In the summer, tackling a laundry load can feel easy-breezy when the sun and wind are on your side. But as for drying clothes in winter? Well, that’s a whole different story.
Whether you’re trying to slash your energy bills or tackle the laundry without a tumble dryer or heating, drying your clothes indoors can be a tedious and time-consuming chore that could leave you with condensation and mould-filled home.
After trialling using a heated airer and a dehumidifier, one woman took to the Mrs Hinch Cleaning Tips Facebook page to share which option she preferred.
Bryony Slater said: “This is my dehumidifier I got from Scewfix £109. Best thing I ever bought. Absolute game-changer.
“It drys our clothes, in a house of five in three hours. We always had steamy windows and a few mould spots were coming.
“Not a bit of condensation since we’ve had it and it’s very cheap on the electric. It says it’s 3p an hour and it really hasn’t affected my electric usage.
“Highly recommend switching to a dehumidifier after using a heated airer for some time. Just look at the water this thing picks up. I’ve had three tanks in the one day before.”
Bryony shared a photo of her dehumidifier water tank which had collected 20 litres of water.
For the dehumidifier to work effectively to dry laundry, it needs to be placed close to the clothes airer and regularly rotated.
Sharing some top tips on how to use the device in the comments, Bryony said: “When you first get the machine run it 24 hours a day for about two weeks. After that use it to dry clothes and for a couple hours after a shower etc. By the way, it doesn’t work as well if the windows are open. Windows have to be closed.”
Other group members in the comments shared their thoughts on dehumidifiers. Lou Carter wrote: “I’ve used a dehumidifier for the last 20 years to dry clothes. Absolute life saver.”
Dawn Rouse claimed: “I’ve got one, they are amazing, put it on auto overnight and washing is lovely and dry by morning.”
Emma Routledge wrote: “We had a huge problem with condensation in our loft. Bought a dehumidifier (a different one) and it’s now dry as a bone.
“When we are drying washing indoors we can empty five litres of water out of it every one to two days! I’m always amazed at how much comes out! No wonder we had damp and mould problems!”
