WITH bills soaring, using the tumble dryer is a cost many families can do without.

Here, Queen Of Clean Lynsey Crombie tells Claire Dunwell her ten money-saving drying commandments.

I HAVE done this for years — hanging clothes on the line even when it’s very cold will dry them.

You just need to space them out correctly — a peg length apart is ideal rather than bunching them together like we do in summer — so they get ample air. As long as clothes have air blowing through them, they will dry.

Sometimes the sun pops through temporarily at this time of year and those few minutes of drying warmth could save you hundreds of pounds per year, which you would spend trying to dry them indoors or in the tumble dryer.

DRYING a pair of jeans indoors at this time of year takes on average 36 hours on an airer, and by the time they are dry, they can be crispy and stale.

Instead, especially if you don’t have a garden, use your shower curtain rail and hang clothes there.

It’s also a good idea to use trouser hangers because they keep clothes in shape as they dry.

Once dry, use a spray-on de-creasing liquid.

You can buy these cheaply in places like B&M or make your own. To do this (and avoid ironing all together) add to a 500ml spray bottle a mixture of three quarters of cold water, two heaped spoons of corn starch, and a minimum of 20 drops of essential oils.

It will last for months in your cupboard and it won’t break the bank.

IT might sound like an old wives’ tale, but touching the path will tell you if there’s too much moisture in the air for your clothes to dry outside.

If the path is dry, then your washing will also dry.

IF you are trying to dry your clothes outside and it rains, resist the temptation to wash them again, which costs more money.

Your washing machine is turning around dirty water from soiling and sweat, while the rainwater is probably cleaner.

If clothes do get wet, then bring them inside and put them on hangers.

Close the bedroom doors and hang them on the curtain rail over the window — keeping it slightly open to keep fresh air circulating.

Or invest in a dehumidifier to prevent damp air from lingering.

THINGS like jumpers and denim take longer to dry, so remember to go outside and turn them halfway through the day to change the circulation.

Hang them from the hood for the first part of the day, then turn and peg at the waistband for the remainder.

This way the sun and the wind will get through different parts of the fabric.

THE clothes rails you often see at car boot sales cost about £15 and because they are adjustable, you can work with the space you have.

If you have a balcony, they can be wheeled out on a dry day and wheeled back in if the air feels damp.

Another option is to invest in a pop-up canvas wardrobe you can pick up at Argos, to help dry clothes in. In a well-ventilated room, clothes will dry in no time and save money in the long run.

BRANDS are cottoning on to the energy crisis and bringing out all sorts of products which claim to save you money — electric plug-in airers are one.

You are spoilt for choice but I’d suggest you try to spend as much on one as you can afford because the cheap ones simply aren’t worth the money and will take a long time to dry clothes.

IF you still have the luxury of being able to afford to run a tumble dryer, adding half a dozen ice cubes into the drum with a full load of washing creates humidity and speeds up the drying process as well as releasing creases.

Alternatively, add in a dry tea towel. It will soak up the moisture from the wet load and reduce drying time — and the cost.

FINISHING off clothes in the tumble dryer when you bring them off the line at the end of the day defeats the object and you won’t save money.

Hang out your clothes at 7am and bring them in at 6pm.

Even if your clothes feel wet, if they’ve been out for 11 hours they are probably just cold — and as soon as they are in warm air inside, they will be fine.

FIXED washing lines do the job until the garden goes into the shade — but you might have sunny spots in different places across the day.

So invest in a rotary line — one you can pop up and move around the garden into sunny areas. This is especially handy if you’re working from home and can nip in and out to reposition it.

And just because we are now in autumn, the air still dries clothes — even very cold air — so do keep getting them outside if you have the time and space.

A stranger told me my outfit was inappropriate in the grocery store parking lot

Wild child Prince Harry 'died inside' when he met Meghan Markle, claims author

I'm an elegance pro - top 10 items a classy lady should never wear in fall

I’m midsize and fell in love with a $9 Amazon dress

© 2020 THE SUN, US, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY | YOUR AD CHOICES | SITEMAP