Hot tip

Drying your laundry in any flat can be hard. Tumble driers aren't the answer if space is tight, especially when, in a 200-year old building such as The Paragon, they need a raised, shock-absorbing base or risk making half the house vibrate. But there is an easy solution to the problem. It lies in the form of the genius gadget that is the electric clothes drier. Looking like a standard lightweight tiered clothes rack, but with a plug-in cord and aluminium rails that heat up to about 50C, an electric drier not only makes damp washing bone-dry in four or five hours, keeps a room toasty and costs less than 10p an hour to run, but is easy to pack away when not in use. Stockists include John Lewis, Argos and Lakeland, and depending on size prices range from about £60 to £140. Money well spent, as anyone who's already invested in one will no doubt agree. Fervently!