Swan 3 Tier Heated Clothes Airer review: a speedy indoor drying solution for the cold winter months

Price on writing: £130 | Buy now from Amazon

Overall rating: 4/5

Key specs

Size: L 70cm x W 73cm x H 147cm | Capacity: 30kg | Energy use: 300 watts | Cost per hour: 10p | Drying time settings: No timer | Foldable: Yes | Cable length: 1.4 m | Tiers: Three

What we like

• Sturdy

• Simple to set up and use

• Folds away for easy storage

• Dries clothes quickly

• Takes up less space than a winger airer

What we don't like

• No timer function

• Doesn’t come with a cover

Our verdict

Fast-drying and simple to fold down for easy storage, the Swan 3 Tier Heated Clothes Airer would make a great addition to your laundry routine. Although you may like a few more extras for the £130 price tag, the Swan is remarkably speedy at getting laundry dry, which may prove a godsend for getting school uniforms and PE kits ready to wear at short notice (hey, we’ve all done it). I like it and feel the Swan 3 Tier Heated Clothes Airer is worthy of a place on our best heated clothes airers round-up.

What’s the Swan 3 Tier Heated Clothes Airer like to set up?

Setting the airer up was fairly straightforward. Unlike some other airers that are ready to use as soon as they come out of the box, the Swan 3 Tier Heated Clothes Airer came with two chunky plastic feet to be fixed in place using the two enclosed screws. Once the plastic feet are on the airer, they have the ability to fold up, which makes it easier to store the airer when not in use. A word of warning though - I only narrowly avoided sending the screws down the tip with the rest of the packaging, so make sure you locate these before visiting the recycling bin.

After the feet were installed, I removed each shelf from its fixed plastic clip, being careful not to force it. Once the shelves were flat, the airer was plugged in, switched on, and it took around five minutes for the airer to heat up to its maximum temperature of 55°C.

Read next: Best tumble dryers 2023: heat pump and condenser dryers for every budget

What’s the Swan 3 Tier Heated Clothes Airer like to use day-to-day?

The Swan 3 Tier Heated Clothes Airer is a sturdy airer that coped well with every type of fabric that was thrown at it. It did take a little while to warm up compared to airers that I have used in the past, but I was impressed with how quickly it was able to dry my washing. Everything hanging on the heated bars was dry within four to five hours, although this included a bit of rotation to ensure thicker parts of clothing, like collars and pockets, could dry properly. 

Once the airier had done its good work and cooled down, it was easy to fold the whole thing flat for convenient storage. Unlike the John Lewis 3-Tier Heated Indoor Clothes Airer, the Swan showed no sign of stiffness when being folded down. It’s incredibly easy to collapse and reassemble when needed, which is a real plus if you don’t have the living space to be taken up by a heated airer 24/7 over the winter.

Read next: Best steam irons to buy for crease-free clothing

Does the Swan 3 Tier Heated Clothes Airer have any special features?

There aren't really any special features with the Swan 3 Tier Heated Clothes Airer - no timer function, no variable heat settings and no cover. But what you do get for your money is a decent airer that heats up to a decent temperature and dries clothes quickly and efficiently. And to be honest, what more could you need from a heated clothes airer?

Does the Swan 3 Tier Heated Clothes Airer offer value for money?

I feel the Swan 3 Tier Heated Clothes Airer does offer value for money. It’s a good product that does the job, but doesn’t come with all the same bells and whistles attached as some of the other heated airers currently on the market.

It is worth mentioning that it isn’t the cheapest airer on the block. At the time of writing (October 3rd, 2023), the Swan airer is £20 more than the Black + Decker 3 Tier Heated Airer, which has a similar product spec. It is also £30 more than the John Lewis 3-Tier Heated Indoor Clothes Airer (which does come with a heated shoe rack, if you like that sort of thing), but our reviewer Izzy found the whole thing rather stiff and tricky to fold down, which is a problem you definitely won’t have with the Swan. It’s £30 cheaper than Lakelands’ Dry:Soon 3-Tier Heated Airer.

All-in-all, I was highly impressed with how quickly the Swan 3 Tier Heated Clothes Airer was able to dry the family’s laundry. If you are looking for a speedy drying solution and aren’t in the market for lots of fancy extras, then the Swan is a great choice.

If you are looking to shave even more drying time off your laundry this winter, you may want to check out our list of the best dehumidifiers too.

Read next: Best integrated washing machines 2023: stylish and discreet built-in models

How we tested

Reviewer Laura Cooke lives in a four-bedroom house in Sussex with her husband and two kids, aged four and six.

The heated airer was tested on its ability to dry clothes, bath towels and bedding. The clothes were dried laying flat on the shelf and draped over the heated bars. The airer was also tested on how easy it was to set up, use and put away afterward.

About the author

Laura started writing Swears By articles for Mumsnet in 2021 and has recently taken over responsibility for laundry content. She writes buyers' guides, cleaning articles, including how to care for jumpers and knitwear, and tests products, including the Wilton London laundry range, to help Mumsnetters make informed choices when it comes to parting with their pennies.

Laura is also a freelance journalist and has written articles for publications including the Daily Mirror, the i, Metro, Stylist and Happiful magazine.

About Mumsnet Reviews

All Mumsnet product reviews are written by real parents 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.