Any suggestions for drying washing indoors

Broomstick

I've never owned a dryer and have bucket loads of washing to do each week due to sporty sons and running a sports club that produces loads of washing.

We limped along with the line when fine and radiators and racks/Lakeland heated airer indoors when not but starting to use a Rotaire on the rotary line has really helped because I don't have to dash out at the first sign of rain any more.

For anyone that needs to know the rain forecast for the next couple of hours though, it's worth using the free ~2 hour map on http://www.raintoday.co.uk/ I found that, at least, it told me whether I could go into town without worry about coming back to a line full of soaking clothes!

Bx

tesuhoha

My gas tumble drier costs 7p a load. However they are expensive to get plumbed in if your husband is not a plumber (which mine is).

iris

I do have a tumble drier (after over 50 years of marriage), but it is only used in an emergency.


I only wash on a 'nice/windy day' and hang my washing outside. I don't like rotary lines, as they don't dry the washing as well as a conventional line. My line is zig-zagged down the side of our property where the wind blows really well. I then air our washing in the airing cupboard.


We are retired so I am able to choose my washing days. If the forecast is rain, then I just don't wash. I wouldn't like to have our washing draped round the house.

pollypenny

I can't believe that people don't peg washing out on fine days in the winter.

When I was working and had two teenagers at home, the washing had to be done and ironed at the weekend . I'd use the tumble dryer if it was wet,,then, but had to avoid the expense if possible.

Now I can pick my washing days. A good windy day with some sun,if possible, works.

Just using a tumble dryer is very expensive. Drying in the house creates damp, surely.

inkie

I have a tumble drier for in emergencies, but have a Lakeland aired which sits nicely in the corner of the room.

CupOfChai

I live in a flat, have no tumble drier and can't dry outside. Year-round the washing gets put on a clothes horse in the bedroom. It is kind of in the way really, but we manage round it, it dries quick enough and I've not had problems with damp or mould.

I want a garden with a proper washing line down it though, I'm weird and like to see a row of clean washing flapping on a line.

january_23

OP we don't have much space. We either set the airer in the living room (during the dry months) with all the windows and the door open or in the bedroom along side the dehumidifier (in the winter with the heating element of the airer on). We don't have a tumble drier. They cost too much to buy and run for a decent 6kg+ wash and much reduced space for tumble. When our washer/drier packed in (we had been gifted it and rarely used the drier due to cost) we replaced it with a washer only.
If you rent if you get permission you could buy an over head airer in or even a retractable one. Failing that an over the bath arier could work well if you have a bath.

mummyroysof3 wrote: »

Do heated airers cost less to run than a tumble drier?

We have the three tier one from Lakeland, it's 300W so it is rather cheap to run as TD typically use at least five times that amount an hour. We only use the heating element when it is cold. As it can handle 15kg of wet clothing it can manage to dry quite a lot of clothing unlike a TD which is usually 4kg-8kg of clothing.

PasturesNew wrote: »

Another space efficient method is to use a small dehumidifier.

We use ours in conjunction with the heated airer. Our dehumidifier is 210W. We use the dehumidifier anyway in damp/cold weather so it doesn't cost us any more than it would to use it.

pollypenny wrote: »

I can't believe that people don't peg washing out on fine days in the winter.

Just using a tumble dryer is very expensive. Drying in the house creates damp, surely.

Not everyone has outside space, or enough outside space, to dry their clothing outside. We live in zone 4 of London and although we do have a patio area we don't have the money or the permission (private rental) to put retractable wall mounted line in place. It would be the only way we'd be able to put an outside line in place.
TD's aren't cheap to buy or run but can be some peoples only choice. I have a friend who lives in a studio with her BF. She relies on her TD to mostly dry her clothes then uses the heated airer in the bathroom to finish them off due to space issues.
I can only speak for us but about the damp issue but it is one reason we bought a dehumidifier. The other is new builds are great at keeping in heat in, but also moisture so I see a dehumidifier as a must to prevent problems.

babychick

very much depends on where folks live I think - it's too damp here at the moment to get anything dry and on the few real cold, frosty days we get, it's dark before I get home from work so washing damp again I bought a heated clothes airer from l@keland and haven't looked back - washing dries overnight.

trailingspouse

Same routine summer and winter (it can rain in summer too...) - I wash two loads on a Monday (dark colours, light colours) and two loads on a Tuesday (towels, bedding). They get hung out if it's a good day (summer and winter), or put on clothes horses if it's wet. If the day is a bit hitty missy then I put the clothes on the airers and put the airers outside - much quicker to bring the whole airer inside if it starts to rain than to start taking things off the line.

Anything not dry by the evening goes on airers (round the radiator in winter). It's important to move the clothes etc around so that they dry on both sides. Anything not dry by the Wednesday evening goes in the tumble dryer.

I rarely need to use the tumble dryer, and even when I do it rarely needs to go on for more than 20-25 minutes.

ScarletRibbons

I've got a plastic coated clothes horse on the landing, and we have a dehumidifier up there as well , which helps to dry the clothes.