Are there any tips on keeping clothes warm without a radiator?

Posted by taterinx@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 32 comments

My family is particularly conscious of our energy bill, don’t think that’s anything special nowadays haha.

Anyways, my uniform is always so cold in the morning, changing into it is a nightmare. Any quick tips on keeping them AT LEAST a bit lukewarm during the winter without a radiator?

So far I’ve got: 1. Keep the uniform under the blanket I sleep under during the night, 2. Sleep IN the uniform, 3. Hot water bottle

Last one makes most sense, just gotta find it! In the meantime, any other quick tips would be appreciated

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1-05457@reddit

Iron them?

How cold are you keeping your house that this is a problem?

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FidelityBob@reddit

I was brought up in the days before central heating. Frost on the windows in the morning. I used to take my clothes into bed with me for a few minutes then put them on under the sheets.

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piper_perri_vs_5guys@reddit

Couple of minutes in the microwave. Just make sure there are no metal bits in your dress.

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taterinx@reddit (OP)

I’ve heard about electric blankets for ages, just need to look at my options and get around to buying one! You have any recommendations or nah?

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Electric blankets are great! It’s clear from some of the comments that not everyone knows what a cold house is like - if you have one, you know how freezing cotton is to put on in the morning, also why previous generations had carpeted bathrooms or mats round the loo! Silent night and Dreamland are both good makes of blanket and getting into a toasty bed never gets old; you enjoy it every single time.

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sparklybeast@reddit

why previous generations had carpeted bathrooms or mats round the loo!

Huh, that makes perfect sense. I don't know why I've got to 45 (including my childhood in a house without central heating and with a loo mat!) and not put two and two together. Sometimes life makes you feel really dense, doesn't it?

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moon-bouquet@reddit

Typically they go on sale after Xmas once emergency purchases for visitors have stopped!

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Cool_beans4921@reddit

I bought a heated clothes airer from Dunelm. The running cost is 7p an hour.

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Stripycardigans@reddit

It may be that the air is damp, which can magnify feeling cold so a dehumidifier might help

You could try wearing a woolen vest/tee-shirt underneath. Wool doesn't feel cold to the touch in the same way that cotton can, so would keep your core warm when you put your uniform one

Iron your clothes to warm them

You might be able to turn on just 1 radiator to warm your clothes up

You could pop them in a tumble drier for a few minuets, but I doubt that's overly energy efficient

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taterinx@reddit (OP)

Honestly you make a good point about the damp, we’ve been really fighting it lately. The dehumidifier we have helps a little but it’s too bulky to really keep in my tiny room. In any case, I definitely need to bring more wool into my wardrobe; I usually wear an undershirt underneath my uniform but that gets cold all the same cause it’s the same material

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DragonfruitLazy322@reddit

Use a hair dryer.

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nathderbyshire@reddit

My hairdryer puts in work, if anything I dry my hair the least with it. Body and clothes are a big one

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Gatodeluna@reddit

Get an electric/heated towel rack and drape the uniform on it. Doesn’t need to be on very long - 10 min?

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-_-Orange@reddit

Get a cat.

Clothes will either be warmed in the morning from cat naps, or completely shredded from claw sharpening.

It’s a win either way imo.

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taterinx@reddit (OP)

Honestly so many of my problems would be solved by getting a cat. Family isn’t keen on that though :(

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-_-Orange@reddit

Just don’t tell them. When they eventually notice it, just play it off like the cats always been there ☺️

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One_Loquat_3737@reddit

When I was a kid my schoolclothes were always in between two of the blankets I slept under (topped with and eiderdown). They weren't toasty in the morning but they weren't icebox-cold, unlike my room which had frost on the insides of the single glazing.

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Sidebottle@reddit

So your issue is your clothes are cold when you put them on in the morning? Why is your uniform a suit of armour?

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taterinx@reddit (OP)

Literally all my clothes actually! Think I’m just unlucky enough that my house sucks in so much cold air

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daniscross@reddit

Am I being daft, but doesn't your uniform warm up within a couple of minutes due to your body heat?

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taterinx@reddit (OP)

For sure, and I’ve been generally fine forcing myself through the initial crispy coldness. Would still take anything to make the experience more pleasant, especially since my work place gets quite chilly lol

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grockle90@reddit

Do you have an airing cupboard with any form of heat source inside it?

Or failing that, directly heat by ironing just before you get dressed

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