Readers of this blog will know that last June, at the beginning of winter here in the southern hemisphere, I decided to turn off my clothes dryer and dry my clothes naturally. I was never a big user of the dryer but did rely on it for drying towels, sheets and underwear during the wettest coldest months. To my surprise, I didn’t find going without the dryer particularly inconvenient. The worst element was the sheets which had to be folded several times before being hung but with my central heating even the sheets dried relatively quickly. Once the experiment was over I went back to my old life - with the occasional use of the dryer.
Then at the beginning of January my dryer broke down. Normally I would call a repair person the same day, but I didn’t. I decided to see how long I could go without the dryer. Almost three months later I still don’t have a dyer and, really, I don’t care. In many ways autumn in Sydney is more difficult than winter to dry clothes. The air maybe warm but it is also humid and we have a lot of coastal rain here. Not warm enough to dry the clothes outside many days but too warm to turn on the central heating to help dry them inside so the clothes can sit for days before they are dry. An ugly look and I always imagine the clothes stewing in their juices, eeeewww.
With a small renovation to our kitchen and laundry being drawn up at the moment my thoughts have turned to what design features I should incorporate to allow me to dry clothes effectively all year ‘round in Sydney without a dryer. I have asked the architect to ensure that an outdoor clothesline is well placed to receive the most sunlight and warm breezes but I will also look at the design of the laundry carefully. Currently on wet days I hang clothes indoors on drying racks but this gives the house the look of a commercial laundry.
Then at the beginning of January my dryer broke down. Normally I would call a repair person the same day, but I didn’t. I decided to see how long I could go without the dryer. Almost three months later I still don’t have a dyer and, really, I don’t care. In many ways autumn in Sydney is more difficult than winter to dry clothes. The air maybe warm but it is also humid and we have a lot of coastal rain here. Not warm enough to dry the clothes outside many days but too warm to turn on the central heating to help dry them inside so the clothes can sit for days before they are dry. An ugly look and I always imagine the clothes stewing in their juices, eeeewww.
With a small renovation to our kitchen and laundry being drawn up at the moment my thoughts have turned to what design features I should incorporate to allow me to dry clothes effectively all year ‘round in Sydney without a dryer. I have asked the architect to ensure that an outdoor clothesline is well placed to receive the most sunlight and warm breezes but I will also look at the design of the laundry carefully. Currently on wet days I hang clothes indoors on drying racks but this gives the house the look of a commercial laundry.
So I've looked back before our time and decided that a Victorian-style ceiling –mounted drying rack would be perfect. Our house is over 90 years old and has 3.3m ceilings. My new laundry will have a drying cupboard located over a central heating vent and a ceiling mounted drying rack to catch all the warm air that rises to ceiling. An indoor drying solution that is confined to the laundry – that is sure to please everyone.
I will still install a clothes dryer but I hope I never have to turn it on.
11 comments:
I love the idea of one of those Victorian racks. Our laundry is long and narrow which because I like to confine the drying rack to the laundry makes manouvering around it tricky - if the rack was on the ceiling, I could walk right under it. Nothing like damp smalls flapping in your face.
When I was in Ireland in the 80s, the house next door to where I was staying had a Victorian rack in the kitchen, hoisted up and down with a pulley and all the clothes were dried with the heat of the Aga.
In this house,we've decided not to get a dryer at all. Just inside and verandah lines.
Good on you for going without a dryer Janet! I'm getting quite excited about having a ceiling-mounted drying rack. And I can't believe that sort of thing excites me.
I think I should talk about my choice of stove next.
Alison: fortunately with a 3.3m ceiling the smalls won't flap in my face!
I too like the ceiling rack. I was going to suggest a wall mount that can be folded away when not in use, but the ceiling mount sounds more space-friendly and efficient. We are cutting back on the dryer usage, especially now that spring is here, but I guiltily confess to still using it about half the time.
With you 100% ! That's what I was brought up with and in a tiny 3-roomed flat, too! We called it quite simply "the pulley" and it's still the best way of drying indoors I've come across, yet, so much so that we have fixed a pull-out "Tidydry", which stays permanently pulled out high up in the utility room. The ceilng isn't strong enough for a pulley. A "pulley" would be better as it can be loaded from the floor, the spars are thick and rounded so items can be slung over saving pegging time and not making line markings and, not only is it right out of the way, but the ceiling is the warmest part ot the room. Our weather here in the N.W. of Scotland tends to "humidity" as I'm sure you can well imagine but we still get most drying done outdoors even if it's between showers. They smell fresher, feel softer (we have a lot of wind), are less creased and have a lot less anaerobic bacteria. As a child, I lived 3 floors up but my mother would carry the baskets of washing up and down to the "backgreen" preferring to dry outside only using the pulley as a last resort or for airing. I'd never used a dryer till we moved here a few years ago and inherited one with the house. I tried it and found it good for small items (which are easy to dry anyway) but the sheets and towels got into a lump and it used a lot of electricity so I gave it away as I had a better use for the space. Having said all that, I can appreciate their advantages and have decided that when our current ancient washer finally dies we shall have a washer/dryer for emergencies. We are getting older and it's a 100 mile round trip to the nearest hospital! So, how we've swapped over! The only snag about pulleys in our youth was that they often were in the room that was heated mostly, for obvious reasons, i.e. the living-kitchen so the laundry often smelt of what had been cooking.
I would love to be able to hang out our clothes, or at least have the option to. My mom did when I was growing up at home. Now I wonder though, how we managed to not have bird poop on them. What a silly thing to think about! Ha
I love the idea of a drying cupboard where the heating vents. Smart thinking!
I had one of those in Stanmore.
It was absolutely fantastic...
Ah, 'the pulley' -- it was a wonderful invention epecially for countries with 'damp' climates.
We had one at home when I was young and my sister still has one. I can't remember being aware of smelling like a Chip Shop!!
I have never had a drier but then we live in an Extreme Mediterranean climate. We very rarely have more than one day of rain at a time.
Sadly the washing dries too quickly in Summer and you don't get that fresh soft feel.
I do have the 'bird poop' problem though and have to position the clothes either side of the big overhanging branch. There was no problem 10 years ago when we positioned the clothes line but what was a sapling on the neighbours block is now a large tree! We enjoy the birds so put up with the inconvenience.
When we lived in the UK we had an airing cupboard which was basically slatted shelves that sat over the hot water service.
It worked a treat, kept the wet laundry out of sight and I very rarely had to use the dryer - even in the depths of a Yorkshire winter.
Wow, i never realised how easy I have it, being able to line dry nearly all year round.If its wet, i hang under the house (its a high set queenslander), or take them inside to the enclosed verandah, or use a wire clothes horse
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