Happy World Environment Day how to do you dry your washing?

[Felicity11]

Happy belated World Environment Day!  

My husband sent me this funny cartoon.   I take it for granted that I can dry my washing on a washing line. 

It has got me thinking. All around the world we have different ways to drying our washing.  In Australia and New Zealand it is common for washing to be hung outside on a clothes line in the sun during the day to dry. There are some times during the year when this is not possible and we need to bring it inside to dry.  

I know in some countries it is not possible to dry washing out side on the line due to pollution or this is simply not a common practice. 

Where are you in the world and how do you dry you're  sheets and towels?

[Kate867]

@Felicity11   In the U.K. here, where the weather can be extremely unpredictable to say the least!  Generally I dry washing outside on the line, but frequently have to dash out and retrieve it at a moments notice.  If the forecast is for a long period of very unsettled weather then I have a couple of indoor folding drying racks which are pulled out, dusted off and positioned in front of the radiators.  Tumble drier is used as an absolute last resort and has not been used at all in the last two months.

[Quincy]

Unfortunately, where I live, we aren't allowed hang up any wash outside. I have one of those foldable drying racks, and a washer-dryer 😃 @Felicity11 

[Robin4]

@Felicity11 @Kate867  @Quincy 

I love that cartoon Felicity, everything old is new again hey!

Some times a bit of local knowledge is a great asset to have guys.

Felicity in my working life I owned a mechanical services company....we were air conditioning contractors. Not just for commercial buildings but we did our fare share of domestic work.  So it is natural that I would carry this expertise over into our private lives.

I have 5 reverse cycle air conditioning units which supply the heating and cooling needs of this property, all of them refugees from a former task. In other words I got them for next to nothing as they had been removed from a previous installation but all were running well at the time of removal and still had plenty of life in them!

To speak in the old imperial terms......

I have a 5hp (12Kw)  Dailkin ducted system which supplies the main residence.

We don't always need to run that capacity of air conditioning so I also have a 1.5 hp (3.4 Kw) Fujitsu wall split unit which simply supplies the Kitchen and den.

In the guest cottage I have a 2 hp (5 Kw) Fujitsu ceiling cassette unit.

In my man cave I have a 2 hp (5 Kw) Panasonic wall split unit.

You may or may not know but reverse cycle air conditioning acts as a de-humidifier when operating....it removes moisture from the air, so in the scullery room I have constructed a floor to ceiling clothes drying cabinet with a number of drying rails. I have built into the top of that cabinet a small 3/4 hp (2.5 Kw) Panasonic wall split until which blows down through the washing racks and dries whatever is in there faster than a tumble dryer does and uses about 1/5th of the power that a tumble drier uses.

Its an ideal solution for drying washing in the cooler/wetter months....

and during the warmer months it makes a great storage cabinet.......win/win!

Cheers........Rob

[Amanda660]

My housekeeper and I get so excited when it’s a nice day and we can get the bedding and towels out.  Living in NE Scotland I spend a LOT of time checking weather forecasts ahead of check out days. 😝

We try not to tumble dry but often don’t have an option - nothing like bedding fresh from the line?

[Ruth413]

@Felicity11  Hang outside during the summer months with a word to hubby to not to light the bonfire ! and I am really lucky in having an AGA in the kitchen and one of the best things I bought is a double tiered drying rack to sit on top of it.  So during winter this gets piled high overnight and most of it is dry for the next morning.  The only things I tend to stick in the dryer which I avoid whenever possible are towels and dressing gowns.  

[Huma0]

@Felicity11 

Here in the UK, we are obsessed with the weather forecasts because the weather is so erratic, even in the summer months. I line dry my laundry as often as possible. I'm lucky enough to have a roof terrace which is a bit of a sun trap but, unless the forecast is 0% chance of rain, it's risky to leave it outside overnight if you are not going to be at home.

The rest of the time, I dry stuff on racks indoors and, in months where the heating is on, put these close to radiators. It's not ideal, but needs must. I use the dryer as little as possible. Towels are the one exception. I usually wait until they are almost dry and then pop them in the dryer for a few minutes as it helps to keep them soft and fluffy.