To think heated drying racks are a rip off

[iwearmysunglassesatnight]

I was talked into buying one. Its been on for 9 hours with a fitted sheet over the top. Clothes are still only dry where they are touching the rack, so the bits that aren't touching are still very damp.

Does anyone manage to dry their clothes this way? How?

Don't hang them- lay them flat with up to 4 layers of clothes on each level. Rotate half way through or remove the dry layer at the bottom to speed things up. Then it works beautifully!

Watching

Yep. Love mine. Had it for years.

I hang clothes on it with the thickest parts (waistbands etc) flat on the bars and legs / arms hanging down between the bars underneath. Then I move things around. Finally, when things are damp not dry, I fold and lie the clothes flat on the bars. You can also layer items (so more than one t-shirt etc on each bar).

I also use a dehumidifier (only started using one last year as new house is prone to damp).

I got 2 large loads dry in a day this week.

Layers are your friend

Also duvet not sheet over top

I got a 'flat' one and I agree it does nothing. Wasn't cheap either. A friend has a tall one with a drying bag to cover it which seems to work alot more effectively?

You need the proper cover with them.

a fitted sheet won’t be as effective as the proper cover.

I have two Lakeland ones, every single bar has an item on and I find it great

It's only been 9 hours. Without the heated rack, the clothes would still be completely wet

Heated drying rack or heated airer? Different things. I think a lot of people have bought the airers expecting miracles.

I am always bemused by these threads and wonder if we just got an unusually good one. I hanf clothes normally, filling every bit of space (no drying 5 items flat). It takes about 8-12 hours then everything is totally dry. I do put heavier/bulkier items at the top as that dries quicker.

I mean, it's not as good as a tumble drier but I have a 9kg washing machine, can put an entire load on it and dry it long before it starts to smell.

Pre drying rack, we had clothes sverywhwre, a permanently damp smell and it was unbearable.

Daft question but where does the water go? If I use my tumble drier I'm always amazed by the amount of water it collects. Do you leave a window open for the water to escape?

Mine is amazing, it’s in a small room and before I had it things were damp for days at this time of year. Yes I often leave a small window open a little.

I make sure I use a 1600 spin, also use an airer in the room too to hang surplus on as I find it heats the whole room and no good wasting the heat :)

Yes I use mine in the conservatory with the window very slightly open.

11hs? Powered up the whole time ?

Damp unventilated room?

2 hrs heat moving things at halt time then leave overnight

Bit more for very thick things like jeans

What I'd like to know, is how much does it cost to dry a loaf of washing in comparison with a tumble dryer. They might cost less to run per hour, but if they take 12 hours to get stuff dry is it actually worth it? I'd be surprised if it was cheaper than hanging on a normal airer for a day and finishing off in the tumble dryer.

I have a lakeland one from years ago - I find it will dry things overnight and I don't cover it generally. I usually spin clothes at 1200/1400 so they're not super wet anyway. The bars get very hot and it's better than our dryer (though we have a washer dryer) as clothes don't shrink or go bobbly. I guess people compare them to a couple of hours in the dryer - rather than how long it would take on an unheated airer. They're good as you won't get that musty smell from when they take too long to dry. So no I don't think they're a con as I've been using ours for many years - but I respect that there are limitations to it.

We leave ours on for 3 hours with a flat sheet on top. Then then off, remove the flatsheet and leave overnight.
Next say I turn it back on, put the sheet on and leave it while the next load is getting washed. By the time the next load is ready to hang (40mins), the previous one is totally dry. Including items like jeans.

I think buying a heated airer comes with an acceptance that there'll be no more wash n wear - your clothes will be in at least a 48hr turnaround, and that's fine. Makes me stop and think 'does this really need washing', and use school uniform re-sales, charity shops etc to make sure we've got enough school shirts etc to get through.
I've rigged myself up a foil cover from some of that stuff you buy on a roll to go behind the radiators. I had some leftover.

We’ve had ours 10 years and still going strong so that is not my experience. I am a bit lazy though so maybe our stuff is still wet after 9 hours - I leave it at least overnight.

Mine works ok. I still have to move stuff about but it does dry them.

Mine was good but it encouraged mould in my flat and it cost a fair bit to run so I got rid.

My dad gave me his as he couldn't get on with it. I found it next to useless. Just dried where it touched. The airing cupboard and boiler cupboard do a better job as I've bought rails from Lakeland to hand inside the door.

I had a wing one but didn't really rate it. I've now got a dunelm tower one and it's great. I hang things on hangers and socks etc on the octopus type thing. I then cover it with a double flat sheet, put it on for 4-5 hours and then switch it off but keep the sheet on. Next morning everything is dry.

This is my thinking. People are worried about using the tumble drier due to the cost so are taking advice on social media to buy a heated airer (£100?) and then they leave it on all night and their washing still isn’t dry. Other suggest they buy a dehumidifier, which they do (£150) and have that on for 8-10 hours as well, rearranging the clothes half way through to help them to dry better.

It would probably be much cheaper and less hassle to put the them in the tumble dryer you already owned for half an hour!