Heated airer Vs Tumble Dryer

[QueenStevie]

Thinking about a heated airer as we are becoming a bit over reliant on the tumble dryer and we have to get our energy bill down.
Please can anyone who has gone from tumble dryer to heated airer tell me if it has saved you much money? And was it worth it I overall (obviously have to factor in the initial purchase cost).

it used to take 3 days or more without the heat - apologies for missing that out

I’ve bought a heated airer with wings just last week After my sister raved about hers. Honestly, I’m not a fan like she is. I think it’s better for drying towels/bedding but only because i fold them in half and lie them on top of the airer and kind of tuck the fabric into the gaps of the heated rods. Like a wave? But honestly I’m not a convert. I am as ambivalent towards the heated airer as I am towards the heat pump tumble dryer. It shaves a bit of time off the standard non heated aired but it’s not going to set the world on fire. I’m still using the tumble dryer more than the airer but on boat wash days I can imagine using the dryer, heated airer and the old reliable non heated one too 🤷🏼‍♀️

We have a dri-buddy type thing, which is a heated airer with a cover over it - I can dry a load of laundry in 2.5 hours.

Haven't RTFT but although I have access to a tumble drier for emergencies only, what works best for me is an extra spin in the washing machine, mine takes 12 minutes, then hang out on a clothes horse with a dehumidifier turned up to max. Shut the door and windows.

It's not rubbish. You're not supposed to leave them on unattended but even if you did, overnight is eight hours so that's 2.4 Kw, which wouldn't be long enough to get a load dry on my Lakeland airer. Do you have your heating on at night? That may be doing some of the work.

I got sucked in by the hype and bought the de luxe Lakeland dryer with cover. Absolute waste of money, it uses much more electricity than our ancient tumble dryer, takes up space and needs regular attention because you have to move things around. Heavy items like jeans are a nightmare to get dry.

After many years of laundering for a family of five, what works best for us is to line dry outside and then finish off on an ordinary airer placed on an upstairs landing to catch the rising warm air, or in the airing cupboard. On days when time is short or the weather inclement I reluctantly use the tumble dryer. Mostly I put things on an ordinary upright airer in the spare bedroom and wait it out. I like the idea of using the dehumidifier, might try that. I'm also considering a heat pump tumble dryer so if anyone has any experience of these I'd be interested to hear it.

The only advantage of the heated dryer is that if you place things carefully it reduces your ironing as creases tend to drop out.

And the cat loved it.

i don’t understand how people can make washing so complicated.
do regular, medium sized loads. Hang on heated dryer. Set timer for 12 hours as per instructions.
leave for 24 hours, fold out away. Hang next load out.
even for jeans.

It depends what you want. From what you say it takes you 36 hours to process a load of drying, and you have an airer permanently erected. It's also costing you a lot more than it needs to. But that's what works for you.

I don't want to spend money drying clothes when fresh air will do the job best, but when I have to, I'll use the most convenient and economical means possible.

Takes 24 hours total. No drier ruining the clothes either. We have a big house so the airer isn’t annoying.

As a single user, a tumble dryer is much more effective once a week usage rather than trying to rely on a heated airer.

Research was done a couple of years ago and per dry load, rather than per hour the tumble dryer came out best. I rarely run mine for longer than half an hour a week.

On cold days like today but not raining we hang it out for a couple of hours and then 10 minutes in tumble dryer - done. My grandma used to say if concrete is dry hang it out

It goes without saying not to put the washing outside while snowing or raining. It was very cold here on Friday when I dried my washing outside but there was a good breeze. I know about this because I only got my first tumble dryer about 2 years ago and have never had a heated airer.

I put almost everything in my tumble dryer. I tend not to buy things that are so fragile they can’t be tumble dried. Anything that can’t be tumble dried goes on an airer in winter. All my washing is hung on the line when the weather permits good drying. What I’ve said isn’t ‘rubbish’.

I give all my washing 2 spins as a matter of routine.

I won’t even put t shirt in a tumble dryer

I don't have time to hang up the amount of washing my family generates. Tumble dryer for everything except jumpers and delicate tops

My tumble drier broke recently and we do have an airer with a heater that goes underneath and then a cover to go over it but when it comes to sheets/towels etc it takes ages to dry.
Instead I’ve been going to the launderette every week or two weeks with 4 loads of wet washing that I’ve done that day and chuck it in one of the massive driers and for about £9 it’s dry in 40 minutes. If I’ve got less washing then it’s obviously cheaper and takes less time. I’m not sure how much I was spending on the tumble drier but to dry my 4 loads of washing it would take about 8 hours.

You dont understand that some people live in flats, dont have room for air dryers or tumble dryers, have different sized families, cant dry outside , might need several sets of uniforms washing etc? Also some of us have damp and mould problems to contend with.

I do see that but those are your circumstances. In our old house we had three floors with two big landings. I never had to use a tumble dryer. What didn't dry outside on the line could hang on airers on the landings where they would catch the warm upward draught.

Now I live in a much smaller house where every room is in use. I'm lucky to have access to a sunny garden, many people don't. What I don't have is the space to leave a clothes airer permanently set up.

I've increasingly noticed that some people smell "mouldy". I think it's because they aren't drying their clothes properly.

Neither - go for a heat pump dryer!! Way way cheaper on electricity, doesn’t damage your clothes like regular tumble drier and also although it takes longer you get used to it and do it at night or when you go out to work etc and come in to everything all perfectly dry and mainly not needing ironing at all.
leaving clothes to dry around your house even in a heated airer is bad for your lungs and often triggers off asthma symptoms in people that have never had them before - drying clothes on airers set off my husband wheezing and coughing and he never did before!

heat pump drier holds loads more clothes than regular tumble drier and my electricity and gas bill is still under £100 a month for a 4 bed detached house with 4 adults in it

Which brand do you have, out of interest? I have a Bosch washing machine but don't want to invest too much in a dryer I will only occasionally use.

We have a heated airer and love it. It fits in our cupboard under the stairs and dries two loads overnight

Me too. Plus the water has to go somewhere. Works well.

You can’t put most things in driers because they shrink and ruin certain fabrics.

This is out of date IME unless you wear a lot of things like cashmere, wool and silk.

Modern dryers, esp heat pump ones don't get hot enough to ruin materials like cotton/polycotton. Cheap t-shirts and socks always shrink, but it's from the washing machine rather than the dryer. We only got a dryer for the first time a couple of years ago and I haven't noticed any excess shrinkage. Only things that always shrunk through the standard washing process.

I have also been pleased that everything comes out basically ironed. It's obviously not as crisp as an actually ironed shirt, but it's free of creases which is all I ever used to iron for anyway.

I have an elderly washing machine without a massive spin speed. I wait for dry days, hang stuff outside from the washing machine which helps it dry off a little (yes, even on cold days, but I live on top of a hill so there is always a breeze) and then hang it on the heated airer in my middle room (which is warm because of warming cupboards). It's very rare that I can't get a load dry inside a morning or afternoon this way.

Would like to have a tumble drier but there's nowhere to put it and I can't afford the electricity anyway.