Dry your clothes the natural way

Dry your clothes outdoors when you can or hang them up inside.

If you do have to use your dryer, don’t put soaking wet clothes into it and remember to separate different fabrics.

If the weather’s looking pleasant, dry your clothes on a line outside. Even if the weather is being typically British, you can still avoid the tumble dryer by finishing off your wet washing indoors.

Be careful not to put your clothes over a radiator though as this stops the heat from reaching the rest of the room, creates damp and provides good growing conditions for mould. Try putting up a clothes rail in an unheated room, opening the window slightly to allow damp to escape and shutting the door to stop heat being drawn into the room.

If you still need to use your dryer, don’t put soaking wet clothes into it. This will only mean it takes even longer to dry them, using up extra energy and costing you more. Wring out clothes or spin-dry them first to reduce moisture as much as possible.

Also, keeping heavy fabrics (such as damp towels and bedding) away from lighter fabrics will help to reduce the cycle time needed for some loads.