A dehumidifier will help to dry your laundry more quickly. It does this by removing the moisture that evaporates into the air during the drying process.
Although tumble dryers are faster, they consume a lot of energy. A typical dryer may consume between 1800 and 5000 watts of energy per hour, depending on the model.
A low-energy portable dehumidifier consumes 185 watts of energy per hour. Even when you leave the average dehumidifier running for five hours straight, the total energy consumption is nowhere near that of a tumble dryer in an hour.
For those using a dehumidifier to dry their clothes, there is a way to speed up the process slightly.
According to the experts at Morris, if you place the dehumidifier in a certain area of your home, your clothes will “dry faster”.
They said: “The best place to put a dehumidifier for drying clothes is closer to the laundry in the smallest room for faster drying.
“The dehumidifier will remove moisture in the environment faster compared to if it is placed in a large room. This is why most homeowners are recommended to dry clothes in the bathroom.”
However, ensure there are no additional moisture outlets in the bathroom. Moisture can come from taps, showers, wet towels and bathroom rugs.
Households need to ensure their bathroom is dry before using a dehumidifier for drying clothes.
The bathroom is also a good place to dry laundry as it can be completely closed off. The aim is to eliminate air transfer from other rooms to concentrate the dry air.
It is also vital to position your dehumidifier in the right spot. Leave enough clearance for the dehumidifier on all sides, to facilitate airflow. A clearance of 30cm on all sides will suffice.
Position your dehumidifier side on to the airing rack so that the air can flow between the clothes.
Positioning the air outlet at the front of the rack will be less effective than aiming at a flat wall of clothes will be less effective.
It is also not necessary to run the dehumidifier until your clothes are bone dry, consider switching off the dehumidifier slightly before the end and letting the clothes dry naturally in the room while the air is still very dry. This will be more cost effective but it will take a little longer.
