Lakeland airer tips!

[FusionChefGeoff]

Just got one - any tips??
Should we leave it on overnight??
Lay flat or drape??
Leave door to utility room open to allow better airflow / less humidity or keep shut to creat airing cupboard style heat?!

I'm excited!!!!

Give washing an extra spin once the cycle is finished.
Always use a cover.
stretch clothes over 2 bars at a time on the airer.
I love mine.

Heat rises so heavier bulkier items at the top. I tend to do an extra spin on the washing machine and hang items over 2 bars each. I then leave it like that with the cover off during the day. Then before bed I pop the cover on and leave it overnight and usually my washing is dry come the morning.

I may have to adjust my use as we’ve just had solar panels fitted so need to utilise it more during the day when we get ‘free’ electricity.

I have one and it's useless. I find items hanging on it don't dry. I had better result using the laundry mode with my dehumidifier. Or just the tumble drier.

Cost depends on how long you run it for and how quickly you expect things to dry

2 hrs on and then leave for a day is 22p from memory & works for us

Lay things flat or move around to benefit from the heat

I would also like to know exactly how much these cost to run. It's like air fryers- it's all very well paying out for expensive equipment to 'save energy' but we need to know exactly how much energy we will be using and it's really difficult to find that out!

The problem is it depends on how you use it

The instructions documents give the power

Basic standard size 3 tier version says 300 watts

For one hour use that is .3 kWh

A kWh will be about 50p in October
So come October that will be 15p per hour

And it like me you leave it heated for 2 hrs on a average that 30p in October

But I have heard plenty people leaving it in overnight .m

I like mine. As another pp suggested, do an extra spin in the machine if you can, then I lay washing on but hang more delicate things. Thick stuff directly on the heater and quicker drying things can go on top of these and I find still dry well. I then whack a big dry towel over the whole thing.

Ours is in our bedroom and so I don't need the radiator on in there!

Interesting, so if you're routinely leaving your heated airer on overnight you're going to be getting up to similar sorts of costs to using a tumble drier!

I bought one last winter in great excitement. After much experimenting, I really don’t rate it.

It’s actually cheaper to run our very efficient tumble dryer than attempt to dry a load on the heated airer. Takes over 12 hours, even with the cover on.

And if I start fart arsing about with the dehumidifier, I’ll be using more energy than the tumble dryer, but for even longer!

We do live in a very humid part of the U.K. where humidity is typically around 80-90% so perhaps that’s why. Perhaps they are more effective in eastern regions?

agree with this. I don’t use mine as it’s hopeless. Things take ages to dry and lots of condensation.

I love mine and I have had it for 20 years.
I hang shirts on hangers and hang them between the bars from the central support. I hang the smaller items from the heated rails and spread a few items over the bars.
Make sure you switch it on! Throw a large table cloth or duvet cover over the whole thing. Fasten it closely by clipping the sides of the cloth together with clothes pegs so the air inside gets hot.
I use mine in the kitchen, which is reasonably spacious and ventilated.
I find that everything dries within about 4 hours to overnight. The kitchen is lovely and warm in the morning.

i have been reading this thread with interest and trying to work out how much cheaper a heated airer would be to run for 6-8 hours than a tumble drier for 45 minutes! If you add the fact that a dehumidifier might be needed on as well and I would have to actually buy the heated airer AND the dehumidifier in the first place, would it be cheaper to use the tumble drier I already own?!

I haven't got one of the big heated airers , but a few years ago I bought an Aldi one . Fairly small , 6 bars (I just counted them to double check )
It sits in the upstairs landing against the banister . De-humidifier sits next to it .
We have an airer hanging over the bannistr in the stairwell and one over the doorwar to the boxroom that doesn't have a door . I can open the box room windows and get a breeze without bothering anyone

At the moment I've got one of those peg hangers (56 pegs and can fold) folded over the airer , full of socks and underwear (4 adults) .

I wouldn't have space for a big airer and I do wonder about the cover/sheet .
Where does the moisture go? Does it condense in the cover or does the sheet absorb it ? Does the sheet go musty?

Definitely not at £180 for the airer and about £100 for the dehumidifier, you'd never recoup the costs. I'm thinking of using just non heated airers next to a radiator to try and cut my tumble dryer use. Maybe with the addition of a reasonably priced dehumidifier if necessary

Sorry my reply was a bit misleading-I meant in that case it probably WOULD be cheaper just to use the tumble drier you already own