When I wash my running gear (and other clothes for that matter) in the morning and hang it on a clothes dryer in the house it can take 2 days to dry and then smells mouldy and needs washing again.
Anyone else got this problem and found a solution? I don't want to put heating on just to dry clothes or buy a tumble dryer which I don't have space for anyway.
Comments
change your washing machine for a washer/dryer combo thingy?
put a dryer in your shed / garage?
or buy a de-humidifier...will help speed things up, but might cost a fair bit in electricity so might as well put the heating on!
if your kit is made of technical material it should be more or less dry when it comes out of the machine...mine rarely take more than a few hours to totally dry.
wish I had an airing cupboard.
I have this prob too Parky. Not found a solution yet apart from a squirt of febreze
Put it on whilst still wet and run around in it until it's dry???
You might need to take an umbrella though
No shed or garage - that's inner city living for you. No airing cupboard. No space in skinny entrance corridor' for shoe rack.
Tigerlily - my kit's the usual wicking, quick-dry material but leggings with a waistband can take 2 days to dry. I think having a dark house doesn't help - it's overlooked by huge walls at front and back because it's right next to a railway line and backs on to some shops. When we had all that rain earlier in the year, my favourite Odlo top was on the line for 3 days while I was at work because of the unpredictable weather. When I eventually brought it in, it smelt of rotting leaves and I had to throw it.
I have this problem when I wash my sports kit on the quick or delicates cycle, which doesn't spin out very fast so they're still dripping wet when they come out of the machine. Not a problem in summer, they just dry off in the warm conservatory.
In winter I give them an extra high-speed spin so they're just a bit damp afterwards, and then onto the clothes horse by the radiator.
I know what you mean about the smell, though.
Thanks everyone. I'll try those things - baking soda; airer in kitchen; blast of heating for an hour or so
I already do extra spinning and have started to use 'nice'-smelling eco fabric conditioner, rather than vinegar. Might put baking soda/bicarb in at the fab con stage now tho'.
I had to take my jeans off the drier yesterday and put them straight back in the wash. Pooh! *Holds nose in disgust.*
That's it Coughie - mildew. That's the smell. I've never gone out in gear smelling of it tho', so you haven't smelt me. I can't bear to put anything on when it smells of that smell.
I'll just have to get used to putting the heating on when it's not really necessary.
I've got a friend with a heated airer. I don't know how cost-efficient the airer is but the room does heat up a bit and she has nice toasty towels (as well as dry clothes!)
Wow Little N - could be the answer.
I found that too Shim - clothes end up smelling like those old ladies who cover themselves with perfume to save having to wash.
ooo, now that you mention it Little N, I saw an advert for one of those heated airers in a catalogue that came with the Sky magazine this month...I'm sure they are about £70 though.
As for fabric conditioner, I thought that spoils the wicking properties of sports kit.
No to fabric conditioner as Misfit says.
Parky, are you washing your kit hot enough? Not very Green but I do mine at 60 degress to kill bacteria with Persil bio and it smells nice and fresh.
I dry mine on a wooden expandable airer on the landing (heat rises) plus we've a small cottage... or in the airing cupboard for thicker items and my VFFs.