Dehumidifiers - can they help dry your washing faster??

[AvadaKedavra]

We have a small damp problem and have borrowed a dehum, it's been on all day today and collected lots of water, quite shocking really - but have just noticed that washing that is currently taking around 4 days to dry out on the airer is almost dry after just being put on last night! Am amazed! Seriously considering buying one of my own now just for this

Is this a universally known thing or have I stumbled upon something revolutionary? [imagines making a million out of this somehow...]

And can anyone recommend what to look for in buying a decent dehum for a one bedroomed flat - budget - as little as possible!

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Our dehum actually has a laundry setting - tis brilliant and very economical for indoor drying.

Yes I have heard they do this.

I have my eye on this one

I have one which I use to dry my washing. It works so well that when my washer/drier died I replaced it with just a washing machine (with a good spin speed to maximise how much water is removed in the machine) so now have no tumble drier at all. It dries my washing which I hang in the bathroom in about 8 hours

I love mine! We use reusable nappies and it just cuts the drying time so much. Almost as good as a sunny windy day.

Awwww. I'm not going to make money then am I

CMOT - laundry setting? What does that mean/do?

I'm seriously impressed, some of the items were heavy towels too!

I love my dehumidifier! Don't know what we'd do without it (can't hang washing outside).

They're not cheap (think ours was about £120) but if you're drying clothes inside they help prevent damp and have that lovely benefit of drying them quickly (especially in winter when they'd otherwise take aaaages)

Maybe try looking on ebay or freecycle...?

I don't have any outdoor space either, tis a pain in the bum especially on lovely hot sunny days and I can't take advantage! I will have to befriend the posh people over the road in the posh house with the posh garden with a posh huge feck off rotary thing.

The laundry setting on ours has a much greater airflow, and no humidity level cut off. Its a Mitsubishi which we originally bought when our previous house had damp issues

My MiL gave me one last weekend. I thought she'd won the prize for the weirdest present but I already love it! And was also worried about how much water is running around in the air in my house...

I rather like this one we've been lent but I cannot for the life of me find a name on it - unless it's underneath?

Be careful though - because they can dramatically increase your electricity bill if you have them on a lot. Though minute for minute they are of course cheaper than a tumble dryer!

Yes, we use ours for washing (in combination with a Lakeland heated airer - basically a giant radiator for drying clothes on).

But we still get damp problems from hanging the washing indoors in winter - we had to take the airer out of our nice new loft room as it was making the paintwork mouldy, despite the dehumidifier.

I use mine in the utility room, everything dries so much quicker.
It does not use a great deal of electricity. We have one of those electric use gadgets and it does not even register on there. Unlike the tumble drier... Not that is a shocker!

that's inspiring Moomoomie, I haven't gone and seen how much it's eaten yet - am on a card meter

Are you sure it doesn't hike up your electric bills? We had one in Hong Kong and it was massively expensive on the bill front.

As I said, ours hardly registers on the meter, not sure if all dehumidifiers are the same.

Ours hasn't made any noticeable difference on our lecky bills.

So, was going to start a thread about de-hums as we live in a 100 yr old end terrace, and dry our washing inside in the winter, and our house is DAMP, black round windows, always condensation and damp on walls etc. After reading this have just purchased the one dswoof is eyeing up. Will report back as to efficiency, economy and whatever if you like. Thanks ladies, can always trust mumsnet to be one step ahead!

Have had a look at the meter and no it's not galumphing it despite being on for about 8 hours or more yesterday and since I got up this morning today.

Am seriously impressed! The flat feels warmer too.

A question for those that have one - do you run it all day every day, a few hours a day, or just every now and then if you see condensation building up again? Or only if you have washing hanging?

We have 2, one in our bedroom for damp problems (all my clothes in my wardrobe were covered in mould, I cried for hours!), and one in the spare room to specifically dry clothes. Total godsend in rainy Scotland and no tumble dryer.

Bedroom one is on all the time and washing one only when drying clothes (i.e. most of the time).

I use one in my bedroom which can get a bit damp and where I hang the washing. It does make the room warmer but I turn it off in the early afternoon as I noticed dry tickly coughs were made so much worse at night if it was left on.

We couldn t be without ours we also live in NE Scotland, during the winter we use ours overnight to dry washing - put it on from approx 2100 until 0700 most nights.
Washing dried in the morning and my monthly DD electric payment is £35 4 bedroom house, 2 kids.

I left it on all night until it cut itself off in the early hours when the tank was full, washing almost dry - unheard of!

It's been off all day and I don't know if it's just a colder day or the horrible wind out there but it's def been chillier in the home today.

Loipop I did notice I woke in the night with a dry throat and had to get a drink, never thought that it could be down to the dehum.

Do they make much/any noise when they're on?