Dehumidifier yes or no ?

[Homeshouses]

So I'm trying to get ready for winter washing. But also need to be careful costs. Last year I only had my heating on twice so probably similar this year. I'm trying to avoid using tumble dryer.

I have a large cupboard that has my hot water tank.its always warm in there. I can fit 2 clothes airs in there.

I can also put an airer on my landing and clothes on banisters.

So I have places to put washing but im concerned about the length of time it takes to dry.

Is a dehumidifier worth it? Do they cost much to run?

Inase relevant I'm in a new build town house. Insulation seems good.

In a nut shell want to dry clothes as fast as I can as cheaply as I can.

I can't say on cost per hour as I haven't worked it out recently. But I have one and it was a game changer in the winter with drying washing.

Yes, they are great and pennies to run (cheaper than heating or tumble drier). Dry clothes super quickly.

Get a little digital thermometer with the % humidity on it. You’ll be amazed watching the humidity drop in your house.

They're very cheap to run and stop issues with damp coming out of drying clothes. Using a clothes airer inside without one means all the water from the clothes is now in your house.

Thank you for replies . What sort of size would I Need. ? I can see small ones for around 40.00 then much bigger ones for 100+

I wouldn't say they are trivial in terms of cost, because although they are low power you tend to run them for a longer time than you would a tumble drier.

However you have to get rid of the humidity somehow if you are drying clothes on radiators unless you generate really low amounts of living humidity.

I live in a tiny flat and have to dry washing inside
Get a dehumidifier and spend as much as you can afford
I think mine was approx £100 and is a Honeywell
It's really surprising to see how much water it collects and it really doesn't impact on my electricity readings
Looking at reservoir capacity I think it's 2 litres

Yes but get a desiccant one if you aren’t planning on turning the heating on. The condenser ones don’t work very well jn cold places

I would just use the cupboard if you can fit it all in there, make the most of the warmth
I have a dehumidifier and heated airer but I really really miss my hot water cupboard! It dried so much quicker

Look at tank size and try and get one with a decent-sized tank, or you'll be emptying it every day.

I'm not bothered if have to empty everyday it's more about the cost of the item and running it

We had it too, we lived in an old house and the humidity was always high. In the winter, when the windows were closed and I had wet clothes in my room, the dehumidifier was on for hours at night. It collected a lot of water. But the bills were a little higher.

Get one - game changer.

They also slightly warm the room and make your central heating more efficient by taking moisture out of the air. You can also use the water in your iron so no minerally deposits.

Mine runs at 30/330/650W and my per kwh is something like 25 or 26p.

I never use max power so on the regular setting its only 9p an hour.

We have 2 in ours, for damp though not drying. Get the best you can afford- the £30/40 don't do an awful lot. We have a cheap one in my sons room & it takes forever to fill up, our room has the bigger £120 one & it fills every day. They're both cheap to run but I think I feel like I'm getting more for my money with the bigger one

Do you also have an outdoor clothes line to dry things when its sunny?

I bought similar this machine 2yrs ago when we were living in a caravan whilst renovating. I know it claims to be for a 3 bed house, but it was far more effective in a single room only. It would be even more efficient in a cupboard. Its only 180W.
As someone else said, they don't work well, or at all, in very low temperatures. This model might be the updated version of mine because it says it operates as low as 3'c. Mine though, struggled to extract any water unless the room was above 15'c.
Even if you don't get his particular model, search online for low energy versions and get a bigger capacity that you'll think you need.

https://www.appliancesdirect.co.uk/p/cd12p/electriq-12-litre-dehumidifier

Definitely need a desiccant one, our Meaco energy efficient one isn't and says it works best at 30 degrees. Below that it gets less and less and less effective. I definitely wouldn't buy it again.

Just using the cupboard won't get rid of the moisture building up from drying clothes inside though.

Don't waste your money on the cheaper ones. Get at least 12Ltrs.

I've had mine for 6 years and it's a game changer.