Laundry in the winter: tips and tricks

May 10th, 2012

Appliance Talk Clothes Dryers Laundry Washers & Dryers

In summer, doing the laundry is as easy as dropping your clothes in the washing machine, waiting for the cycle to end, and sticking them out on the line.  After just a short time in the sun, you have clean and dry clothes.  What could be simpler?

Well, I’ve got news for you:

Winter is coming

No, that’s not an unnecessary Game of Thrones reference (well it is, but that’s not the point).  Winter really is coming, and some of the many changes the season brings affect how we do our laundry.

In winter, the weather is much cooler, meaning that line-drying your clothes takes much longer.  And while Australia doesn’t get much snow, winter is the rainy season for much of the country, which removes the option of outdoor line-drying.

Hanging clothes all through the house isn’t really a practical solution – people have to live there, and it’s hard for your guests to relax with a cuppa when your underpants are hanging in plain view.

Unless you’ve got a spare room handy, or a laundry big enough to hang a full load (rare, as laundries tend to prioritise efficiency over spaciousness), you may need to turn to the dryer.

Types of dryers

There are three kinds of clothes dryer to consider this winter:

Vented Dryers

Usually the least expensive and most energy-efficient option, vented clothes dryers dry clothes by blasting them with hot air and venting out the waste air.

In winter, you’ll need to make sure that this warm and moist waste air is well-managed, as it reacts with cool surfaces to create condensation.  My own vented dryer (which I inherited from my home’s previous occupants) fills my laundry with hot air each time it’s used, meaning that in winter you need to bring an umbrella to the laundry after each load – the effect is like a tiny localised rainstorm soaking every surface.

Many vented dryers are available with a flexible venting kit to send this hot air outside through a window.  Alternatively, vented dryers can be professionally installed with in-built venting flues out through the wall or even the roof of your home.  Make sure that a professional handles this though – don’t go knocking holes through your walls or ceiling.

Condenser Dryers

Condenser dryers avoid the condensation problems of vented dryers by extracting the moisture from the hot air once it’s been used to dry clothes and sending it to a collection tank or drain, making them very handy to have in the winter.

As condenser dryers don’t need an exhaust point such as a flue or window like a vented dryer, they be easily installed anywhere in the home.  However, they do tend to be more expensive and less energy-efficient than vented dryers.

If you plan to keep a condender dryer in your laundry, remember that they can’t be wall-mounted due to their weight, though they can be stacked with a matching washing machine using a stacking kit.

Washer/Dryer combos

A good option for if your laundry is really cramped – that way, you can get the whole cycle done in one go, minimising the amount of time you need to spend in the winter cold.

Most washer/dryer combos are condenser dryers, meaning they don’t need to be attached to a flue or venting kit – just a water supply for the washer.

Though washer/dryer combos are incredibly convenient, they a relatively small when compared to other varieties.  If you’ve got a large family with a lot of clothes to take care of, you may be better served by a higher-capacity washer and seperate high-capacity dryer.

Two more quick tips for winter washing

• Look for a washing machine and/or dryer with a delay start feature.  This will let you do the laundry at the times that are most efficient for you, so you can avoid having to leave your clothes to sit in the cold winter air, absorbing additional moisture.
• If you’re worried about your dryer doing terrible things to your power bill, try using the spin cycle on your washing machine to get as much of the water as possible out of your clothes before drying, so the dryer will have less work to do.

Got more tips for doing laundry in the winter?  Please share them!