I dry washing in the dining room which has an open arch to the kitchen at one end and a door to the hall at the other. The door to the hall is always open because we have cats and dogs so that means we have airflow and no dampness.
We have been known, this winter, to light the log fire in the dining room rather than put on the oil fired CH as the heat spreads well and then we just need throws and/or an extra jumper in the living room.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
I'd struggle to get all our washing done if I had to wait for dry days. I dry as much as I can indoors but I don't have a spare room to put it in. I do use the drier now and again, but not as often as I used to. I also don't have the heating on a lot now, so it's not always great for getting heavier stuff dried - takes too long. That's where it can be difficult with moisture hanging about. My heating hasn't been on since first thing Friday morning [half an hour] apart from about half an hour this morning.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I dried the sheets outside last Wednesday when we had a sunny dry day, first time this year. They do smell so lovely when dried in fresh air.
Otherwise I use the tumbler dryer as usual. I've always believed that damp homes are bad for your health and your home. Our en-suite is quite tiny and despite having the extractor fan for quite a long time, we still get mould on the ceiling near the window, despite using an anti-mould spray. I think this is probably due to our bathrooms being fully tiled up the ceiling and therefore surplus moisture is not absorbed into the walls as it otherwise would be. Our builders did try to tell me but I was adamant I wanted them fully tiled!
Moving this up from last Winter so we can share our experiences, moans and tips now the cold is back for another season…
Update:
1. New dehumidifier seems to be helping keep the air a bit drier so the the cold isn’t so uncomfortable and there is less condensation etc. A good investment.
2. We are still being economical with heating and using our snug rather than lounge in the cold months.
3. Oversized fleecy jumpers and fleecy bedding are winners for cosy nights.
My Mum had one of those @Songbird-2. It was in the kitchen where there was an Aga.
I'm lucky in my house in France as there is a wood burning oven in the breakfast room. The stairs are in the breakfast room and the heat goes up so I have a clothes dryer on the landing. The landing gets very warm. If I want a warm bedroom I open the door, if I want it cool I shut the door. There is an electric radiator in the bedroom but I only use it for a short while in the morning. The kitchen is the other half of the breakfast room separated by old oak beams. The sitting room is next to the breakfast room, but it has 2 electric radiators which are off at night and on in the day.
Update - I bought a wood burner for the sitting room so the electric radiators are hardly on. Firewood is much cheaper in France, so is electricity, but oil is more expensive.
Now I'm in OH's cottage in Norfolk, back to France on the 17th for Christmas with my family. OH has oil fired heating, on in the day, off at night. Also a small wood burner in the sitting room for when it's very cold.
Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
We close the doors on unused rooms - 2 unheated guest beds plus my sewing room when I'm not in there. We all rug up - layers with thermal vests, ski socks, shirts, jumpers etc and fleecy throws on the sofa. Even Rasta doggy, now 16 and a half, is wearing her jumper.
We put the oil fired CH on for an hour in the morning while we're all getting up and dressed and then again in the late pm. Can't light the wood burner in the living room as it's far too big and hot making but we're planning to swap it for a smaller one in the January sales. We light the wood burner in the dining room on feast days and when it's really cold because it heats the kitchen too.
We're not heating our bedroom yet but Possum has her radiator on as well as a 9 tog duvet and fleeces which the two cats love too.
Washing is dried outside except when it's damp or foggy. The doors are opened often enough to let people and dogs in and out that we don't have damp issues.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
In my box room I keep the heating on very low, just to keep the bricks dry. In these 19th C houses is really not a good idea to not heat them - mould is a perennial and inherent problem.
I have just bought one of those heated throws from Lakeland. I love it. Our sitting room is quite chilly in winter without the supplementary, and expensive, electric fan. The throw is just excellent.
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We have been known, this winter, to light the log fire in the dining room rather than put on the oil fired CH as the heat spreads well and then we just need throws and/or an extra jumper in the living room.
I also don't have the heating on a lot now, so it's not always great for getting heavier stuff dried - takes too long. That's where it can be difficult with moisture hanging about. My heating hasn't been on since first thing Friday morning [half an hour] apart from about half an hour this morning.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Going back to an earlier conversation, Terry Pratchett quote "Don't put your trust in revolutions. They always come around again."
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
Otherwise I use the tumbler dryer as usual. I've always believed that damp homes are bad for your health and your home. Our en-suite is quite tiny and despite having the extractor fan for quite a long time, we still get mould on the ceiling near the window, despite using an anti-mould spray. I think this is probably due to our bathrooms being fully tiled up the ceiling and therefore surplus moisture is not absorbed into the walls as it otherwise would be. Our builders did try to tell me but I was adamant I wanted them fully tiled!
Update:
1. New dehumidifier seems to be helping keep the air a bit drier so the the cold isn’t so uncomfortable and there is less condensation etc. A good investment.
2. We are still being economical with heating and using our snug rather than lounge in the cold months.
Now I'm in OH's cottage in Norfolk, back to France on the 17th for Christmas with my family. OH has oil fired heating, on in the day, off at night. Also a small wood burner in the sitting room for when it's very cold.
We put the oil fired CH on for an hour in the morning while we're all getting up and dressed and then again in the late pm. Can't light the wood burner in the living room as it's far too big and hot making but we're planning to swap it for a smaller one in the January sales. We light the wood burner in the dining room on feast days and when it's really cold because it heats the kitchen too.
We're not heating our bedroom yet but Possum has her radiator on as well as a 9 tog duvet and fleeces which the two cats love too.
Washing is dried outside except when it's damp or foggy. The doors are opened often enough to let people and dogs in and out that we don't have damp issues.
https://www.eonenergy.com/boilers/heating-hub/issues/how-to-bleed-a-radiator.html
I don't have a heated throw, but a thermal one l bought from B&M. It's been in use quite a bit over the past few days. Lovely and soft