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?

Thanks for all the tips on this thread. We have put our clothes on flat and stacked them & it's been a game changer. I would never have realised to do that!

I thought that, my clothes always dry within 24 hours on an unheated airer. I just shove the airer next to a window and turn the clothes over once.

The one radiator I have on is my tall flat panel kitchen one. I put the airer in front of it and turn round once or twice - works great. Just leave a few inches gap between.

I'm really hoping I'll have a better experience than some on this thread as we've got one on order and they're not cheap! Though since the weather has turned in the last two weeks (it's particularly wet where we live) I am finding that our washing on a regular airer is taking at least 2 days to dry and items like jeans and hoodies are taking 3, so anything has got to be better than that. I know a dehumidifier would work but I used one in a flat a few years ago and it used so much electric that I daren't try it again, especially at the current prices.

I'm more undecided about buying a heated airer now. Will think about it.
I have a clothes horse, tumble dryer (trying to use only for emergencies) and a small ceiling airer. Useful thread, though, and for the word swizz, which I hadn't heard in years either!

It very much depends on the dehumidifier and airer you get. I’ve just calculated my dehumidifier will cost 2.5p an hour to run compared with Lakeland’s heater airer which costs 10p an hour. I appreciate total spend will depend on the speed of drying but dehumidifiers don’t have to be too expensive to run.

I absolutely love mine - used to use it with a dehumidifier (which does speed things along) but haven't replaced it since it broke.

I just use a sheet over the top to trap the warm air and can dry a full load (including jeans and hoodies) overnight. Also will use those octopus peg things for underwear and socks and hang them off the side (under the sheet) to free up space for bigger items if I've done a particularly big load.

@TheWayOfTheWorld - we call it a socktopus 😁

@ChilliBandit I like it!

@ChilliBandit which dehumidifier do you have?

@primeoflife - it’s a 72w from Aldi, does the job fine but I only use it for a few hours at a time

@ChilliBandit thanks. We need to get one but don't want it to cost loads or use loads of energy!

Some of the newer models don't seem as good. I've had a Lakeland one for donkeys years and it's fab.

The Lakeland one is the best invention ever! Used daily and amazing.

I'm amazed how people get a full airer load dry in 24hrs on a normal airer
Washing out 9pm last night and left to air dry
This morning at 9am I put the heated airer on AND the dehumidifier in a small room, switched it off for a few hours over lunch and back on at 2pm. Not dry yet. The majority of it is but there's still 1/3 of it that is damp

It's pillow cases, tops, socks, pjs , nothing thick

@PeloFondo - I have 2 airers, I do extra machine spin then I make sure the clothes aren’t too rammed on, turn the clothes over at least once, put next to sunny window with trickle vents open and dehumidifier on for a few hours. Always dry in 24 hours.

Any day that’s not got rain and is above 10 degrees it goes on the line.

Good spin cycle. Hang every item nicely and over 2 bars not one, nothing thick next to each other.

I suspect "have a dry house" could have an impact too, we always have fairly low humidity for some.reason.

Found it useless and it created terrible condensation. We just use it as a normal clothes horse now. Total waste of money.

It can't be useless AND creating condensation, condensation is quite literally the water from the clothes that has left the clothes and gone in the room, you just needed to open a window. You wouldn't have a tumbledrier or a shower without a vent, the physics doesn't change.

I had the Lakeland one. It was shit and has now been taken to the dump.

I have two large basic clothes horses which I stand together either beside a radiator or just inside my patio doors. They are far better than the heated airer.

The heated airer cost around 5 or 6 pence per hour to run. It would be on for about 12 hours overnight, so maybe 72 pence used there and not all of the washing totally dry. I might as well run the tumble dryer for about an hour and a half, which costs just over 50p and actually does a proper job.

People seem to rave about the heated airer, but I found it a heap of shit.

I hated mine, had it in a flat, got it as a bloody Christmas present because I couldn't afford much so I told my mum that was what I wanted and it was shit and a clothes horse was better.

Love my heated airer - I hang things over the rails like a normal clothes horse then I also lay other items flat on top of the rails. I can often have 3 or 4 layers on top of the clothes hanging down. Cover it all with a king size sheet and away it goes. The heat that builds up with all the layers and the sheet is amazing. Even better if you then rotate some items from bottom to top. Wouldn't be without mine now.

I really love mine. In fact I recently bought another. How I use mine is that I hang clothes on hangers all around the airer and then lay lighter things like undies, t shirts, gym stuff flat on the shelf. It isn’t a quick dry solution but I use it in my home office and it heats up the whole room. The general extra warmth of the room makes the laundry dry quicker and I’m finding the same with the one I’ve put in our bedroom.

I don’t use a cover and if what you’re looking for is a quick dry solution or to dry heavier items, then I agree they are not a great solution. I have never used one for these purposes and this winter will line dry everything for as long as I can and finish off if still damp on the heated airer or will use the heated airier with the dehumidifier I’ve just ordered.

Hmm I wonder if that’s why my clothes dry quite quickly and I can’t understand the timings on this thread, I hang everything on hangers. Our socis & underwear are pegged on a special hanger we found in a charity store. It’s the drying pod as there’s currently on 3 of us in the house. It takes 3-4 hours and I think the cost is not much over £1.