A question about the Lakeland heated airer

[CashmereHoodlum]

I have been looking at the heated airer, and as I understand it, to dry the clothes you need to lay them flat across the bars. Does that then mean that if I buy the three tier airer I can only dry around three tops at a time? I am trying to figure out how much I could fit on it and get dry overnight.

I have read about people putting a sheet on top of the airer like a tent but I am a very clumsy person and I know that won't work for me. I currently tumble dry everything (year round) unless it can't be tumble dried, but I find hanging things on my gateleg airer and draping things around the boiler to be a hassle. The lakeland airer is going to have to be very user-friendly if I am going to use it regularly. My dryer is a very efficient model, so mainly I am doing this to preserve my clothes as I don't believe constant tumble drying is good for them. Unless the clothes dry very quickly it won't be any cheaper for me.

Can somebody who owns this fine invention explain it all to me please?

[fussychica]

Firstly, it's big, even when folded so you need to have somewhere to store it. It does work best when a duvet cover or sheet is thrown over it as it traps the hot air. You'll be able to dry a couple of tops per shelf so no more than 6. It is cheap to run but clothes take several hours to dry. It's really an extension of your airing cupboard or radiators and for me works best when I can air dry on the line for an hour or two first but have to use it from scratch most of the time. I don't like using a tumble dryer so have bought one of these instead but I'm not sure you'll like it. There's hundreds of reviews on the Lakeland site - most people love it but some think it's a waste of time.

[CashmereHoodlum]

Thank you! My 'airing cupboard' is a boxroom so space shouldn't be too much of an issue. The whole room is quite warm, but I find that things need to be touching the tank to get dry as quickly as I would like. I think maybe what I should do is buy a similar style non-heated airer and see how I get on with it before I get the heated one. I should be able to dry things in there with it being as warm as it is but maybe I am just too impatient. I'm even impatient with the tumble dryer as my new one takes over twice as long to dry a load as my old one.

Trying to think about in rationally, fitting 6 tops on it should be ok. I do at least one load of washing every day so I should be able to get smallish loads dried on it. What about going out and leaving it on, or leaving it switched on overnight? I know that is kind of the point, but I do worry about fire and run around unplugging things all the time.

I am SO tempted to get one, but most things are a 5 minute wonder with me and then I resume my old ways so I want to be absolutely certain before I splash out on anything else.

[Merrow]

We've got one, as we don't have a tumble drier and we're not allowed to dry clothes outside. I think it's great ? we no longer have washing cluttering up our (pretty small) flat because it dries quickly. I can see how laying clothes flat across would be faster, but we just hang them and leave it on overnight and most things are dry. Sometimes we have to reposition things so areas such as jean waistbands get more direct heat to dry. It is faster with a sheet over the top, but it's still pretty fast without it.

I second the big comment, but it is light so I don't find taking it in and out of the cupboard a hassle.

[GladbagsGold]

I had one years ago and imo for me it was a bit pointless as using the radiators is much quicker. Or if not in a rush I just use a normal airer.

You mention your tumble dryer is slow - do you have balls for it? Cuts my drying time down LOADS.

[jalopy]

I've had one for a couple of years now.

I tend to put two layers of clothes flat on each shelf with a few items such as socks, knickers, etc. scattered over the device.

I don't put a duvet, sheet or towel over the whole things. I like the clothes to air whilst drying. It works really well.

[treaclesoda]

sorry for thread hi-jack, but Gladbags comment caught my eye. Do those tumble drier balls really work then? I'd always assumed they were a gimmick, but if they work I'd love to give them a go.

And if they do, do you have to buy the expensive ones, or are the cheapy ones just the same?

[CashmereHoodlum]

Thank you. No, I've not tried the tumble dryer balls. Are they noisy? Sometimes I accidentally tumble dry a detergent ball and the noise is indescribable!

I'm still tempted by the airer!

[MonaLotte]

I have the airer and it's great I have no radiators so really needed one (I have warm air heating instead). I find if you have each item of clothing over two bars it dries well. I don't to sheets over the top either hth.

[fussychica]

Oh I leave it on if I go out (as long as I know what time I'm due back) and have left it on overnight but don't make a habit of it. Just dried full load of king size bedding plus a few extra bits which I washed this moring - so about 5 hours for the lot.

[vintageviolets]

Ive been thinking about getting one of these airers, but we are paying for electric via key meter.
Does anyone know how much they cost to run?

[CashmereHoodlum]

Lakeland says 5p per hour but it would depend how much you pay per kilowatt hour.

[chickydoo]

I have one, and I use it every day.
I've never put a sheet over, I find it dries fine without. Really useful for stuff that shouldn't go in the tumble drier, also stops the radiators going rusty. ( a couple of mine have due to wet clothes )

[GladbagsGold]

Yes the tumble drier balls really work - I was surprised too! I have the JML ones. They are noisy but (a) my dryer is in the garage and (b) this is great for lazy people like me as I know when the washing is done without having to look

[DrinkFeckArseGirls]

I fold stuff to lay it flat and then turn around a couple of hours in.

[SantasLittleElfycat]

I hang stuff through it, over one or two bars, so can get a whole load on it. It takes several hours to dry and I often have it running all day, but the by product (heat) goes to keep the room warm and I turned the radiator down in there.

[Ambassadoryouarespoilingme]

Mine arrived today and is currently drying its first load. The one thing I would have liked to know in advance is that you must have it at least 1.5 m away from a heat source. The place i'd planned to put mine is now not possible as its not far from a radiator, and the airer is made from a lightweight plastic, so I guess it could melt. So, you might want to take that into account when working out where you'd put it if you go ahead with the order.

[CashmereHoodlum]

Thank you for the replies. Ambassador, thanks for that. I had no idea you couldn't put it near a heat source, and I was planning to rig it up next to my hot water tank and boiler! On to plan B then!

[MrsDexter]

You can buy the drier balls from the pound shop :)

[cwairew88]

Hey what size did you all have?

[Sisinisawa]

I have the three tier one and I hang clothes on it so a full load. It dries quickly if you cover with a sheet but it will dry a load overnight anyway.
It isn't hugely sturdy though so you need to treat it gently but I love mine as I don't have a tumble drier.

[Oblomov17]

What made you think you could only lie flat, so only a couple of tops at a time?
I hang one piece over each rung. A whole load of washing at a time. Occasionally put a sheet over. Works brilliantly however you choose to use it.

[ButterflyBoobs]

OP I bought one last winter thinking it'd change my life.

It was shit.

I sent it back after a couple of weeks. The only way things would dry was to lie them flat as you described so it'd take ages to get whole washing loads dry. Lying them over each wrung just didn't get the end bits dry.

I put a big sheet over it all but it didn't help.

I just didn't see that it was any different from putting a normal airer next to a radiator.

Plus, it was fucking massive. Even folded up it took up a shit tonne of space and couldn't be tucked away. It was ridiculously flimsy and the lead was so short that it has to be kept really close to a plug socket.

I wouldn't have minded it so much if it was about £20 from Home Bargains. But at £100 I expected something much much much much better.

I absolutely cannot even remotely see why people on MN love them so much. They're absolutely shit.

[YellowLawn]

it's great.
tbh I only switch it on if I need something dry quickly. or bulky like a duvet.
it easily fits a large load (have a 8kg washer).
I guess they a really good in a drafty, airy area like a conservatory.

[FoofFighter]

Surely if you're putting it into a warm enclosed space anyway, a normal airer would do the job sufficiently?

[LadybirdsAreFab]

I have one and put a full load on it (7kg washing machine). Usually hang things over 2 or 3 shelves. This Summer I bought some knitted linen tops that need to be dried flat so I bought the mesh shelves so I didn't loose to much space. It adds a layer to the dryer.

I do sometimes put the heat on for an hour or so with a sheet over the top and then switch it off. Seems to take the same time to dry as leaving the heat on without a sheet. Its usually a sheet I've just washed.