Any suggestions for drying washing indoors

angel81uk

I had thought about putting a line in the living room but it just couldn't be done. One wall is filled by the french doors so nowhere to fix it, the opposite wall is in the kitchen (it's open plan) so that one is filled with wall cupboards. Going the other way we have a large wall unit for the TV/Books etc so that only leaves one wall free!

I work from home so I try to have windows open when it's not too cold but it doesn't seem to be helping much. I've got a few of the crystal water traps and giant silica gel bags dotted around the flat but still no joy! We've put it down to the flat still drying out after being built as apparently it can take a good 18 months.

I can't wait until I can move to a house with a garden!

djheath

I too live in a ground floor flat and in my lease it says I cannot hang washing out. Luckily I have my own front door which is on the other side to all the other flats so I still put my washing out and no one can see. In this cold weather it doesn't get completely dry but it helps the condensation.

I bought some of those crystal things to try and dry my bedroom out which gets awful condensation on the windows but it hasn't helped much.

I find leaving a window open is the best method, but I obviously cant/dont like to do this when I am not in.

angel81uk

poppett wrote: »

You were told you couldn't hang washing outside? How stupid is that! If I were your landlord I would prefer you to hang washing outside than have damp washing indoors causing mould.

Saying that though, throughout the winter I have been drying my stuff indoors by putting a clothes airer in my bedroom during the day. The heat from the night storage heaters have been a godsend and the small bits have dried within a few hours. As long as there is some ventilation (small window open) then mould isn't a problem.

I know, it's the most ridiculous ruling ever. It's not as if I'm renting either! I did notice in the lease it said that we can't dry washing over window ledges/balconies but as I'm on the ground floor I have a small patio instead of a balcony. I really don't understand why I can't keep an airer out there during the day. Apparently some people tried to get around it by putting airers in the communal bin buildings!

It's just so frustrating though, I even got a slapped wrist for putting pot plants on my patio! Yet the building opposite (which is part of the same development, owned by the same landlord) is housing association and the tenants have dug up the lawns and made their own gardens, put in lawn lights, have garden ornaments everywhere and get away with it! :mad:

dan1979

Those crystal things aren't really up to the job.

I've had to invest in a dehumidifier with an auto setting that sits right next to the washing and speeds up the drying. Haven't had the first energy bill yet though...

Only alternative is to use one room with the door closed (usually the bathroom) and keep the window open overnight, cold in the morning but will stop the damp spreading around your home.

Primrose

I was going to suggest one of these retractable washing lines but then saw that you had nowhere to fix it. Neverthess if you Google "retractable washing lines" there are several companies which supply equipment for drying domestic laundry and there may be another suitable option for you. Another option might be to invest in one of these portable clothing rails which people use to hang clothes on at car boot sales - you could move it from room to room to catch whatever heating you have on. I'd also go along with what another poster suggested - wearing some of your clothes for a little longer. When you consider how our grandparents had to cope, with no washing machines or tumble driers, and often with large families to wash for, I am sure that clothes were worn for many more days than they are now. Deodorants, anti-perspirants and panty liners all have their part to play here in ensuring clothes don't become too whiffy if they are forced to be worn for two days instead of one. if we lived in drought-struck Africa I guess doing washing of any kind would be a luxury!

angel81uk

I always make sure I wear my clothes more than once, especially as I work from home so there's no one to notice! My OH on the other hand is terrible for it. He doesn't do a dirty job but he wants fresh clothes each day and then comes home and changes before going to tai chi/archery etc then changes again when he gets home! When I met him he had been living on a narrowboat and was as green and hippyfied as they come, water was far too precious to waste on washing too often etc. But now I think he's taking full advantage of living back on dry land.

The neighbours I've spoken to have all resorted to using the tumble drier (the ones who don't pay for a laundry service anyway). I guess that's half the problem, the flat was built with high flying city types in mind. It's not a home, it's a place to crash inbetween working and the cleaners end up spending more time in the flats that the owners!

It's really tempting to just put it all outside but the management company come round and do regular checks and only last week put a notice up in the hall way telling us it's against the terms of the lease so I don't want to push it too far. Especially as we already have other issues with them (such as charging us for play equipment maintenance for play equipment that doesn't exist!).

I'm off to stay with my parents in Norfolk for a week soon so I might just end up filling the car with laundry and make use of mums gorgeous back garden and utility room to help clear the back log.

blue-kat

we get loads an dloads of laundry ( made by mucky family of 5 and 5 pets ) dry on airers and on coat hangers on hooks on back of doors arranged around the most powerful dehumifier I could get.
I give the laundry a last tumble in the dryer to shake the lint out and decrease as I don't do ironing.
def go with the dehumidifier, especially as it's on offer for free.
it'll keep your flat dry too.


quoe:

But there's much more to be gained from a Mitsubishi Electric dehumidifier than a damp free environment. The MJ-E16 series machines have an extra-high or 'Laundry' setting. This means you can use your Mitsubishi Electric dehumidifier to successfully dry delicate items that cannot be dried in a tumble drier. In fact, the unit can extract 1.5Kg of water from 3Kg of clothes in two hours at a cost of under 4p. That's less than 20% of the cost of using a tumble dryer.

a dehumidifier isn't expensive to run, though models vary

from : http://www.edfenergy.com/edf-energy/showPage.do?name=homeenergy.energyefficiency.costs.til):

Dehumidifier 3 hours use for 1 unit
Tumble Dryer 4kg (9lb) cotton garments and towels dried for less than 2½ units. 2kg (4½lb) synthetics dried for less than 1½ units

morwenna

How about one of these? I used to love the one in the old house...

http://www.pulleymaid.com/Classic_Clothes_Airer.htm

Olliebeak

I was going to suggest a retractable washing line over the bath - that's where many people put them - and they probably hold more than the airers.

I have an airer and wash two or three times a week so that is enough for us. Also have those 'over-radiator' bars that have a couple of bars on them. I've also seen contraptions that hook over a door giving some space.

Obviously, as you say, you have a back-log and that is probably going to take some shifting. Do you have a launderette close-by? It may be worthwhile to make your OH go with you - so he can see the problem caused by creating too much laundry - make him pay for it as well then he realises about drying costs. I've always found that the laundry is not the real problem - it's always the drying of the darn wet washing!

Have you seen these advertised on shopping TV? According to the adverts they don't cost much to run - but I wouldn't necessarily believe everything that they tell you where running costs are concerned.
http://www.jmldirect.com/product.asp?pf_id=D2001&dc_id=jml%20dri%20buddy|870419104&gclid=CIWxrZH0vpECFRMXQgodrxdVCg


This is the over-door airer link:
http://www.minky.co.uk/index.php?page=product_details&cat_id=9&subcat_id=13&product_id=38

and the retractable lines for over the bath:
http://www.minky.co.uk/index.php?page=product_details&cat_id=9&subcat_id=13&product_id=48


all worthwhile checking out. Don't forget that once you've paid for the airer - there are no more running costs involved.

Hope that helps - Ollie

[Deleted User]

I also cannot dry any clothes outside due to leasehold restrictions but I learnt to cope and manage fine, even in winter

I have 4 airers, which stack away ok when folded. I watch the weather forecast and do all my washing in the evening before a sunny day. Everything goes up that night in the living room and I go to bed. I use the sun, even in winter because there is a lot of warmth from it inside the double glazing

Everything is ironed the following day and the airers are stacked away again. Anything slightly damp (rare) is hung on a hanger on a door frame and sheets are put on a shelf in the airing cupboard

I only have a mess on one day because I make a point of not using the washing machine in between

Another way is to use a folding wooden horse in the bath in a heated bathroom (winter)

You have a new flat so are likely to have k glazing and it traps a lot of heat on the inside, like ours