Any suggestions for drying washing indoors

GreenFairy

As soon as the weather gets drier, I'll have the washing back on the line. When the weather is not favourable I do a load, and hang it on clothes horses (this sort of thing) in my sitting room, which is the warmest room in the house. I can't really afford to have heating but it still gets dry in a day or two, and then the next load goes on to wash. If we have people over, it's moved to the bedroom for the sake of space (and not having smalls on show!) and it's easy to just pick it up with everything on it.

Need to make sure that if you're drying indoors that the room is warm and gets good ventilation or you'll run the risk of damp and mouldy bits growing from the condensation.

ETA: If it's a vaguely dry and windy day it can still be worth hanging everything out for a couple of hours to get the big wet out of them, then pop them on racks to continue drying.

Any

well, we have Aga and that is not cheap to run, but I dry my washing over the bars. undies go on what would be ladle hooks:-) mu MIL thinks it' s hilarious. dry it over night.
no dampness here.. also no need to iron sheets, I fold them neatly before they go on and they are pretty much without creases once dried.
in summer (when we get one) I dry stuff outside..

trolleyrun

I don't have a tumble dryer, so in winter I dry all my washing indoors. I have an airer that fits into the bathtub for jeans, jumpers and undergarments. Towels and bed linen go over various doors. Shirts, dresses and other "hanging up" clothes go straight on hangers and hung up in doorways or on the shower curtain rail.

Please bear in mind that I only need to do one load, max two loads per week. If you have a family, then it would obviously be more tricky.

Own_My_Own

I have a clothes horse. Never suffered with damp.

My main tip (I tell anyone who will listen) is Spin your clothes again. All machines have a spin cycle. If you have a lot in the machine (Bedding), take half out, then re-spin it it 2 halves.

You will be amazed at how much drier the washing comes out of the machine. I promise you.:D

suki1964

Dry mine on a clothes horse in my hall

No damp or mould

Dry days, out it goes on the line and just aired over night on the clothes horse

Tumble driers eat electricity and ruin clothes

torbrex

I hang my washing to dry on airers in the back bedroom and have done for 20 years without any dampness problems, I have the windows open a crack and the door is always open as well. I do a load of washing at least 4 days a week and generally things are dry within 36 hours.

You don't say whether you are at home all day but even if you are there are spaces all over the house that you could put an airer
Stair landing
Bathroom
Bedrooms
Hallway behind the door
Living room
Anywhere really except the kitchen and even there if you are out, the beauty of most airers is that they are relatively easy to move even when fully loaded.

Mojisola

StressedSteph wrote: »

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

Could you cut down on the amount of washing you do? That seems like an awful lot of washing each week.

valk_scot

StressedSteph wrote: »

Do tumble driers REALLY use that much electric?.

I remember that our electricity bill fell by £100 over a year after my tumble dryer broke down. And I was only using it once a day. That was three years ago. I've still not had it mended. I dry my washing outside in spring/summer/autumn, and on the radiators and in the airing cupboard in winter. I don't have a problem with condensation though, I never have. Plus I air out the house every day.

lindseykim13

On the line, leave it out all day and even overnight if it's going to be a clear night. Then i bring it in and finish it off on the horses or in the airing cupboard.
I on purpose threw our tumble dryer out (did try freecycle first) as took up too much space and wasn't getting used because of the cost.
Imo more people should still hang their stuff on the line it's only just got really cold out there and you'll still get the main wet off it in the wind.
I think the rest of my street must think i'm mental-nobody after about october around here ventures outside to the line! I'd rather spend the dosh on the heating.
Don't get my wrong though we do have clothing flow problems with 5 of us as the washing pile is mega full during the winter as i can't get as much done so quickly but we always cope.

bubblegumcola

When my washer/dryer broke a few years back I replaced it just with a bog standard washing machine. I hardly ever used the dryer bit as I was terrified of the increased electricity bill.

In the winter I usually hang my washing inside on an airer and on hangers perched on door frames. Occasionally if its dry in the winter but a clear day I will put washing out on the whirly. I always think that it dries quicker in the winter if you do that once you bring it back in?

In the summer (when we actually have a vaguely decent dry day) it goes out on the whirly.

I've gone through quite a few airers over the years, my last one seems to be ok (touch wood). It's a plastic/metal tower type but if it gets knocked then some of the racks swing down with all the washing on it so its not ideal if you have it in a 'high traffic' area like your stair landing where I have mine. A lot of airers are so flimsy and just don't last. Usually my stuff dries overnight if its indoors but I do have the heating on in the winter but not all day, morning and then from late afternoon til night-time. Never noticed any problem with damp in the house because I dry my clothes indoors, it might perhaps in the type of house you live in, if you have double glazing etc?

If I had the choice and could dry clothes outside all the time I would as it smells far fresher but with the rubbish weather we have its mostly dried inside. My DH and dd both need lessons in hanging up clothes on the whirly, they seem to think hanging up a big t shirt with one peg is sufficient and then I come home and get annoyed cos all the washing is still wet. And then of course there's the 'didn't see it was raining outside' from them, so when I get home from work its out on the line, far wetter than it was when it came out of the machine...grrr