Are heated airers worth it for drying clothes in winter?

[MrAlyakhin]

Heated airer are they worth it?

See really mixed feelings on these. In summer I hang outside or if raining in the porch which is usually very warm. Autumn winter so much harder - I tumble dry anything I can. But still have lots I can't tumble dry. Some stuff goes on radiators some I use a clothes airer and dehumidifier but I constantly have to move clothes about so everything dries as quickly as possible otherwise it smells. I have a room / cupboard housing the washing machine and tumble dryer and have just enough space for a heated airer. I wondered if this would dry stuff more quickly than the airer/ dehumidifier. I also wondered if it would be cheaper?

Any advice appreciated.

They are brilliant! I use mine every day in the winter with a dehumidifier. You need to put a sheet over the top but things dry in a few hours.

We absolutely love ours - total game changer after having damp towels festooning our small flat (with no easy place to put a dryer). Also inexpensive to run.

And some of them including ours come with a big cover that you put over it to make everything dry quickly

But I suspect that’s the dehumidifier doing the drying rather than the airier?. OP I have one and used it maybe twice it dried clothes in ‘stripes’ where they hang over the actual heated elements. I use a Meaco dehumidifier it works effectively to dry laundry when I am unable to hang it outside
I’m going to freecycle the airer as I know I won’t use it again

ETA maybe mine is not a very good one though

No, I have the Kirkland one and I just don’t really see much benefit. A good dehumidifier is a game changer though

I find ours good but not a game changer.

To use it well, it is helpful to get a cover to go with it. Otherwise it dries things rather slowly, and if they are overcrowded they might have time to get musty.

I also sometimes use our dehumidifier alongside ours.

I've never had a tumble drier so I don't know how they compare.

We had the Lakeland one and used it with a dehumidifier, and then wirh dehumidifier and extraction fan - and still ended up with suicidal bad mould problems that the room effectively became unusable.

I would attach some clothes rails high up in your little cupboard, hang the clothes in there and buy a dehumidifier. We did that and clothes dry v quickly in winter. In a few hours

No, we've got the big Lakeland one and I need to get it out of the loft and sell it. We have a heat pump tumble dryer and the cost of drying a load is comparable but the heated airer takes ages to hang everything up on then at least overnight to dry, is huge and bulky with a very short cable (we use it with a smart plug as the control panel has to face the wall for the plug to reach a socket). If we don't want to tumble and can't line dry we use radiators and a dehumidifier instead.

Agree totally.
The airer just dried little stripes where you he rail touched the cloth
The dehumidifier was a game changer. Haven't used the airer since.

We have the big Lakeland one but you have to get the cover to. I think it’s great, especially as we dont have our heating on much.

Right ok, I will cross it off the list. But @HarDeHarHar your idea is fab, going to look at the logistics now..

I was a bit sceptical but also struggling to dry clothes in winter. I only tumble dried towels so was using non heated airers otherwise. Bought Lakeland one with cover and use with timer to take advantage of cheaper overnight electricity, and really pleased with it. Managed to squeeze into DS bedroom which runs cold and has added benefit of heating it slightly for him. I am not house trained or bothered enough to empty airer daily but clothes nice and dry without fusty smell after 2-3 days. Still prefer to line dry so will hang on line in Autumn and Spring and then stick those clothes on heated airer to finish drying.

I have an airing cupboard and if I didn't, I would get a heated airer. I hate having wet clothes draped around the house, it increases the humidity and often clothes end up smelling of mildew in winter.

Just get a dehumidifier, they’re a game changer! I got a meco (think that’s the name!) it has a laundry mode.

Meaco dehumidifier in a small room works for me. With the heated airers the moisture just moves from the clothes into the atmosphere if you’ve not got a dehumidifier and if you do there’s no point having the airer!

I have one of the DriPod circular ones with the zip. I can put things on hangers like cotton t-shirt that I don't want to tumble dry. It sits next to a window I can open so steam escapes.
Also got a heater rail (about 6 rungs) that is secured to a chest of drawers ( cheaper from Aldi) and some rails over hanging the drop in the stairwell so clothes aren't all over the place . The heated rail is good for small things to dry quickly .
Still need the fryer for sheets and towels . We haven't the Half price Electric on Sunday .

I don't think a heated rail on its own would work for me and the DryPod takes up quite a bit of space

The Lakeland one is great as long as you have an open space to put it in, the cover, no damp and a moderately warm house. I have one and lived in house which was very old and cold and it wasn't much good. The house I live in now is much newer and warmer and it's great. Two completely different experiences depending on the environment.

I would say yes, we have a large Lakeland one, and always put a big spare duvet cover over it to help drying.
It was always effective, but even more so now we have a dehumidifier going too in the room when it’s on. The room used to get too humid (though we didn’t get mould) and the dehumidifier makes all the difference and speeds up the drying too.

I’ve tried with just the dehumidifier and not the heating part of the airer, and that doesn’t work as well as both together.

Heated airer on, clothes hung over the bars, cover over, dehumidifier on. Leave it all on overnight. Then in the morning there are still some damp bits on some things like shorts waistbands, but I shuffle it all around a bit and it dries quickly. If the airer isn’t overcrowded I don’t get many damp bits left.

Def dries faster than a normal airer with or without dehumidifier. I would say absolutely worth it. Been using ours for over 15 years.

Never used one but we find towels dry in about 24 hours when we do the following:-

1. Do an extra spin before taking out of the washer
2. Hang on normal airer but try to leave rows between free so air movement can happen
3. Crack open a window slightly to air the room
4. Place a cheap tower fan on oscillation aimed at the towels

Mine is pretty essential unless I want to drape clothes on radiators in the winter. I live dry in summer but winter is hopelessfor that.

I didn’t find mine any more effective than a normal airer.

I don’t find it that good tbh, bought a condenser dryer.

I have the Lakeland one

Do you have a cat? They'll like it.😂