Drying Washing Inside

As a child I grew up in England. During winter it was impossible to dry washing outside. The amount of sunshine was limited and the washing was just as wet at the end of the day as it was when hung outside.

But then, when I was a child, washing machines didn’t have a spin cycle and there was no option of using a clothes dryer, they hadn’t been invented for domestic use. This has all changed and now our washing comes out of the machine just damp and not wet or dripping.

Even though the washing is reasonably dry when removed from the spin cycle everything still needs a certain amount of warmth to completely dry out. If there is no sun the clothes dryer is the obvious answer. But is it?

In the Northern Hemisphere during winter, many people hang their clothing over the central heating radiators. But there is only so much available space on the radiators to hang things. There are such things as a clothes horse. This is a structure made out of coated metal or wood on which one can hang clothing. Placed in front of a fire or near a heater the clothes over a period of time will dry out.

The use of the clothes dryer is preferred because it is quicker. At the most, an hour to an hour and a half and everything in the dryer is dry. But, have you ever noticed the condition of the articles when they come out of the dryer? Generally all the items are crumpled and crushed. There is a reason for this, it is placing too much in the dryer at one time. But to spread the drying over two loads uses a lot of electricity and again, takes time.

I live in a town house where I have to dry my clothes on a verandah or inside and use a clothes horse. I make a point of using my clothes horse as if it were a washing line and hang everything with pegs. Folding items over the line makes the article a double thickness thereby taking longer to dry out. Even socks and pants I hang up with pegs. It actually takes up less space and because everything is a single thickness they dry quicker.

The other great thing about hanging clothing on the clothes horse with pegs is the lack of crinkles, so no ironing required. And that is the answer.

When it is cold and/or wet and clothes have to be dried inside, sometimes it is just as easy not to use a clothes dryer. It is how you hang the clothes on the clothes horse that helps. Peg everything as if it were on the washing line and you will find you will not only save electricity but the clothes will dry out overnight and be ready to put into drawers and wardrobes the next morning.

And so it is Christmas

Well it will be very soon. Probably, like me you are having guests over and now panicking about how you will find the time to clean up. Believe me this happens to us all, but there are ways of keeping the cleaning down to the minimum.

Firstly always remember your visitors come to see you, not to find out how dirty your home is, but a tidy room where you will be entertaining is definitely preferable. If you make a point of tidying up the rooms the visitors will see you will have solved all the problems in one.

As it is summer here in Australia and the weather is warm, we make a point of setting up the entertaining area outside. Even if you only have a tiny verandah you can still make it look inviting. The idea is to set aside a small area for the food and drinks, and some chairs outside, if there is room, and as soon as the visitors arrive whisk them through to the outside.

Because the kitchen will be used one has to make that look neat, clean and tidy. My advice is to prepare all the food, crockery, glasses and cutlery before the visitors arrive, then clear all the bench tops leaving lots of space. This way you can spread out what will be used and there will be space for extra things that could be brought by the visitors.

The only other rooms you will need to make look clean are the rooms your visitors will walk through such as the kitchen, and the powder room or bathroom. The hallway and living areas can be quickly tidied up by picking up any object on the floor and be in a cupboard or box. If you use a box, hide it behind a sofa. You will need to vacuum the floor and if the dust is thick dust the horizontal surfaces, but as long as the room is tidy, once vacuumed, it will give a clean prepared look.

A thorough clean of the toilet and sink in the powder room and the vacuuming of the floor will make it presentable, and if you only have one bathroom try to close off the shower recess so that doesn’t need cleaning. Should there be a bath make sure there is no dust, just rub over it with a damp cloth before cleaning the sink and toilet.

By making these two visited areas clean it won’t take as long as you expect and there will be more time to prepare the food. Remember areas where visitors won’t go, won’t be seen if you keep the doors closed.

Have a great Christmas, and relax.

Julie Finch-Scally

20th December 2021