Any suggestions for drying washing indoors

xxlouisexx56

I hang shirts and stuff from my shower curtain rail

lilyp

This is something I struggle with too. This is what I do.

Be prepared any sunny day you have free to devote it to big laundry. Keep the machine going all day with bedding, towels and anything else you can fit in. Do the clothes last as they are easier to finish off inside if you run out of sunshine.

Use any remaining sunny days to launder any stuff you need for winter - blankets, scarfs, gloves etc

If you have to wash stuff when its raining then hang clothing on hangers on curtain poles, doors etc and open windows a bit. Maybe make an indoor washing line if you can find 2 strong enough attachment points.

I would also check out ebay, freecycle etc for a very cheap clothes airer - it will be worth spending a few pounds to save you loads of hassle.

babyshoes

It sounds like you don't have a garden to hang things in - if you do, try rigging up a line somewhere out of whatever wire/rope/twine/bits of wood you can find or scrounge. If you don't, maybe look around the house with for unusual places you could put a hanger to dry things - we have them hanging from high shelves (push a tall drawing pin into soft wood for an 'anchor' point), from picture rails (if you are doing this long term consider hanging a pound shop shower curtain behind the washing to avoid mildew on the walls - ask me how I know!), from curtain rails and we also hang washing on the banister, over the fans, backs of chairs, on OH's unused weights bench and even occasionally over a seldom-used lamp! As you can imagine the place isn't really guest-worthy, but it gets the washing dry. You could even rig up a line in a corner to put hangers on - two picture hooks with some strong wire between them would work. If you have an alcove, Wilko do spring fit curtain rails which may be strong enough for a few hangers.

You could ask on freegle/freecycle for a clothes airer or similar, or try to find one really cheaply on gumtree / ebay etc. If you can acquire a very small oil-filled radiator (doesn't really heat up a whole room but does increase the temperature in a small radius by a few degrees), it should be safe enough to put under any washing you have hanging around, and even dry a few urgent things on it if supervised - just don't cover the vents. They don't cost too much to run, though obviously more than gas CH.

bupster

I have a couple of plastic racks that hang over radiators, I can get a full load of washing dried by hanging it over radiators, the racks and occasionally a couple of chairs, and also bring the bannisters into use. I don't have the heating on during the spring, summer and most of the autumn (it's on now but only for a couple of hours), but that seems to work fine. Is your house/flat particularly cold and damp? Or do you have to do a daily wash? I don't do more than two washes a week in general which may be why I get away with it!

lostinrates

Not practical for everyone, but for those with a garden it might be worth the expense...

...we have a deep 'veranda' or loggia at the back of our house, Only once has rain penetrated the full depth of the cover, it means we can hang washing out on an airer in all but very, very windy weather where washing might be picked up and blown away.

It would work as a cover in a side return in a semi, or as a loggia like ours at the back of a terrace or detached house. Ours faces south and is corrugated iron rooved, but is going to be replaced with glass one day in the future.

gravitytolls

Hangers. I put all adult clothes on hangers, hand from doorways, doors, curtain rails, picture rails, if it can bear the weight of a laden hanger, it bears it. I find most things dry overnight, and I never ever use heating after 9 o clock.

Freecycle or an airer request is worth doing, but I find hangers dry quicker as the clothes don't overlap. undies and baby clothes go on radiators, pram handles, backs of chairs.

Rebelle

gravitytolls wrote: »

Hangers. I put all adult clothes on hangers, hand from doorways, doors, curtain rails, picture rails, if it can bear the weight of a laden hanger, it bears it. I find most things dry overnight, and I never ever use heating after 9 o clock.

Freecycle or an airer request is worth doing, but I find hangers dry quicker as the clothes don't overlap. undies and baby clothes go on radiators, pram handles, backs of chairs.

I second this, it's exactly what I do! Also give the top of your doors a wipe over & then hang towels over them, they dry overnight too. Hang kitchen towels off the door knobs of your cabinets to dry.

trailingspouse

To make sure you get as much moisture out of the clothes as you can before you start trying to dry them, set your washing machine to spin a second time after the wash has finished. You'd be amazed what a difference it makes. I would also suggest you replace your airer asap - and put things outside on the airer whenever possible. I've got space in the garden for drying things, but it's been such a lousy summer I've given up hanging all but the biggest items on the line - I put underwear etc on the clothes horse in the garden, that way when it rains it's a 2 second job to bring the whole lot back inside.

[Deleted User]

I have an airer that I put up in the conservatory (its out of the way and I won't trip over it )I also hang stuff from the shower rail in the bathroom and shut the door and I have two radiator things that clip on to the radiators (last thing I bought from Woolworths as it was closing down and cost me 50p each a bargain )
As I only have my own washing to worry about its not too bad as I doubt if I'll run out of clothes.Bedding (duvet covers and sheets) my DD bungs into her tumble dryer for me if needs be but normally I wait until there's a dry day before doing them as I do like to give them a blow on the line .If possible unless we have a week of rain I try to only do the washing on drying days then I'll do it the night before, and get it on the line first thing,even if its damp dry its had a bit of a blow which freshens it up and gives it a nice smell.
Where we used to live I had a very large kitchen, and I had one of those extending lines (in fact it had four lines ) that went right across the kitchen and I could hang almost all of my washing up on there and shut the door and in the morning it was dry.This kitchen is a lot smaller so not really worth putting one up although I would love one of those wooden pulley things in there as they are brilliant for drying stuff,but they are a bit pricey and then I'd have to get someone in to fix it to my ceiling and I don't think it warrants the expence just for me

beedeedee

Those plastic racks that you hang over radiators that bupster mentioned - I hang them down from the slats in the airing cupboard. If you have a water tank in the way (as I do) simply hang the second and third ones from each other at the front of the cupboard. Gives a lot of extra drying space.