Winter Laundry Cost Check: Running the Dryer Nonstop vs. Smart Indoor Drying in a Rental

Winter laundry in a rental: Two strategies compared

In many rental apartments, there are only two realistic ways to get wet laundry dry in winter: either the electric dryer runs almost all the time, or the clothes sit on a rack in the middle of the room. Both cost money, and both affect the indoor climate. What matters is how well the individual steps are planned.

This comparison shows two typical everyday strategies and their impact on electricity costs, mold risk, and the household budget:

• Strategy A: Laundry almost always goes in the dryer
• Strategy B: a smart combination of a high spin speed, targeted dryer use, and planned air-drying inside the apartment

Strategy A: Running the dryer nonstop for convenience

With Strategy A, almost every load ends up in the dryer: towels, bedding, everyday clothes, workout gear. Laundry dries quickly, nothing is hanging around in the way, and the indoor climate stays stable because the moisture is captured in the dryer.

The trade-off shows up on the electric bill. A typical condenser dryer uses about 1.5 to 2.5 kWh per cycle. With realistic usage numbers, it’s easy to estimate what that means per month.

Example calculation: A typical dryer month

Assume a small family or shared apartment uses the dryer in winter like this:

• 4 loads of laundry per week
• 3 of those loads go in the dryer
• Average usage per drying cycle: 2 kWh
• Electricity price: 0.35 euros per kWh

This amount is for drying only. If more frequent washing is added, the total rises accordingly. In a digital household budget, this often shows up only as total electricity, but you can make it visible with notes such as dryer day.

Pros and cons of Strategy A

• Pros:
  • Laundry dries quickly
  • No additional humidity in the apartment
  • Hardly any planning effort in everyday life
• Cons:
  • Clear additional electricity costs
  • Textiles wear out faster due to heat and friction
  • Dependence on the appliance – if it breaks down or malfunctions, things get complicated

Strategy B: Combine smartly and save intentionally

Strategy B tries to get the best of both worlds: the dryer is used when it truly makes sense, and the rest dries indoors on a plan. This lowers electricity costs without the indoor climate getting out of hand.

Step 1: Set the spin speed optimally

The drier laundry comes out of the washer, the less energy the dryer or the room radiator needs. You often see the following levels:

• 800 rpm: laundry stays very wet
• 1000 rpm: workable for everyday use, but still quite a bit of residual moisture
• 1200 rpm or 1400 rpm: noticeably less water in the laundry

A higher spin speed does use a bit more electricity during washing, but it saves significantly more energy during subsequent drying. That shows up in the annual budget.

Step 2: Use the dryer only for certain textiles

• Targeted for the dryer: towels, bedding, thick socks, underwear as needed
• On the rack: T-shirts, sleepwear, workout clothes, thin sweaters, kids’ cotton clothing

Assume only 2 dryer cycles per week remain:

Conclusion: Dry with a plan, save with visibility

In winter, small choices determine how high a household’s electricity and heating costs will be. Anyone who deliberately combines spin speed, dryer use, and indoor air-drying can reduce ongoing costs without having to give up comfort.

In the end, it’s not about banning the dryer entirely, but about seeing it as a tool used with intention.