To think that heated airers are a swizz?

[Velvettoad]

We've got a new heated airer and it's rubbish! What am I missing, why do people rave about them?? It's red hot to the touch but doesn't radiate any heat so the only bits that dry are the bits touching the bars.

Also, we got a cover for it but it just seems to create hot moist air underneath so it seems to take longer to dry! I've done an extra spin cycle to dry out the clothes but it doesn't seem to help. Anyone got one of these and finds it useful? What's your secret?

Shirts on hangers is also good - hang them all from the very top rung, within the cage, as it were, with a cover over the top. I drape the sleeves over the edges to spread them out and avoid damp armpits.

Re the tweaking - I do exactly the same with normal airers too if I want stuff dried asap. So no different really.

Not sure how your using it??

But I hang a load of washing on (currently it has towels drying) and leave it. Dry by the evening. Fresh load next day. If I'm good I turn the airer off before bed and take the washing off in the morning.

Big items like duvet covers just throw over the top.

Were you expecting it to dry in 90 mins lime a tumble dryer?

Window should be shut, shouldn't it? Otherwise you're paying to attempt to dehumidify all of the outdoors? Dehumidifiers work best in an enclosed space - with the added bonus that they also warm the room.

• you're using it.

I'm not massive fan of ours. It's like a big coat rack thing with a tent over it. It uses up loads of electricity and clothes don't smell great when they've beeb dried on it. DH loves it though.

I love mine, I throw a sheet or duvet cover over the top, clothes usually dry overnight. My house is old and drafty so ait circulates well.

One of my cats has taken over the bottom shelf though.

Lakeland airer with the cover dries everything within a day, doesn't make it damp

I'm considering one of these. Interesting comments.

Preach

I use the tumble dryer after a 1400rpm spin for 15 minutes and then the heated airer in a south-facing room with an open window, draped in a double sheet. Jeans might need a hour on a heated towel rail too.

I've had the lakeland one for over 10 years and love it. It won't dry in the same time as a tumble drier, but it is usually dry overnight. I don't overload mine. One machine load goes on at a time and there is plenty of room for the air to circulate and dry everything.

We spread things on the bars as best we can - more bar space for thick things

Move them about at half time

Leave it on for 2 hrs

Leave stuff hanging overnight

All dry

It's a Lakeland one if it makes any difference

Why does it smell? Washing that dries within 24 hours should not smell.

I bloody love mine. I cover it with a king size sheet and combine it with a dehumidifier and a load is dry within about 5-6 hours. I hang the clothes over the bars like a regular airer. I'd only hang towels or knitwear across the bars.

I have the Lakeland one with the proper cover and it’s excellent. Things dry within a day and I don’t move things around. The cover is cotton and has vents in it so let’s the damp air out. I use it in addition to tumble dryer mainly for things that can’t go in the dryer.

@Velvettoad yes, it has a zip up cover and blows hot air from the base, cheap to run, too.

So many good suggestions here! I'm going to experiment and will report back for those interested!

It is the Lakeland one, yes

I put T shirts and jumpers on hangers and hang them so that they dangle between the rods, with the hanger over the superstructure. Then I lay trousers flat on the top with legs dangling through gaps, and finally the little things lay flat on the bars wherever there's a space. Then I pop the cover over the top. Alexa reminds me to switch the pipes off after a few hours but I leave the cover over until the next morning when it's time to hang up the next load.

Works fine and things dry much faster than the stuff I hang up on the overdoor bars or the upstairs bannister rail.

People saying clothes dry in 24 hours... my clothes dry in this time if I just hang them out on the clothes horse!

Hardly a good outcome when you've invested money in a drier.

Ours is great. Lives in the very cold conservatory, dries a load of washing in 24 hours, does a pretty good job after 12 so can move things around or put in the airing cupboard for a final blast. Jeans are the worst, but if you just dry one pair at a time and lay them across the bottom shelf that seems to work best.

A plastic cover sounds strange though, which one do you have? The Lakeland one comes with a fabric cover which creates a warm space to better dry the parts of the clothes not touching the bars, it doesn't create moist air. I do find using a dehumidifier with it works well - would get a load of small child's clothes dry in 12 hours with that on - but don't always bother if I'm not in a rush.

It's not a tumble drier, but it works far better than draping an entire load over radiators.

I posted similar the other day OP. I've got the biggest Lakeland one - I think my expectations were too high! But the advice I had was to leave it on for longer, so am going to try that.

I think people are saying 24 hours as the absolute maximum time. The vast majority of it will dry overnight and only things like thick coats take longer than a few hours.

So you need a dryer, dehumidifier and to leave the window open( letting cold air in)?

Wouldn’t it be cheaper just to use a tumble dryer?

I hated mine til I had a thread on here where someone said to lay the clothes flat in layers thin to thick
Works really well

I got one after seeing all the rapturous reviews, and was distinctly underwhelmed. It just gave me hot crispy stripes on otherwise endlessly damp clothes. I got the cover thingy too and that didn’t achieve much either. I Freecycled mine in the end.