Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Dehumidifier or Heated Airer

29 replies

mysparkleismissing · 30/09/2024 07:10

Just after some thoughts
It's that time.of year when washing takes days to dry! We have a tumble not not everything can go in there.

I cant decide between either of the above. I'd use either in a room that doesn't have a working radiator. (Spare room or small office space downstairs)

Currently our washing is hung by the dining table or patio doors in the lounge - it's all open plan (our heating isn't on yet)

Any thoughts would be appreciated

OP posts:
ThereIsAlwaysWine · 30/09/2024 07:15

100% dehumidifier. Game changer, heated airers are crap

Cheshireflamingo · 30/09/2024 07:16

Our house is prone to damp, so we got a dehumidifier. It has a 'dry washing' setting - we put all the damp washing on an airer in our tiny spare room with the dehumidifier and shut the door. The washing dries in 4-8 hours, and my husband thinks it's cheaper to run than a heated airer.

ABirdsEyeView · 30/09/2024 07:22

I'd go with a dehumidifier - you'll get dry laundry and the benefit of no condensation or damp air. It's also cheaper to heat a house which has dry air than damp.

liquidsquidli · 30/09/2024 07:24

I got a dehumidifier last week!

They were £79 in Lidl (£30 off) they may still have some if you are lucky.

I live in a modern dry house and it was full of water when I was trying to dry clothes.

lovemycbf · 30/09/2024 07:24

A dehumidifier 👍🏻definitely don't get a heated airer as I had one and they're rubbish!

olympicsrock · 30/09/2024 07:26

Both together . And a tension rod to hang things on coat hangers above it. Total game changer. Our dehumidifier is one of the smart ones. It turns off when it reaches a set humidity. Also has a fan so you get a breeze . Things dry so quickly and not expensive.

AnotherEmma · 30/09/2024 07:29

Both. We use them together and clothes dry quickly. If the room doesn't have a radiator you definitely need a heated airer. I think it would still take a long time to dry things without heat, even if you used a dehumidifier.

HelpMeGetThrough · 30/09/2024 07:30

Definitely dehumidifier. We use it all over the house and when drying clothes, they certainly dry far quicker.

Have had it on in the hallway since Saturday, as we cleaned the carpet, it's dry and it's been cold and wet here.

Air feels so much fresher with one too.

Pigeonqueen · 30/09/2024 07:35

We’ve got both and being really honest I don’t find either very good at drying washing. I still tend to tumble everything for 10 mins each morning to finish it off as otherwise it’s never completely dry. Things I can’t do this with I tend to bung on or over a radiator for a bit. (I do appreciate this isn’t great if you have damp issues)!

Cyclistmumgrandma · 30/09/2024 07:48

Dehumidifier, and a table fan pointed at the washing. We find a full load dries in 4 hours. A heated airer will dry the washing in the end BUT it will fill your house with water vapour and cause mould meaning that you will need the dehumidifier anyway.

TianasBayou · 30/09/2024 08:04

Dehumidifier definitely. I put a (dry) sheet over the airer to enclose 3 sides and have the unit on the open side so it focuses on the wet laundry.
Will investigate using a fan - where should I site it relative to the laundry and dehumidifier?

leafybrew · 30/09/2024 08:16

Could posters please recommend which dehumidifiers work best and say how big they are? Thanks

WorriedRelative · 30/09/2024 08:46

Definitely a dehumidifier and if the budget will allow the meaco zambezi one is the absolute best.

AnotherEmma · 30/09/2024 08:49

A fan is unnecessary.

Thunderpants88 · 30/09/2024 08:50

I got a top of the range heated AirPod and cover and spent £250. It did NOTHING to speed up drying in fact it was slower because the condensation was trapped in the cover and patches of where the clothes were touching the heated element were dry but the rest of the clothes weren’t. Useless thing.

dehumidifier all the way!

Copperas · 30/09/2024 08:51

Both together

Jagley · 30/09/2024 10:57

Dehumidifier with a dry sheet that goes over it and the airer. Dries really quickly!

Nannyfannybanny · 30/09/2024 10:59

Both, I have a Dimplex dehumidifier with laundry setting.

Grey125 · 30/09/2024 11:31

I bought my Lakeland heated airer years ago refurbished from eBay outlet and it came with 12m warranty. So perhaps you could afford both items that way and I imagine with dehumidifiers becoming a popular buy in last few years they'd now be more available secondhand.

I've the 3 tier airer which does the job, though it works better with thick items like jumpers/jeans/towels laid flat over the bars and rotating occasionally. T-shirts weight fine hung over bars. It does have a proper cover to keep warmth in, but if I need a sheet or throw drying that goes over top instead. I usually put on overnight so it's not in the way due to space and it's dry by morning. I did recently see a similar design to lakelands online, with cheaper pricetag but can't recall where now, maybe Dunelm.

Chemenger · 30/09/2024 11:36

Definitely a dehumidifier. It needs to be run in a closed room, no open windows, and as small a room as possible. Get a desiccant one not a refrigerant one and it will also give out heat as it dries the washing.

ABirdsEyeView · 30/09/2024 11:36

I've got a meaco arete. It's 20l and is an air purifier as well. It's great but the filters are expensive and hard to get hold of, so if I was buying now I'd still go meaco but probably their other 20l model and not the arête.

givemushypeasachance · 30/09/2024 11:49

I would be another voter for both. You can't just use a heated airer unless you're willing to use it in a closed room with the window open. Otherwise the moisture will just come out of the damp clothes and into the house. And a dehumidifier on it's own is better, but won't dry the clothes as quickly. And if it's in an unheated room then it will be less efficient, as the colder it is, the slower it will be for moisture to come out of the clothes and into the air to be taken into the dehumidifier. So in a closed unheated room, the heated airer will speed up the process, and then a dehumidifier will suck all the moisture out of the air.

CleanShirt · 30/09/2024 11:57

Another vote for both. I have a fantastic tall heated airer with a cover, and pop a small dehumidifier under it. Doesn't take long at all to dry.

WorriedRelative · 30/09/2024 11:59

givemushypeasachance · 30/09/2024 11:49

I would be another voter for both. You can't just use a heated airer unless you're willing to use it in a closed room with the window open. Otherwise the moisture will just come out of the damp clothes and into the house. And a dehumidifier on it's own is better, but won't dry the clothes as quickly. And if it's in an unheated room then it will be less efficient, as the colder it is, the slower it will be for moisture to come out of the clothes and into the air to be taken into the dehumidifier. So in a closed unheated room, the heated airer will speed up the process, and then a dehumidifier will suck all the moisture out of the air.

Dessicant dehumidifiers work fine in unheated areas and actually warm the air. That's why I recommend the Meaco Zambezi. It also has a laundry mode. No need for additional heat.

AffIt · 30/09/2024 12:05

I bought a dehumidifier on the recommendation of Mumsnet!

We have a utility room with a pulley, but it's at the back of the house with small windows and as we live beside a loch in the west of Scotland, the climate is quite humid.

Total game changer: hang washing on pulley before bed, turn dehumidifier on, shut all windows and doors and go to bed - washing is dry by the morning. Costs pennies to run.

Mine is by Meaco and cost about £150 because I am a tech gadget slave and wanted all the bells and whistles, but you can get cheaper.