With most households currently looking for ways to keep their energy bills down, many may be avoiding using the tumble dryer in a bid to reduce costs.
But with April showers in the forecast, the unsettled spring weather can make it tricky to get clothes outside on the line to dry off quickly in the sunshine. This means that many people may opt for draping their damp garments over radiators after they've been in the wash.
While this is a common method to speed up the drying process, an expert has warned against covering your radiators with wet washing. This is because the tactic could end up increasing your heating bills, as well as causing damage to your home by triggering condensation, The Mirror reports.
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Owen Whitlock, interior expert at Beanbags.co.uk, explained: "While hanging wet clothes over your radiators will dry them, this could cause excess condensation in your home. This will lead to mould which can create all kinds of damage including staining paintwork, not to mention the allergens that mould can produce.
"As well as this it could increase the cost of your heating bill," he added. "Hanging clothes over the top of your radiator will prevent it from heating your house, which means the boiler will need to work harder than it needs to, therefore increasing its running costs."
Luckily, there are a few things you can do to get your clothes to dry quickly without resorting to putting them on radiators or using an energy-intensive tumble dryer, the expert advised. Owen suggested washing clothes early to take advantage of the sunlight, and placing garments on an airer in a sunny spot inside the home.
If you do use a clothes airer, the expert also suggested that clothes should be turned over every couple of hours to help them dry evenly. Adding a few drops of a nice-smelling fragrance, such as lavender oil, into your fabric conditioner can help to combat the musty smell that can arise from drying clothes indoors.
To further help prevent this unpleasant smell, Owen also advised washing fewer clothes per load. This will help prevent your clothes airer from becoming overcrowded when it comes to hanging them up, meaning that they will take less time to dry and therefore be less likely to develop a damp smell.
Some households short on drying space or natural light have opted for a heated clothes airer, which has been hailed as a cheaper alternative to the tumble dryer amid the cost of living crisis. Earlier this year, Lakeland shoppers praised a "life-saver" heated airer available from the retailer that worked to dry clothes for just 10p an hour, hailing the gadget as a "game changer".
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