Dry:Soon 3-Tier Heated Airer review: we put Mumsnetters’ favourite heated airer to the test
Large, lightweight and loved by Mumsnetters, we put Lakeland's best-selling three-tiered heated airer to the test.
By Tina Williams | Last updated Dec 5, 2023
Price on writing: £160 | Buy now from Lakeland
Overall rating: 4.5/5
What we like
Large enough for one big load, or two small loads of washing
Lightweight and foldable, easy to move around when not in use
What we don’t like
On/off switch is at the base of the unit
It’s a little bit wobbly
Our verdict
Ease of use: 5/5
Features: 4/5
Results: 4.5/5
Design: 5/5
Value for money: 4/5
The Dry:Soon 3 Tier Heated Indoor Clothes Airer is one of Lakeland’s best-selling products and is much-loved on the Mumsnet forums. And thanks to some rigorous testing over the course of seven years, it gets our vote too.
Simple to set up and easy to use day to day, it has helped us wade through 1,000+ loads of laundry over a lengthy testing period. It can dry a full load of washing overnight and smaller items within a couple of hours and although it's large (great for family-sized laundry loads) I love that it can be folded to half its size if you're short on space or just want to dry a few items at a time.
Lightweight and long-lasting, it's a great all-rounder and tops the charts in our roundup of the best heated clothes airers.
What Mumsnet users say
“I've got the Lakeland 3-Tier Heated Airer, and it's honestly changed my life - a bit of a drastic statement, I know, but I can dry two loads of washing in 24 hours, washing is done for the week and no wet washing hanging around and taking up the spare room in the winter/wet days.” Westiegirl3
"I bought the 3-tier Lakeland 12 years ago when I had my first baby. It’s great; all my sisters and my mum have them now. They really make a difference. Would definitely recommend." - HerbertChop
Key specs
Size: H137 x W75 x D73cm | Capacity: 15kg | Energy use: 300 watts | Cost per hour: 10p | Drying time settings: No timer | Foldable: Yes | Cable length: 1.35m | Tiers: Three
What’s the Dry:Soon 3 Tier Heated Indoor Clothes Airer like to set up?
The Dry:Soon is very easy to set up. It comes out the box ready to use. You just need to find a good spot for it in your home and you’re ready to go.
Read next: The best heated airers to buy, as tried and tested by families
What is the Dry:Soon 3 Tier Heated Indoor Clothes Airer like to use day-to-day?
We’ve had our Dry:Soon for over seven years and we still love it. We use it alongside a dehumidifier to dry clothes overnight four or five times a week and most of the time, if we hang a load of washing in the evening, it’ll be dry and ready to fold the next morning.
T-shirts, socks, and smaller items of clothing can dry very quickly; sometimes a couple of hours is enough, but bigger items do take a bit longer. The Dry:Soon easily takes one large load of washing or two smaller ones. We usually dry our laundry in the study overnight, and in the winter it’s nice to come into a warm room smelling of clean laundry in the morning.
One slightly annoying thing with this dryer is that the on/off switch is at the bottom of the left leg. If I’ve accidentally positioned the dryer with the on button facing a wall it’s a bit of a struggle to turn it on! If I was being fussy, I’d say the power cable could be a bit longer. But apart from those two minor issues I don’t think I can fault it.
Read next: The best tumble dryers to buy, as recommended by families
How easy is it to move around and store?
One thing I really like about this drying rack is how lightweight it is - it's very easy to move to different rooms when not in use. It folds down flat and even though it’s still quite big, it can at least be tucked away neatly.
The bars heat up very quickly, but don’t get so hot that you can’t touch them, so there’s no need to worry about children burning their fingers accidentally. When it’s set up the frame isn’t quite as sturdy as I’d initially expected. It has a bit of a wobble to it, but it’s never toppled or fallen over.
Read next: The best washer dryers, as rated by Mumsnetters
Does the Dry:Soon 3 Tier Heated Indoor Clothes Airer have any special features?
I really like that you can fold down the dryer to half size if you’re short on space or just drying a small load of washing, but apart from that it doesn’t really have any special features.
We bought the Dry:Soon cover at the same time as the drying rack. I found it generally helpful to speed up drying when we used the drying rack in a large open space. It also helps keep smells away from clean clothes if you’re drying clothes near the kitchen, and when we had the dryer downstairs, it was nice to be able to cover up our laundry if we had guests.
In the end though, we stopped using the cover after a few weeks, it’s a bit of a faff to put on and off, and when we moved the heated drying rack to the small room upstairs it didn’t make a huge difference to the drying speed.
In the small room we did find that we had to either keep a window open or use a dehumidifier to remove the moisture from the air to stop the room getting damp and musty, that’s how we started using the MeacoDry Arete One dehumidifier alongside the Dry:Soon.
Read next: The best steam irons to buy, tried, tested and reviewed
Does the Dry:Soon 3 Tier Heated Indoor Clothes Airer offer value for money?
In seven years of use we’ve probably dried over 1,500 loads of laundry on this heated drying rack so far which works out to be around 9p per laundry load as a cost per use. I’d say it’s pretty good value for money. And while it’s a little bit wobblier than it was the day we got it, it’s still going strong.
We use our Dry:Soon alongside a dehumidifier to speed up drying time which means most loads, even large ones, dry overnight. Sometimes jumpers or jeans may need a little longer. With this set up, it offers more than enough capacity for us, and would be fine for a small family as well even without the use of a tumble dryer.
Read next: The best clothes steamers for crease-free garments
How we tested
Reviewer Tina Williams tested the Dry:Soon 3 Tier Heated Indoor Clothes Airer over a period of seven years in her two-bedroom house. She tested it in her lounge and study, noting how effective it was at drying laundry and easy it was to use on a day-to-day basis, as well as assessing what it was like to set up, move around and store when not in use.
About the author
Tina Williams is the Head of Editorial Content at Mumsnet where she leads a team of expert writers and editors to develop Mumsnet Swears By, the home for product reviews and buying advice, where parents test and recommend the products they love. She was previously Mumsnet’s Head of Reviews and developed a comprehensive testing system to rigorously test baby essentials and new product innovations.
About Mumsnet Reviews
All Mumsnet product reviews are written by real people after weeks of research and testing. We work hard to provide honest and independent advice you can trust. Sometimes, we earn revenue through affiliate (click-to-buy) links in our articles. However, we never allow this to influence our coverage.