Ban ironing!

[Billy]

I always find that clothes that need ironing last a long time as they never get used in our house boathold.  I dry the clothes on a line in the living room where the woody is belting out.  Clothes dry overnight and no condensation problems.  I have noticed the difference between the daugher's1200rpm and our 1600rpm, makes a big difference so at 2700rpm they must be nearly dry.  How about doing a weight test to see how much water is left in after spinning.

A friend has just bought a dehumidifier for her rather cold house and it has a special "clothes drying" feature.  How does that work then, don't they all do that?  If you dry clothes with no ventilation those litres of water will go somewhere.   

billy
 

[dimogga]

I've not got a spinner - only recently remembered about the one my mum had (Suspect I'd seen it in the cupboard under her stairs when I was there very recently)
It is on my wish list though - so perhaps Santa is bringing me one
When I get it I'll do a weight test - that's a good idea - although you have to catch the water that comes out so you can see how much there is - so measuring that might be easier.

[qeipl]

These suspended dryers are all very well, but where does the water go? IMHO it ends up condensing on the coldest thing it can find, causing damp elsewhere in the house. I have been wondering about some kind of solar dryer based on a tall greenhouse? to get the heat+airflow. Not sure it'll be acceptable to the other half though....

H

I used to have one in the kitchen with a solid fuel Rayburn. No damp problems - I assume all the humid air went up the chimney.

I now have one in the utility room, from which the Ecocent (ASHP) sucks its main supply of air. No damp problems - the ASHP dehumidifies. A full load of washing dries in a few hours.

Tumble drier is invention of the devil.

As for ironing. Why?

[Heinz]

As for ironing. Why?

Quite agree, but for the woman here it's a necessity?!
She needs to  let the freshly tumbled clothes cool after being stuffed into a basket, then sit for two days, then take the crumpled mess out and moan endlessly about having to do all the ironing. I have tried to gently convert her to the fold up straight from the dryer method, but got my head bitten off  It's the same with outside drying in the summer. Hang the stuff on the fence, let dry then stuff into a basket, leave for a couple of days and iron.  Suppose I could try and convert her again, but is it worth the agro?

H

[Billy]

Ironing. 

Take previously dried clothes and make them wet again (water spray or steam) compress with heavy weight then re-dry in special cupboard with heat in.   

Then wear clothes and look pretty/smart or, if unsuitable, silly/stupid.   

Nah.

billy
 

[Ivan]

Good tip from Guy - I'll try the desk fan turbo dry method. We dry most of our stuff indoors at this time of year on frames near radiators. We don't have a damp problem, despite being a fairly airtight house....but the air is always pretty dry here - eg currently 29% RH in the living room. Not sure why it's so dry here. Probably too warm.

From March to October, we dry most of our stuff on outdoor lines. I've noticed that outdoor clothes smell really nice, indoor clothes smell neutral - neither good nor bad, but I hate the smell of tumble-dried clothes. If you dry on an outdoor line, a single sharp shake/snap before folding leaves almost everything looking like it's ironed - even denim jeans (though stiff formal shirts aren't always perfect). I know some people who have clothes lines under covered areas eg carport - where they can dry even in cold weather if there's a bit of wind.

I only ever used an iron once, and didn't like it.

[Simes123]

I've become a fortnightly commuter due to working in the South and living in Scotland.  As a consequence, I'm ashamed to say I have now got to iron my own shirts; I no longer take my wife for granted!  I have to wear shirts for my job, but I've discovered one delight in my ironing pile - a Charles Tyrwhitt non-iron shirt.  I have other CT normal shirts - they are nice, and iron easily, but the non-iron fabric is just brilliant if tumble dried and hung up promptly.  Although a little more expensive than the standard ones, I shall be upgrading all my shirts in time to the non-iron versions!

[desperate]

just brilliant if tumble dried and hung up

sharp intake of breath..................

Desp

[Simes123]

   You are of course right - tumble drying is an evil.  Ironing is orders of magnitude more evil.    Worse, it's a vented Tumble Drier.  My replacement (eventually) will be an A++ condensing model.  As the current TD is bought and paid for, it makes little sense to turn it (unnecessarily) into Landfill, and the ROI to replace it before End of Life isn't that viable.   And the non-iron shirts dry much quicker in any case.

[desperate]

Simes,
I do of course jest, it is easy for a scruffy rrsed builder to eyeball a teeshirt for bad foodstains or burn holes and put it on anyway. I only have 2 real shirts, the wedding/funeral one, and another for everything else, the avatar should give you a clue  

I know a lot of folk have to look smart for work and have no choice but to iron and tumble occasionally.

Desp

[Simes123]

I like to be scruffy when I can    Shirts are about the only thing I iron for work/social!  My mother, rest her soul, used to iron everything - tea towels, socks, pants, you name it.   At home, where I'm paying the leccy bill, I try and wean Mrs Simes off of the Tumble Dryer as much as possible - but I buckle when the threat of "You iron the clothes then...".  Some things are just now worth fighting for