son!) So I do as suggested - if it is mild and dry out I hang the clothes outside - otherwise I use both an internal washing line for bigger items and then I finish them off on a heated airer.  I do live alone so perhaps this works best as it is only 2 loads of washing (incl. bedding and towels) a week.  

I have seen contraptions where the heated airer has a 'bag' over it - but cannot comment on that.  Whatever you do - avoid putting wet clothes on radiators - that only causes condensation and possibly even mould.

Longwalker

Our heating is on so its a shame not to use it. 

I hang the clothes over the clothes horse for the day and night that I wash them. Not dried in the morning ( winter bedding, towels etc) then they get a blast in the tumble drier.

But I have a big house and a machine load of very well spun clothes isnt causing me condensation / mould issues. Mind I remember being poor as a church mouse and had to hand wash and dry over the bath in an unheated bathroom without a problem ( open the window slightly )

Floss

I rarely use the dryer, apart from giving towels a quick fluff-up. When it's too damp to dry outside laundry go straight onto the clothes airer that sits near a radiator in my living room. In fine weather it goes on the whirlygig.

Why not look at buying a dehumidifier? Check out the cost to buy, capacity & running costs before shopping, the higher capacity the better. Or maybe consider a heated airer?

Happycas

Whichever method you choose, be sure to do an extra spin, as fast as possible in your machine, when the cycle has finished.  Makes a huge difference.

Siebrie

We have a rack hanging over the landing balustrade, it catches all the air coming from downstairs. If I leave the hall window and landing window open, even for a short while, it creates a draft that will dry clothes quickly. Also, every time I walk down the stairs I give the clothes a shake, so that the air between them starts moving.

Katiehound

Worth an extra spin in the washing machine as the lower temperature washes also use the shorter/ slower spins so clothes are still quite wet when the programme has finished.
 If I use the 30 minute wash programme things get spun again on a longer, faster programme.

very few days this winter that the clothes haven't been out on the line. At one stage they were out for 3 days - freeze drying!