AS a mum of two boisterous girls, the amount of washing we get through every week still blows my mind.
It needs a load put on every day if I'm to keep on top of it and wash baskets soon turn into warzones if I dare to take a bit of time out.
More than half the battle is drying, and I have to admit, over the years, I’ve become a ninja clothes horse hanger (this is not something I thought I’d ever be boasting about, but times change, and ambitions lower).
Generally, it takes about 18 hours to completely dry a load in my house on a conventional non-heated clothes horse, which is nowhere near a radiator. If you hang it out one day, it's generally dry the next.
So, for a while, I could never really understand the point of heated clothes dryers. But after trying them out for Sun Shopping, I'm now a complete convert.
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They massively reduce condensation, which can lead to horrible damp patches around the house.
Plus, if you’re suddenly reminded three minutes before bedtime that the next day is PE and their horrible stained tee is still in a ball in a corner, a heated dryer means you’ll have it washed and ready by breakfast without it costing an arm and a leg.
At roughly 7p to 10p an hour to run, the cost comparison to a tumble dryer is an absolute no-brainer. Studies have shown that it costs £1.51 to run a tumble dryer at a cost of £178 annually.
Best heated clothes airers at a glance:
- Best mid-range: Dry Soon Drying Pod
- Best for small loads: Dry Soon Foldable Heated Airer
- Best high-end: Black and Decker 3-tiered heated Airer
- Most stylish: A-Frame 3-tier heated dryer
- Best budget: Heated Electric Indoor Clothes Airer
Lakeland
- Dry Soon Drying Pod, £69.99 at Lakeland - buy here
Pros: easy set-up, doesn't take up much room, heats up instantly
Cons: short power cord, initial hum when powered on
This dryer is compact and really easy to set up as there are only a few pieces to slot together (but make sure you get all the legs in properly; otherwise, it WILL collapse when you artfully hang your final piece on it!).
There are 12 coat hangers, so you’ll need to get special pegs to hang underwear and socks on it and be mindful of what you’re loading in your washing machine so you're not short on space.
When I tested it, the Drying Pod heated up immediately, although there was a loud hum when I first turned it on.
As with all dryers, it takes time to learn the art of maximising its hanging ability. It says it takes 12 hangers and I tried 14, cue the legs collapsing. So, chastened, I went back to 12. And, unless you have spare hangers (I don’t!), you would have to buy extra.
But it looks space age and doesn’t take up much room even with the big cover on it.
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There are many different time and temperature settings, and the battery-powered remote control takes a while to learn. You can also just leave it on without a timer set.
It took roughly eight hours for everything to dry but one major complaint, as with so many electrical goods, the power chord was too short, so you have to be mindful of where you can set it up.
Running cost: 30p per hour Capacity: 12 items/10kg Size: 62cm Dia. x 146cm H, Power: 1000W
Lakeland
- Dry Soon Foldable Heated Airer £69.99 at Lakeland - buy here
Pros: easy to set up, looks great, doesn't take up much space, built-in fan to avoid damp smell
Cons: takes a while to dry
This dryer was so easy to set up, and it looks great; it's literally a pod that you stretch apart with the cover intact, so it looks good while not taking up much space. When you’re not using it, you could fit it at the bottom of a wardrobe easily or stash it away in a cupboard.
You could even pop it in the boot if you want to go away and have a dryer with you!
However you can only fit five shirts or jumpers on it, so think carefully before you buy if that's enough for you.
I would say this is best for a single person or someone with a spare room who wants to wash five shirts at the beginning of the week for work, then probably leave them hanging as they take each one off each day to iron. I have to say there weren't many creases after, but you’d have to hang the shirts carefully.
Also, it takes a while to dry; I would leave it on overnight. And the best thing is that it avoids the condensation you’d expect if you were to leave five shirts hanging around a spare room.
It's got a built-in fan to blow hot air around your clothes and boasts a ‘fragrance dispenser’ to eliminate any damp smell! This is basically a place where you can add any aromatic oil which will waft around the room; it's a really nice touch.
Capacity: 5 items Size: 150cm H. to 28cm Diameter Power: 600W
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Black and Decker
- Black and Decker 3-tiered heated Airer from £99.99 at Robert Dyas - buy here
Pros: doesn't take up a lot of room, folds away, six hours to dry
Cons: unsightly
The daddy of all dryers, this is a large aluminium beast boasting 21 metres of drying space which is incredible.
I managed to get two whole loads on one dryer - which is the ultimate time saver.
It comes flat and then slickly folds out with shelves you click in, and although it's 140cm high and 73cm wide, it folds down really smoothly.
It's activated with a simple switch without timers, and, as with all these products, I never think the (1.6m) power cable is long enough; unless you start involving extension leads, you're trapped into where you can put it.
And although it doesn’t take up a huge amount of room, once it’s got the cover on top, it's rather imposing and not that attractive, which is not ideal if you live out of one room.
However, one load dried in only six hours with the hood on, which is absolutely brilliant. I don’t think I’d use the cover unless I needed really speedy drying, as it works very well without it.
Capacity: 15kg Size: 140cm High x 73cm Wide x 68cm Deep
Dunelm
- A-Frame 3-tier heated dryer £95 at Dunelm - buy here
Pros: best looking, 10p an hour to run, folds away really small
Cons: odd sock holders
This was by far the smartest and nicest-looking fold-out dryer.
Small but mighty, it absolutely belts out heat; if you're in an average-size room, there's no need to have a radiator on when it's running, which is a massive bonus.
The best bit? It only costs 10p an hour to run.
It's got 20 nice smooth, wide racks, so you can hang XL clothes on there and there’s no timer, you just plug it in.
One odd thing is the weird sock holders, which I don’t think utilise the space in the best way possible as there’s only room for four socks.
In the summer, when you don’t wear socks so much, you’ll just have to be creative about what you dry on there. Trainers, maybe? Wellies?
But this dryer is a lovely piece of kit. It folds up really small, and it gives the room a really nice ‘clean laundry’ aroma.
Capacity: 15kg
Argos
- Home 11.5m Heated Electric Indoor Clothes Airer £55 at Argos - buy here
Pros: sturdy, easily hand a family load of washing on it,10kg capacity, lightweight
Cons: basic
This dryer does exactly what it says on the tin: it folds out nicely, looks sturdy, and boasts a large drying area over 18 smooth-to-the-touch racks. So you could easily hang a family load of washing on there; it says it can take up to 10kg.
It folds up small, and crucially, it's lightweight, so it can be carried and tucked away somewhere when you don’t need it.
Also, this is ideal for taking outside in the summer when you don’t need to heat it.
It's basic but decent and heats to a nice temperature; a really good budget buy.
Capacity: 10kg Size: H93, W84, D54cm
Lakeland
