When it comes to choosing the best heated clothes airer for you, there are a number of factors to consider, including size and price. But, after weeks of testing, the Easylife XL heated airer landed the top spot in this review, thanks to being capacious enough to hold an impressive amount of clothing. For something a little more affordable, turn to Dunelm’s heated airer with wings – it’s £40 yet one of the most versatile dryers we tested.
In theory, yes, they can. Clothes will dry faster in a warmer environment than a cooler one. This means that by placing a cover over the top of your clothes while they’re hanging on heated rails, you’re creating a space where this heat can be trapped inside and recirculated, helping them to dry more quickly.
While the temperature of the rails themselves won’t be hot enough to cause concern if a heater is left on overnight, typically, it’s not recommended to leave appliances plugged in, running and unattended for long periods of time. That being said, some come with timers for up to 12 hours and auto shut-off functions.
Heated clothes airers are cost-effective home appliances that not only speed up the drying time of your clothes but are also more affordable than a tumble dryer.
Heated clothes airers are cheaper to invest in, with many designs available for less than £100, while tumble dryers are much bigger machines that can cost hundreds of pounds.
Depending on the model, operating a tumble dryer can cost from 56p to £1.55 an hour, however, a heated dryer will set you back less than 40p an hour.
A heated clothes airer gives off heat through the rails, warming up the clothes rather than the room, so it shouldn’t cause condensation on walls or windows. However, putting damp clothes over the rails without a cover could release moisture into the air, which may lead to a risk of damp. For this reason, it’s a good idea to keep your heated airer covered to trap moisture around your garments.
Heated airers are slower at drying clothes than tumble dryers but faster than radiators and non-heated airers. Expect cotton, polyester shirts and sports kits to take around six hours to dry while jumpers and heavier fabrics will take around 10. As a rule, your laundry should be dry by morning if you switch it on before bed.
If you’re looking for a pocket-friendly and quick way to dry your clothes, a heated clothes airer is worth it. Depending on your budget, you can look to spend anything from £40 to £200, and we’ve catered for every price point here.
The Easylife XL heated airer can hold an impressive amount of washing for a good price. It performs similarly to Lakeland’s Dry:Soon deluxe three-tier heated airer, but it is currently cheaper. If you live alone or don’t get through much washing, the best compact airer is the Dry:Soon drying pod, which dries clothes nice and fast.
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