Poorly chicken

[The Dogmother]

It acts as a softener and helps to keep the machine free of soap gunk

[majorbloodnock]

Hard water is simply water with a high calcium content (typically when it has filtered through chalky hills). It makes towels rougher and requires more soap, so many people will soften their water in some way. The most convenient way is to install a water softener, but adding some vinegar (distilled, to avoid staining) will react with the calcium to achieve the same effect.

 

Personally, my wife and I like rough towels, so vinegar has no place whatever in our washing machine.

[Charlottechicken]

I'm putting up with crunchy towels at the moment, whilst the weather is good enough to line dry. In wet weather it's all thrown in the tumble dryer.

 

I like a dash of fabric conditioner, even though we have soft water. I buy a good quality one when it's on offer and water it down by half. I've just bought a 1.5 litre bottle and hope it lasts until well into next year

 

I can smell which neighbour has washing out by their choice of fabric conditioner, I think they are using a tad too much

[whoopsie]

I can't stand too much smelly fabric softener - I use the 'gentle' one meant for babies and it's much nicer. I have recently discovered the new Daz stuff though so might dispense with the softener.

 

Didn't know about the vinegar trick though - sounds good, thanks!

[Olly]

Charlottechicken, I'm really surprised that you use a tumble-dryer - aren't they really expensive to run? I'm mindful of your 'living on £4,000' plan. That's not meant to sound critical, I'm just curious - I've always understood that they eat electricity!

[Old Speckled Hen]

....I like them straight off the line.....

Unless the washing line was within arm's reach of my bathroom window, my neighbours would definitely complain about that......

 

Good job mine weren't looking this morning then.

Forgot bees last night so popped into the field to top up the feeders early this morning.

Got bombed, had to run away from hive ripping jumper full of bees off.

Phew!!!!

[The Dogmother]

Charlottechicken, I'm really surprised that you use a tumble-dryer - aren't they really expensive to run? I'm mindful of your 'living on £4,000' plan. That's not meant to sound critical, I'm just curious - I've always understood that they eat electricity!

 

Mine hardly costs anything to run - I wouldn't have one otherwise. Mind you, after years of resisting a dryer I finally bought one a few years back with some Christmas money.... I wouldn't be without it now while I line dry whenever the weather allows, I don't have the space in the house to dry on airers. I'm not around in the day (except at lunchtime) to take the washing in if it rains and as the heating is never on through the day, it just hangs around in the house for days on end, not drying at all. With both of us being sporty there's always plenty of kit to get washed.

[Blackrocksrock]

Bosch running costs are based on average use and costs £58 per year according to the website for my condenser drier. Based on 111 drying cycles per year - which is not bad at all - I prob use more than that though but still cheap enough compared to driving to a launderette and back with wet washing.

[The Dogmother]

That's interesting. I'm sure that I use mine less than that. It's not a Bosch though.

 

I recycle all the water from the condenser unit onto my plants as well. The fluff from the filter gets stuffed into empty loo roll innards and we use them as firelighters in the stove.

[Olly]

That's interesting - I am fortunate in that as I'm on my own, I can put things on the airer in the spare room without having to have my undies on display if anyone calls, they can take a while to dry in winter though, even with the heating on. I've always assumed that it would be very expensive to run a tumble-dryer, although it would save on the ironing and it would be wonderful for those occasions when I have left the washing till the last minute before going on holiday

[The Dogmother]

It makes things much easier to iron Olly, and some things don't need ironing at all

[jlo]

I used to use mine most of the time in winter. It is a John Lewis one that will stop when the washing is dry which is excellent.

 

Now, I tend to dry everything (apart from smalls cos I am really lazy! ) either outside or on an airer in the utility room and then finish it off as necessary. It means that ironing is less of a chore as any creases tend to fall out. It also means that the drier is only on for about ten/fifteen minutes.

[mostin]

 

This thread has absolutely stunned me!!!!!

 

why oh why oh why do you all like crunchy towels !!!! . I don't understand why anyone would want to use a crunchy towel by choice . I can't stand them, I hate it at my mums where you could club someone to death with her towels .

 

I never use fabric softener on them, as then they don't dry you as well, but I always dry them in the dryer so that they come out beautifully soft and fluffy . A clean, soft and fluffy towel to me is just heaven, and as soon as they start to get a bit crunchy back in the wash they go .

[chick wiggle]

As i said earler Mosssy, i have only discovered the pleasures of a crunchy towel and i love the exfoliation feeling you get with it but i do understand the attraction of soft and fluffy too

[The Dogmother]

I like my towels big and soft... like my men

[Blackrocksrock]

That's interesting. I'm sure that I use mine less than that. It's not a Bosch though.

 

I recycle all the water from the condenser unit onto my plants as well. The fluff from the filter gets stuffed into empty loo roll innards and we use them as firelighters in the stove.

Came from the which website - mine shuts itself off when things are dry - and you can set it to various stages of dry!! The fluff goes in my wormery and the water used in my steam iron ( I have one that is also a steamer) also so nothing waster here either.

[chickencam]

I like the variety, crunchy towels in the summer, soft fluffy tumbled towels in the winter, best of both worlds.

[red]

I like to line dry and then, when they are almost dry, fluff them up on the finishing cycle of the tumble dryer. No fabric softners.

 

We lived without a tumble dryer for years and years but with the arrival of a baby two years ago we found our old cottage could not cope with the quantity of moisture that was created by trying to dry a dailyload of washing arund the house (nor the space).

 

We have a Sheila Maid which we always use if the weather is pants and then finish off in the tumbler.

 

(My husband seems quite happy with crispy towels though)

[Charlottechicken]

Charlottechicken, I'm really surprised that you use a tumble-dryer - aren't they really expensive to run? I'm mindful of your 'living on £4,000' plan. That's not meant to sound critical, I'm just curious - I've always understood that they eat electricity!

 

Mine hardly costs anything to run - I wouldn't have one otherwise. Mind you, after years of resisting a dryer I finally bought one a few years back with some Christmas money.... I wouldn't be without it now while I line dry whenever the weather allows, I don't have the space in the house to dry on airers. I'm not around in the day (except at lunchtime) to take the washing in if it rains and as the heating is never on through the day, it just hangs around in the house for days on end, not drying at all. With both of us being sporty there's always plenty of kit to get washed.

 

Ditto to Clarets reply! When I first had my tumble dryer I also changed to low energy lightbulbs and never noticed the electric bills go up. I've never understood the high usage thing with them. I used to use my vented one to heat the kitchen and utility room too! Now I have a condenser I use the warm water to wash stuff in the utility sink, water the indoor plants etc. Like Claret, I also save the fluff for stuffing toilet roll tubes. In the spring I hang the fluff out in a net for the birds to use as nesting.

[Olly]

Well charlottechicken I knew if you had one, it couldn't be as expensive to run as I'd imagined. This has really been enlightening for me, and made me change my views about tumble dryers - I still prefer crunchy towels though!

[The Dogmother]

I tell you what, it took a lot to convince me too Olly. Having a small child and the inevitable loads of washing helped; I just couldn't get it dry in the winter

[whoopsie]

I have to say the vent on the dryer is very good for heating the hall in winter - it's 22ft high and needs all the help it can get!

[Charlottechicken]

Well charlottechicken I knew if you had one, it couldn't be as expensive to run as I'd imagined. This has really been enlightening for me, and made me change my views about tumble dryers - I still prefer crunchy towels though!

 

You do save a bit on ironing too, as Claret mentioned. I fold everything straight out of the dryer and mostly only iron my work clothes, so there's an electricity saving for not using the iron and a time saving. I also don't tumble until everything is crispy dry, I have a 60 minute limit, and find this is more than adequate for even brushed cotton sheets, if I don't overfill! Some things don't like being tumbled, I wear tights for work and read that tumbling makes them deteriorate faster, so they get hung up in the bathroom. I find that even the condenser heats the room too so the radiator in the utility is rarely on in winter if I am using the tumble dryer.

 

My mother has one now as well, and she is a committed line dryer. She uses hers to finish the drying as others have mentioned.

[Cinnamon]

I got mine 9my first one) when the children were little,& would not be without one now.

 

I do still drip dry,& the heated towel rail in the bathroom is great for jeans,but I hate having clothes hanging around everywhere.

 

Mine is mainly used for towels,undies & work/school uniforms..............a surprisingly large amount of clothes can't be tumbled,like T shirts & tights.

[kitchens]

Line and crunchy - lovely.

 

I do have a tumble dryer but I don't really like the way it softens the clothes. I only use it in emergencies - i.e. hubby's work clothes and DS's school uniform if we run out!