It's been a constant source of tension beteen us, this drying of laundry inside. From the last two winters, I have a method that's irritating and painful but it works. First, unless it's raining, you hang the washing on the line. Early. Because you will have put the first lot on before anything else. So depending on what else is going on, it might even be ready to hang out before you have breakfast. Which means that you can put the next lot on early too. If I was being really obsessive, I might have started a load before I went to bed, but normally not.
If it starts raining and the washing is drier than when you put it out, you bring it in. If it's still really wet, you only bring in those things you really need. The washing is bound to move along the dryness scale at some point. Once you bring it in, it needs to be sorted and hung. Over the rails in the back room doorways, on the side of the playpen that is a de facto drying rack. On the backs of chairs and in front of the heater. There's no point stuffing the drying space in front of the heater too full. This reduces its efficiency. More surface area increases efficiency. You need to turn and rotate items in front of the heater fairly constantly. It's a pain but makes best use of the most effective drying spot in the house. When things are dry, you put them in the basket for folding and move some new items in front of the heater. The items hanging above the doors also need to be rotated, and dry things removed. This increases the air flow.
All of this needs to be done over the afternoon and evening so that in the morning, there is dry washing to be folded and put away. And space to air the next load of washing. It all seems rather obvious to me. Scientific even. It would make life easier if we replaced the dryer of despair with one that could dry damp clothes as opposed to almost dry clothes within a reasonable time frame. But apparently dryers are bad. So fiddle we must. If I try and explain it one more time, I'll burst I'm sure, because like I said it's pretty obvious. Tedious but obvious.
Is that is possibly a kookaburra silver dish thing in the background? If so, I have the same one. If not, ignore.
ReplyDeleteWinter has many compications. I havn't worked out a new washing & drying routine to fit into the weather yet and is it stressing me!
It is, and I think there might be a kangaroo one around somewhere.
ReplyDeleteOh, I am so whinging about the laundry and there's only three of us! If I was doing it all, I'd be still whinging but maybe less snarky? maybe not.
That basket in the background, with the pinky red plastic stripe is TO DIE FOR.
ReplyDeleteAnd I meant to tell you, did you see the photo in last weekend's Sunday Life (I'm always a week behind with the papers)? Paul McCartney aged 20 playing the guitar in his parents' backyard under a line of clothes on the line. I thought of you.
I also an sans-dryer ( and not buying one for the same reasons you mention here ), but also HATE the Chinese Laundry indoors look.
ReplyDeleteI basically do all the same things as you, with the following exceptions:
I dry AB's shirts on their hangers off doorknobs. When they are dry, I put them in the wardrobe.
Anything on the rack gets taken off, folded and put away the second it is dry. If I had piles of *folding*, other people in this house would place things on top of it, such as, oh, I don't know - dirty plates, other dirty clothes, shoes... the cat ... thus rendering all work useless.
We only iron as needed. Storage is cramped, so we do not iron to put away, we iron to wear.
So.
Aren't you glad you now know ? ;)