Homefront Slimline Heated Clothes Airer review: does it get clothes dry quickly?

Price on writing: £49 | Buy now from Amazon

How we tested

Mumsnet editor Poppy put the Homefront Slimline Heated Clothes Airer to the test in her 3-bedroom home against wet laundry straight from her washing machine. Setting the heated airer up with her Meaco Arete One 12l Dehumidifier, she cross-compared it with her standard airer, taking detailed notes on user-friendliness, efficiency and effectiveness.

Read next: Best heated clothes airers

What's the Homefront Slimline Heated Clothes Airer like to set up and start using?

Setting up the Homefront heated airer couldn't have been easier. It has two easy-to-fit plastic legs for stability, a 1.6m power cord and a single on/off switch. All I needed to do was attach the legs, which slot into place - no screws or tools required - then plug it in and switch it on. I set up my best dehumidifier nearby to speed up the process and avoid damp, and it was ready to go.

Once on, the airer heats up quickly. It's designed for a minimal footprint, so it's not surprising that the slimline heated airer isn't as easy to hang washing on as a tiered or winged heated airer like the Lakeland Dry:Soon range.

The straight up and down ladder design meant I had to be a bit strategic with how and what I put on the airer (more on this later!), so it did take a bit of getting used to. If you're looking for an airer that'll dry a whole load of washing in a hurry, this isn't the one, and you'd be better off with a drying pod or tiered airer.

Related: Best quiet dehumidifiers

What's the Homefront Slimline Heated Clothes Airer like to use day-to-day?

I tested many different types of clothing on the Homefront Slimline Heated Clothes Airer, with varying results. As with any airer, if you overload and overlap your washing, it won't dry, and the design of the rungs meant that it's excellent at drying socks and pants, or one large item at a time.

I was glad to have the airer when I needed to dry a pair of school trousers in a hurry. As I don't have a tumble dryer, having this cheap to run airer handy is brilliant for last-minute laundry emergencies. Whereas in the past I might have popped washing on the radiator, the rise in energy prices mean no-one wants their central heating working harder than it needs to right now.

Day to day, I mostly use the slimline heated airer for drying socks and pants. I can fit around 9 pairs of adult-size socks or 18 pairs of trainer socks or child-size socks at a time, and they dry pretty quickly, with no crispiness.

It's also great for warming towels, and if my kids were babies I'd definitely be warming their sleepsuits and baby sleeping bags for a cosy bedtime.

In terms of storage, the feet are easy to remove, so you can store the airer totally flat, under a bed or down the side of a wardrobe. While the slimline heated airer certainly hasn't replaced my full-sized airer, it's a great piece of kit that takes up minimal space, and I'm glad to have around the house.

Read next: Best budget washing machines under £500

Does the Homefront Slimline Heated Clothes Airer offer value for money?

At £50, the slimline heated airer is comparable in price to a full-size budget heated airer like the Minky Wing 12m Heated Clothes Airer with Cover, which is £60 at the time of writing. Offering enough room to dry a full load of washing, it's clear you get more bang for your buck with the Minky.

However, if you're happy with your current clothes drying set up and are looking for something compact you can use in emergencies, or to dry small amounts of clothing, the Homefront Slimline Heated Clothes Airer does the job.

It's lightweight yet sturdy and effective, and as long as you don't overload it, it dries clothes effectively.

About the author

Poppy O'Neill is a Content Editor at Mumsnet and a mother of two. She researches and reviews the products Mumsnetters swear by, with a particular focus on home essentials, laundry and fans. From a highly-recommended retractable washing line to the best quiet fans money can buy, and Mumsnet's favourite dehumidifier to the steam generator iron that'll cut your ironing time in half, she loves to deep-dive into research and find the very best products on the market.

With an MA in Creative Writing and a PGCert in Lifestyle Journalism, Poppy's written about parenting topics for The Sunday Times, The Guardian, The Mirror and The Sun. She's a best-selling, award-winning author, and her books for children and parents have been translated into 12 languages.

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