Drying clothes

Chattastrophe!

Having lived in rental accommodation for years, I've always used clothes horses rather than dryers to dry clothes, whether dryers were provided or not. This is because I've always heard that the cost of running clothes dryers was insanely high.

However this really isn't working out at the moment. In the past, I was just washing and drying my own clothes, now I'm doing so for two adults and a baby (all those teeny tiny vests and socks take forever to hang out on the clothes horse!) Also, an entire room of the house is taken up with the two clothes horses, and it's a huge drain on my time. In addition to this, there are no windows in the room I use - only a patio door - and I really amn't comfortable leaving this open even when I'm home, as it's an area known for crime, and the garden is overlooked by several others. So, as you can imagine, the room is starting to smell a little bit damp. Really not ideal, as we can't afford to lose our deposit. (Of course I use the clothes line in the garden when I can, but that's not too often and it's not an ongoing solution.)

Basically my question is, am I actually saving all that money by using clothes horses, or should I just use the dryer instead? I put on (approx) 10-11 washes a week, and it's a Hoover Nextra6 combined washer/dryer.

If anyone could give me a rough monetary figure of how much it would cost me, I'd really appreciate it.

snubbleste

11 washes per week! :eek: that poor washing machine
About 60c per hour http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=70472399

Chattastrophe!

snubbleste wrote: »

11 washes per week! :eek: that poor washing machine
About 60c per hour http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=70472399

He's a very very VERY pukey baby.

Thanks for that!

josip

On the wash cycle do an extra spin at the highest RPM. That always gets a bit extra out for us.
Can you put them on the clothes horse and put the clothes horse out in the garden? It's a lot easier to bring in/out the clothes horse than from a line.
Even if you only get the clothes horse out for an hour or 2 initially, a larger percentage of the moisture will evaporate then.

rasgav

11 washes a week is crazy! Even when our daughter was a newborn, our max wouldn't have hit half that, and she uses cloth nappies! Are you a "clean freak" (no judgement)?

We got a dehumidifier to deal with dampness that came with indoor drying over the winter and it also helped the clothes to dry faster.

I may be mistaken but my impression of dryers is that they take an absolute age to properly dry a load of washing and are more used for "finishing off" the drying process.

Chattastrophe!

rasgav wrote: »

11 washes a week is crazy! Even when our daughter was a newborn, our max wouldn't have hit half that, and she uses cloth nappies! Are you a "clean freak" (no judgement)? .

I really don't think that's a lot for a family of three?

We both change our clothes daily. I probably go through 3-4 tops a day, because I'm not going to sit around during the day in a top covered in puke. We both have showers daily and use towels. Baby goes through maybe 3-4 outfits a day, along with 6-7 bibs/cloths. Like I mentioned, he's very pukey. I can expect a change for both me and him with each feed (at a minimum.) We change our sheets once weekly, his sheets maybe 2-3 times weekly, his sleeping bags 2-3 times weekly too. Tea towels are changed daily. It all adds up, and, yeah, it works out at at least one wash a day, and two some days.

Is this really unusual for a family of three? Am I doing something wrong here?

I am FAR from a clean freak, and if you saw my house, I'm sure you'd agree!

elysium321

Chattastrophe! wrote: »

Is this really unusual for a family of three? Am I doing something wrong here?

I wouldn't say unusual, that's just crazy

Chattastrophe!

elysium321 wrote: »

I wouldn't say unusual, that's just crazy

Which part?

Honestly. My house is a mess, I'm far from a clean freak.

Which part of the above would you describe as crazy?

I live in a messy dirty but semi-hygienic house. I'm really not germ-phobic, but I honestly can't see what you see as "crazy" in the above, please outline.

josip

Chattastrophe! wrote: »

I really don't think that's a lot for a family of three?

We both change our clothes daily. I probably go through 3-4 tops a day, because I'm not going to sit around during the day in a top covered in puke. We both have showers daily and use towels. Baby goes through maybe 3-4 outfits a day, along with 6-7 bibs/cloths. Like I mentioned, he's very pukey. I can expect a change for both me and him with each feed (at a minimum.) We change our sheets once weekly, his sheets maybe 2-3 times weekly, his sleeping bags 2-3 times weekly too. Tea towels are changed daily. It all adds up, and, yeah, it works out at at least one wash a day, and two some days.

Is this really unusual for a family of three? Am I doing something wrong here?

I am FAR from a clean freak, and if you saw my house, I'm sure you'd agree!

Maybe you need to look at the cause of why your baby is puking up so much?
Overfeeding? There's no point giving him 200ml if 50ml comes back every time.
Different burping technique?
Daily towel change for both you and your partner? That sounds a bit much. If you shower properly then you're clean and it's just water on the towel?

The_Morrigan

Folks, this is A&P, not parenting - can we keep this on topic please.

Thanks

Morri

Call me Al

It's your own business how often you wash your laundry. If you want to change towels every day then that's your own business.
Your issue is drying all this stuff.
Is there a reason you don't like outside drying with the clothes horse? I would often leave a line full of clothes or a clothes horse for the day. Even if they're only half dry when I take them in it's less moisture in your house. If it rains then so be it, unless they're very wet, or are wet for a long time, I don't rewash.

If I use a clothes horse after bedtime I leave it in the main living room where there is some air moving. Things dry much quicker, and I can open windows. I usually only use the dryer when stuff is almost dry, and I need the clothes horse, and I have no space in my hotpress or I don't want to have to use the iron.
Personally I wouldn't be leaving wet clothes in an unventilated room, as I agree it's a recipe for disaster (and mould).

Teyla Emmagan

Why can't you get a clothes line? Even a spinny one? It sounds like you have a little bit of space. You can stick it out and lock the patio door, no one is going to steal your knickers (possibly).

Would you consider bringing a couple of loads to the local launderette every week? The big things - sheets, towels etc. At least then they're all dry and you have only baby socks and whatever taking up room.

I do at least 5/6 washes a week and I'm the only one here, so 11 sounds reasonable to me (especially with a new baby).

2rkehij30qtza5

I have a dehumidifier that I bought in Lidl a few years ago. It blows warm air out at the clothes overnight and collects all the moisture in a container. So the house doesn't get damp and the clothes are dry overnight. It is cost efficient too.

Teyla Emmagan

Actually, having read your thread properly (!), you do have a clothes line. I would just bang everything into the dryer, forget this clothes horse business. I dry everything on the radiators or in the dryer and I've certainly never had massive electricity bills. Give yourself a break. You are probably not saving that much money given the time it is costing you.

2rkehij30qtza5

Teyla Emmagan wrote: »

Actually, having read your thread properly (!), you do have a clothes line. I would just bang everything into the dryer, forget this clothes horse business. I dry everything on the radiators or in the dryer and I've certainly never had massive electricity bills. Give yourself a break. You are probably not saving that much money given the time it is costing you.

Drying clothes inside on radiators etc. puts a lot of condensation into the air. Not great for the lungs! I have discussed this issue at length with two respiratory consultants and both have said this. A dehumidifier would be necessary to extract the moisture out the air that indoor drying creates. Otherwise the air content remains too moist. Some people can tolerate this while others cannot for health reasons.

yesto24

Some of these points have already been mentioned.

1. Reduce, if possible, the amount you are washing eg towels
2. Bring the larger items to a laundrette
3. Spin clothes in the washing machine
4. Use the dryer for smaller items like underwear. Don't put too much in the dryer.
5. Dry as much as you can outdoors
6. Get a dehumidifier. It will also make the room feel warmer with less moisture in the air.

These steps should make big difference

Chris_5339762

Get a dehumidifier. Mine dries (and warms) a room with a clothes horse in it overnight. Yes, it costs money to run but it does mean you save a bit on heating as the room feels warmer.

sunnysoutheast

Chattastrophe! wrote: »

Having lived in rental accommodation for years, I've always used clothes horses rather than dryers to dry clothes, whether dryers were provided or not. This is because I've always heard that the cost of running clothes dryers was insanely high.

However this really isn't working out at the moment. In the past, I was just washing and drying my own clothes, now I'm doing so for two adults and a baby (all those teeny tiny vests and socks take forever to hang out on the clothes horse!) Also, an entire room of the house is taken up with the two clothes horses, and it's a huge drain on my time. In addition to this, there are no windows in the room I use - only a patio door - and I really amn't comfortable leaving this open even when I'm home, as it's an area known for crime, and the garden is overlooked by several others. So, as you can imagine, the room is starting to smell a little bit damp. Really not ideal, as we can't afford to lose our deposit. (Of course I use the clothes line in the garden when I can, but that's not too often and it's not an ongoing solution.)

Basically my question is, am I actually saving all that money by using clothes horses, or should I just use the dryer instead? I put on (approx) 10-11 washes a week, and it's a Hoover Nextra6 combined washer/dryer.

If anyone could give me a rough monetary figure of how much it would cost me, I'd really appreciate it.

Is there any ventilation in the room - in the wall or slides in the window frames?

If you can smell damp you can be certain mould won't be far behind.

Chattastrophe!

josip wrote: »

Maybe you need to look at the cause of why your baby is puking up so much?
Overfeeding? There's no point giving him 200ml if 50ml comes back every time.
Different burping technique?

LOL thanks.

All this time, I've been wondering why my baby pukes so much. All that money I've wasted on multiple doctor visits, and you've just solved it in one simple post.

You're funny.

Thanks for the advice. We're feeding him fine, his weight gain is fine, his burping is fine. He just pukes a lot. He was quite small when he was born, small babies often have underdeveloped digestive systems, which results in lots and lots of puke. It doesn't bother him or hurt him. It's just messy.

Chattastrophe!

sunnysoutheast wrote: »

Is there any ventilation in the room - in the wall or slides in the window frames?

If you can smell damp you can be certain mould won't be far behind.

The only way to ventilate the room is to leave the patio door open. And I'm not comfortable with this, whether I'm at home or not.

I think I'm just going to feck out the clothes horses and start using the dryer, the cost really isn't anywhere near as much as I'd imagined!

the_syco

Even if you go down the dryer route, get a lend of a dehumidifier to get rid of the existing damp.

Ocean Blue

Chattastrophe! wrote: »

The only way to ventilate the room is to leave the patio door open. And I'm not comfortable with this, whether I'm at home or not.

I think I'm just going to feck out the clothes horses and start using the dryer, the cost really isn't anywhere near as much as I'd imagined!

A lot of patio doors can be opened a few inches (not wide enough for anything to enter/exit) and then locked again in the open position. Is this an option?

Sweet_pea

I've a pukey baby too, I feel your pain. It's not really his clothes that are the problem, it's me having to change my clothes 2/3 times a day, or wash the throws on the sofas, duvets cover etcs he's very skilled at making sure he gets a little bit of puke on everything!

I'm currently saving up for a dehumidifier, my sister has one and I saw it in action, they really are great. You can get a combo dehumidifier/humidifier which can help when the boy is blocked up . I can't remember the costs off hand but I'm nearly sure the dehumidifier costs significantly less to run than a dryer.

ShaShaBear

We have a small drier we bought in Argos. It practically saved our relationship :pac: But I have used a combined one before and they are AWFUL. I had ONE towel in it, only damp, and it came out wetter than it went in after an hour! One full load of washing straight out of the machine and into our new drier takes roughly 1.5 hours to dry completely.

We have clothes horses (three I think) but they are a total waste of time considering how often I need to change clothes (heavily pregnant and all the ick that comes with it). We have a hairy dog too, and the drier lifts all of his hair off the clothes, and they come out crease free and fresher too!

I don't know about the costs for a combined one, but I found it useless. But the costs of running my new one are practically nothing. I used maybe a euro of electricity drying three loads in a day!

the_syco

Check what electricity cycle you are on; 24 hour, or day and night. If the latter, see if you can put the drier on at the night time, once it's not too noisy.

sassyj

I have a condenser dryer, use it all the time. One summer, did load s of drying on clothes line at the back, no impact on bills. Would not be without a tumble dryer, and there's only me

woodstock1708

I don't know what your financial situation is like, but I'd imagine that your time and your sanity are more valuable than what you might spend drying clothes. You won't be doing it for the rest of your life either - just the next few months while he's small and spitting up. That will gradually taper off and you'll be changing his clothes and yours less frequently, so just go ahead and use the dryer.

Chattastrophe!

OK now I feel silly for not just using the dryer all along. I honestly thought the cost would be completely crazy and unaffordable, I don't know where I got that idea. I'll be using it from now on, and I'll have SO much more free time. Thanks for the responses!

foggy_lad

This calculator will let you see how much your different appliances cost.

https://www.electricireland.ie/ei/residential-energy-services/reduce-your-costs/appliance_calc/appliance_calculator.jsp

11 loads per week will cost approximately €66 per bi-monthly bill

ElleEm

Chattastrophe! wrote: »

OK now I feel silly for not just using the dryer all along. I honestly thought the cost would be completely crazy and unaffordable, I don't know where I got that idea. I'll be using it from now on, and I'll have SO much more free time. Thanks for the responses!

It's the Irish thing, I think. The same way it cost €800 to fill a bath using the emmersion :pac: Our mammies had us terrified!

Dryers are grand for towels and bed linen, but I find a lot of my clothes feel odd when I take them out of the dryer. My socks are loose around the ankle, my jeans are a bit more snug, and you there are loads of things you can't put into a dryer, like wool and certain materials. Even when I had a washing line, I used to put things on the clothes horse out the back garden, it is easier to haul in when it starts lashing out of nowhere.

deandean

OP those washer/dryers aren't much use for drying, in my experience.

There's a yoke called the Dri Buddy from JML that may be the answer for you. It's portable and relatively low power. You can buy one on Amazon. Here's a linky to a video. Do a search and you'll get more reviews. Best of luck!

Chris_5339762

Those things are ok but do moisten a room considerably as they just spit all the warm damp air out again. They do dry the clothes though but you have to open it once or twice to rearrange things inside or any items that are up against the covering will stay damp.

Dehumidifier is way more effective in my experience.