Dehumidifiers are brilliant appliances for drying clothes and reducing humidity in a damp room, but they cost money to run.
With energy bills still high, it’s more important than ever to minimise your electricity usage.
With that in mind, it’s important to place your dehumidifier where it can dry clothes and reduce humidity as efficiently and quickly as possible.
Dehumidifiers work by pulling in damp air, removing moisture so that it drips into the tank, and then releasing dryer air back into the room. This means maintaining maximal airflow is essential.
The appliance creates dry air, but it has to hit the washing for the laundry to dry effectively and quickly.
This means you want to place the dehumidifier where it’s going to have access to the damp air.
According to the dehumidifier experts at Morris, the “best place to put a dehumidifier for drying clothes” is closer to the laundry for “fast drying”.
However, ensure that you leave enough clearance for the dehumidifier, on all sides, to facilitate airflow. A space of 30 cm on all sides will suffice.
They recommended using the appliance in a small room, especially for those who have a small portable dehumidifier.
They explained: “The dehumidifier will remove moisture in this environment faster compared to if it is placed in a large room. This is why most homeowners would dry clothes using a dehumidifier in the bathroom.”
However, for those who do want to use a dehumidifier in their bathroom to dry laundry, they need to make sure the room is dry. Moisture could come from sinks, showers, wet towels and bathroom rugs.
The experts added that drying laundry this way can help “eliminate mould and musty smells” in your home.
The longer clothes take to dry, the mustier they can become. By reducing the humidity and speeding up drying time, your clothes are more likely to smell fresh and not develop an odour.
When using a dehumidifier to dry clothes, close the door and any windows, so the dehumidifier can get straight to work removing the moisture from the laundry.
If you leave the door open, the dehumidifier will work hard to remove the moisture from the landing/other rooms and won’t be able to dry your clothes effectively or at speed.
It’s also important to hang or spread clothes over a clothes airer. Try to hang garments over multiple rails, so air can flow up and in between them as clothes that are clumped together will take ages to dry.
