Any suggestions for drying washing indoors

Butterfly_Brain

Wilkinson have a special offer on airers this month, a concertina one is £10 a over bath airer is £9 a indoor washing line for £5.65 and a four bar radiator airer is £1.50
http://www.wilkinsonplus.com/search?q=airer&setpagenum=1&perpage=12

valk_scot

I have an airing cupboard...well, it's a cupboard that the hot water pipes run through. I have four strong lines that run the length of it, I can fit 8-12 t-shirts or one full set of bedding on these at a time and they'll dry overnight if the CH is on, two days if not.

I've also got a radiator rack in each bedroom, I hang everyone's socks and underwear up to dry on their own rack and they can put it away when dry. I don't have the CH on in the bedrooms unless it's really cold btw. I've also got a radiator rack in the dining room, that's for teatowels and towels.

I hang up shirts, smart t-shirts and sweatshirts etc on hangers and they either get hooked onto the line in the airing cupboard or on the back of the dining room chairs.

I do have an airing rack, it's one of the kind that opens out in a zig-zag. It only comes out if I've got an overflow though, like after a holiday.

And I've got a clothes line out in the garden, I try to do towels and bed linen when the forecast is good. Even though the summer has been poor I've managed to get all the linen dried outside. I usually have to drape it over the dining chairs for a night though to make sure it's bone dry.

I do one load a day, normally, with an extra one for bedlinen and one for towels each week. As long as I don't let it build up as a backlog I can easily dry one load a day inside. It's a matter of getting into a routine.

I think OP you need to get yourself another airer or mend the one you've got. And get some radiator racks, they're cheap (£3 for four?) and the radiators don't actually have to be on for them to work. One thing I am careful of is condensation, the airing cupboard is vented into the attic space and has good airflow so it doesn't get damp and I keep the window in the dining room open a crack at top and bottom, just to avoid moisture buildup. A good through airflow dries things faster than damp clammy air anyway, even without heating.

camNolliesMUMMY

We are in a flat....no tumble dryer.
I have one airer its one that hangs over a door and one over the bath.
I also use tops if doors for towels or anything really.
I hang shirts and tops on hangers and hang from my over door hanger and this drys really quickly.
But one thing that helps abit is that I put my wash on and then do another spin after. If my washing is drying in one room I open the window and shut the door.
I also hang from the shower rail using hangers too.
Hope it helps a little?

Ps we are a family of two adults 1 child and a baby....one load of washing on everyday and it has to be dry to make room for the next load.

sonastin

Dehumidifiers are great for getting washing dry indoors. If running one is too expensive, next best thing would be a small fan to keep the air moving. Make sure you put the wet washing in a ventilated space so that the moisture has somewhere to go. We don't have heating at the moment and its a constant battle to get washing dry without having to resort to the tumble drier (I like to avoid that partly expense of running it, partly due to the mountain of stuff stored in front of it and in front of the window that needs opening when its on -too much carp to shift to be bothered!)

bev62

My house looks like a chinese laundry in winter!
I do have a tumble drier - but can only afford to use it on very special occassions!

I have airers to hang washing on - which is fine overnight, but when everyone is up they have to be put away due to the space they take up. I also have the racks on the radiators but they only take a small amount of washing.

I hang over the bannisters, tops of the doors, hang hangers from anything I can, use the back of dining room chairs etc - also hang tights, socks etc from door handles.

Do you have a step ladder you could use to put sheets or towels over until you get an airer sorted? Obviously give it a wipe first...

cheerfulness4

If you open your wardrobe doors you can hang large items like sheets and towels suspended over them.

Pink.

Hi Notsosharp,

I've added your thread to our main one on drying washing indoors where you should get more ideas to help.

Pink

Riversong

We drape clothes etc over the sides of the babies cot that has 'bars' and use coathangers to hang clothes over the foot and head of the cot which is solid.

(I should add only when the baby is NOT in the cot!)

StressedSteph

Hi all,

Hope I am posting this in the right place?.

I have just received a whopping electricity bill :eek:. Have got myself on to a better tarriff now, but really want to address our usage.

I think the main culprit is the tumble drier. I think it is on at least twice a day. Total of maybe 2hours.

Have been looking at the airers, but don't really have room for them and we only have underfloor heating so no radiators to hang stuff on.

Hubby mentioned about how damp he thinks the house will get if I start hanging wet washing everywhere?.

I noticed that on some sunny winter days, that some people hang out their washing . whenever I have tried that, it is still wet at the end of the day?.

So, my question is:-

How do you dry your washing?. Do tumble driers REALLY use that much electric?. Do you think I should perservere putting my washing outside?, maybe I am not getting it out early enough.

Thanks all.

Steph x

wondercollie

The dryer is a major energy hog!

I use mine maybe 30 minutes a week to fluff up towels.

I live on the Canadian prairies and dry outside once it's above zero. I have a couple of racks that I put out on the deck.

Other times of the year (face it I have winter for six months) I hang dresses and shirts on hangers and hang them from the shower curtain rail in the bathroom. The drying racks are in the basement storage area. It helps keep the house air from being too dry.

I usually find stuff on my line dries in under five hours. It all depends on how dry they are when they come out of the dryer and how close together you hang them on the line.