With the weather getting worse and rain more frequent, you might be finding it harder to dry your clothes outside.
If you have a tumble dryer, you might be tempted to use it through the wetter months, but this can be costly.
Martin Lewis has described tumble dryers as a “demon appliance” that uses so much energy.
Fans of the cleaning expert Mrs Hinch have been sharing their tips on how to dry your clothes in the autumn and winter without spending too much on energy bills.
Cheap ways to dry your clothes in autumn and winter
The energy price cap is set to increase by 3.6% from October 1 with the annual energy bill for a typical household rising to £1,723.
Some dryers cost around £1–£1.46 per cycle to run, which can add up over the winter months leading to many people searching for affordable ways to dry their clothes.
Someone posted in a Mrs Hinch Cleaning Tips Facebook group and said: “How is everyone planning on drying their washing this winter?
“With rising energy costs and 2 children I can’t afford to run the tumble dryer and plan on not having the radiators on (except the living room).
“I have a clothes horse but it holds maybe one wash and takes an entire day to dry.
“Any ideas? TIA.”
Costing around 4 to 15p per hour to run depending on which one you buy, dehumidifiers are a popular option to help dry your clothes.
One person said: “Clothes on airer and Dehumidifier in the room!
“(ok i know u have to plug in to power) but cheaper than heating on.
“Sucks the moisture out of the room! I will be purchasing one for this reason!”
Another person agreed with using a dehumidifier and said: “Family of 5 adults and I don’t own a tumble dryer so I have 4 clothes airers and a Electriq low energy dehumidifier, it dries clothes in no time, I also dry some clothes on coat hangers hung on my curtain rail in the living room.”
A third person also recommended the same tip and said: “I use clothes horses and a dehumidifier.
“They don’t use much electric.
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“I have a pump tumble drier as well which is cheaper than other driers but only use when I have to.”
Others still put their clothes outside but use an airer so it is easy to bring inside if it starts raining or simply leave the airer in a room with the window open.
Do you use a dehumidifier to dry your clothes in the winter? Let us know in the comments.
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