Any suggestions for drying washing indoors

Nicki

I have to hold my hands up and confess I am a TD overuser

But when we were kids, we didn't have one, and my mum had a washing line strung up in the kitchen and in wet weather clothes were hung out as normal, just inside rather than out. Because they weren't all bunched together on an airer, they dried quickly and no heat was blocked to the rest of the room by having clothes draped over the radiators. Usually, she hung things last thing at night before bed, and they were dry when she came home from work the next day, so they weren't really in the way of family living, and when there was no washing drying, she just unhooked the line and no one would ever have known it had been there.

newgirly

I have a large heated airer from lakeland and love it, it uses less than 5p ph worth of electric and takes a few loads, it does need to be covered with a big sheet to speed the drying process up, and a big plus is for some reason I do a lot less ironing

redlady_1

I have a shelia maid and love it to bits. It is in the spare room. I dont have radiators nor an airing cupboard but this sits just above an oil fired rad which I put on for an hour. The washing goes on in the morning and most of it is dry and night but if needs be it can stay there for two days as its not exactly in the way on the ceiling

I still tumble towels though

HariboJunkie

Another vote for the sheila's maid pulley.

We have one in the kitchen diner above our wood burning stove.I hang up a wash most nights at about 9pm and it's dry by the morning (we keep the stove going low overnight in the winter). I don't like washing hanging up there during the day in case friends call :D.

redlady_1

Interestingly HJ, that is where my SM is going to live when I move. There will be space above the burner in the dining room and I will just hang it there overnight. His nibs wasn't keen on putting it there but after I pointed out that we had been to a friends house and theirs was in the dining area and he hadnt noticed, suddenly he didnt have a leg to stand on!

YORKSHIRELASS

newgirly wrote: »

I have a large heated airer from lakeland and love it, it uses less than 5p ph worth of electric and takes a few loads, it does need to be covered with a big sheet to speed the drying process up, and a big plus is for some reason I do a lot less ironing

I am seriously thinking about buying one of these too. We have a multi-fuel stove so I put the washing in front of it before bed and its nearly dry in the morning, so I can then finish it off in the TD. This works OK but living rurally with a hubby who works outdoors and two sporty boys sometimes the washing starts to pile up.

We dont have a massive house, no spare bedroom or anything and nowhere to put the airer where it isnt in the way. I am not really houseproud but hate sitting down to watch telly on a night looking at the airer full of damp clothes.

Justamum

It might been suggested already, but if you are going to dry clothes inside you'll get a massive head start by using a spin dryer. I bought one just before Christmas and it's amazing how much extra water you get out of stuff (often 1 litre!). I do still use my tumble dryer, but I can use a shorter drying cycle. On the odd day I've been able to hang things up outside even in the cold weather they've come in almost dry.

HariboJunkie

redlady_1 wrote: »

Interestingly HJ, that is where my SM is going to live when I move. There will be space above the burner in the dining room and I will just hang it there overnight. His nibs wasn't keen on putting it there but after I pointed out that we had been to a friends house and theirs was in the dining area and he hadnt noticed, suddenly he didnt have a leg to stand on!

:rotfl:I'm glad my scintillating conversation was enough to distract him from the washing line.

caringa

StressedSteph wrote: »

Wow thanks for all your replies.

Had a chat to my ever resourceful hubby, and he has offered to make me one of those ceiling pully airers.

I can then get a load of washing on that, pull it up to the ceiling out of the way. Think we can fit it above the hot water tank, so any warm air will rise up through the washing :T.

Will definately use the tip about doing an extra spin on the machine. That will help.

I am already plotting what I could store in the huge space the tumble drier would leave behind if I can get rid of it :j.

But will wait and see if this airer can hold enough stuff before I ditch the drier.

Thank you so much everyone :beer:

We have one of those airers - its the best thing we have ever bought. Fortunately we have a high ceiling in a utility room and if its hung up in the morning then more often than not it is dry by the evening with no condensation. Those Victorians came up with some brilliant inventions!

lobbyludd

outside in the spring summer and autumn and tumble dryer in the winter - my TD is A rated and if I sort the clothes before I put them in costs less than 10p a load.
even my old one was 30p a load - so if I only use it if I have to then for my house (victorian semi) with massive condensation problems and an asmathic child it is much better than drying indoors without somne sort of moisture capture device (doesn't matter how may windows/doors I leave open).

I'm going to have a look at that roatary line cover though - that sounds brilliant.