How to load heated airer

[Purplelemon7]

Can anyone share pics? I’ve seen comments on here about laying clothes flat but doesn’t that mean you can only dry a few at a time? Thanks

Just like a normal one… occasionally cover with a bed sheet….

YABVU to have asked this

But loading like a normal one means the drying is patchy ie clothes dry where the bars are only

I have been loading mine like a normal airer, except for sheets....I concertina those up and down through the bars, down the front and then onto the next rail.

And putting thick socks on the shoe driers!

I have a cover for my airer that goes over, it seems like pac-a-mac material, and keeps the heat in, a single cotton bed sheet was dry in a couple of hours the other day.

I am new to this though, so will be checking back in for tips. I had a load on last night at about half nine and it was well dry and borderline crispy at 8am this morning, so very much trial and error here!

@Purplelemon7

But loading like a normal one means the drying is patchy ie clothes dry where the bars are only

initially yes. but over time it will heat the air around as well which dries the clothes quicker.

it's important to have air circulating around it, ours is in the attic where it's drafty and airy. I have a line up there as well for larger items.

I load mine the same as a normal airer. I can get a large load on there. I only switch it on when I need to dry stuff quicker than usual, but normally a load dries in less than 24 hours.

tbh the heated airer is not as quick as a tumble dryer. it's not a miracle worker. just a little quicker than normal air drying.

We put items flat onto the shelves of the airer and also hang clothes on hangers around the sides of the airer.

Yes you can only dry part of a load at one time but it dries very quickly, you just need to flip things over to dry the other side and then reload with more once the things are fully dry.

I promise it is worth it.

Have you got a cover?
That's a must.
Small items at the bottom. Larger items try and put down the side and touch every rung on the way down.

But a cover is key. They are pretty useless without a cover.

I've gone off mine a bit tbh. I like it as an ordinary airer (without the heated bit) during the summer months, as it's nice and big. But faffing about with it in winter and leaving enough gaps so there's lots of air circulating and putting a bed sheet over the top is.... yawn.

We've got a big radiator in my utility room which is generally on anyway in the winter, so we've got two of those large "over radiator" airers, one above the other, and we put all the clothes on there and they dry much better than the heated airer and, like I say, it's on anyway to heat the house so doesn't cost anything extra to run it.

I layer them flat and after a while just flip the whole lot over. Works great

Like this www.amazon.co.uk/Gimi-Telepack-Wall-mounted-clothes-aluminium/dp/B008M7HPRE?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

Never needed a cover here, have had ours about 3 years and very happy with it

@magicstar1 when layering them flat (if I’m understanding correctly) I guess you’re only doing a very small amount at a time but find this more effective than putting everything on the normal way?

I have one with three tiers. I don’t hang anything on the bottom one but lay things flat on it. I hang clothes over the bars for the middle and top tiers and occasionally lay things flat over those tiers if I need to. I have a cover for it which I always put over with the vent open at the top. Everything dries really well like this.

Mine is a three tier lakeland. I put most things over two bars if I can. Small/thin things on the bottom, and heavier/thicker things further up (thinking being that heat rises). Trouser I tend to put on the ends with the legs down either side of the middle prop. Some very quick drying stuff (eg sports stuff) may get out on a single bar. Usually stick underwear and socks on in the gaps/at the ends or if a bug load on the radiator airer in the same room. I can usually get a whole load on unless it's a massive load/I've for behind on laundry. Cover with a sheet (I don't have a proper cover). I use a dehumidifier also in the room which speeds things up.

I hang mine off the rails, I find the lowest tier can take a long time to dry though so I tend to take stuff off the top once it’s dry and move the rest up.

Love mine, don't have a tumble dryer , but have an airy victorian terrace. Agree that it's not a miracle worker, but on previous threads people have used it in combination with a dehumidifier which has worked well.

Pants and socks on the bottom rungs, tshirts in the middle, jeans and sweaters on the top rung - dries in 18 hours in my house, which is quicker than a normal airer for a similar load which was 36 or 48 hours depending on if the heating was on.

Covered with the custom cover, but has been an excellent investment imo.

@Purplelemon7

But loading like a normal one means the drying is patchy ie clothes dry where the bars are only

Not if you leave it for a day. Honestly I load up as normal, even hanging shirts from the four posts. I don't cover mine and everything dries overnight. I throw sheets or Kingsport duvet covers over the top when I've washed those. Again dries well.

No, I put loads on. The heat gets about halfway through the pile, and when I flip it the rest heats through.
I’ve tried hanging through the bars but just get dry lines and the rest takes longer to dry.

So I’ve found the best way is to lay big items on the bottom, so a hoody or jeans etc then just load the rest as normal. I think it must let the air circulate better or something.
We’ve got a large capacity washing machine and 95% of the time can get the whole load on the airer this way

I have a 3 tier Lakeland one. I lay everything flat, about 3 layers on each tier. The top tier dries quicker than the bottom tier so I put pants, socks, lightweight things on the bottom, heaviest things on the top. I also tend to hang DH shirts/t shirts hanging down off the side to form a kind of tent on each tier, keeping the warm air in. Even better if you have a towel or sheet to make the tent

If I can I put it in the conservatory with the top window vents open and the ceiling fan on. The circulating air makes a massive difference in drying speed. If I remember, i also take things off as they dry and flip the heavier things over to dry the other side's.

8 pairs of jeans.
not switched on. I expect them to be dry by tomorrow morning.

[quote Purplelemon7]@magicstar1 when layering them flat (if I’m understanding correctly) I guess you’re only doing a very small amount at a time but find this more effective than putting everything on the normal way?[/quote]
Put more than one item on each layer though. If you’re laying them flat.

I lay things flat but you can layer up 2-3 things on top of each other, especially thinner things. So eg you could put a T-shirt folded in half flat then socks on top of that. That way I can get a whole load on if needed.

Do you need to add a dehumidifier to the room if you use one of these?