If you're fed up with the sight of your smalls draped over your radiators, a heated clothes airer could be the solution you're looking for.
The great British weather can make it difficult sometimes to get our laundry dry, particularly in the autumn and winter when rainy days mean hanging outside is not an option.
This means we're forced to hang our washing inside or accept the expense of running laundry loads in the tumble drier. However, this can add up quickly on electricity bills, and hanging clothes inside can lead to dampness, condensation and even be a hazard to our health.
Hanging clothes to dry inside can lead to mould and spores in the air, and on your walls. These spores can also trigger health issues and aggravate allergies.
So if your house is prone to damp, a heated clothes airer will be really beneficial for you.
How do electric clothes airers work?
The answer is just like any clothes rack - the key difference being you plug it in!
Each rack on the airer warms, drying the clothes you hang quicker, more efficiently and at a fraction of the cost of running a drier.
It's a bit like hanging your clothes on the radiator, except a heated airer offers you more space to hang your clothes. Hanging your clothes on radiators actually makes them less efficient at heating your house meaning your boiler needs to work harder incurring higher energy bills.
In the warmer months, you won't want to turn on your heating to dry your clothes quicker and if you have radiators that are unfit for hanging clothes on, this is a perfect solution for you.
Heated clothes airers are perfectly safe, take up no more space than your usual clothes horse, and since they dry the clothes quicker you can take them down and store them away more swiftly than with a standard clothes rack too, saving you space in your home.
Some come with covers, which make them even more efficient by holding the heat inside the airer rather than letting it escape. Electric airers are also very economical to run, some less than 3p per hour.
The best heated clothes airers to buy UK 2022
The best heated clothes airers
1. Eezy-Dry Electric Clothes Dryer
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Energy efficient with a large capacity, this heated clothes airer acts like a drying wardrobe while reducing creases at the same time.
Features:
Size: 148 x 70 x 48 cm
Warms up to 15kg of laundry (roughly 25 items)
Powerful 1300W motor
Zip-up cover to keep heat inside
Temperature control system to avoid overheating
Folds flat for easy storing
Review: 'A great product for properties with minimal space or a temporary replacement for a dryer. Quick and easy to set up with clear instructions - no tools required. The frame is push-fit, I can fit my double-sized bedding in with some folding and dry it for 240 minutes. You only get eight mini bars to place in the groove, so whether you want to hang clothes or lay them - you get a choice. Overall a great value product.'
2. Lakeland Dry:Soon 3-Tier Heated Airer
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This three-tier heated airer offers a staggering 21m of drying space. With so much space to utilise, your clothes will dry more quickly than ever before.
Features:
Size: 73 x 75 x 137 cm • 21m of drying space
Holds 15kg of laundry
Folds down to 8cm deep for flat storage
Review: "As always, the 3-tier heated airer from Lakeland is of excellent quality and very economical to run. Definitely worth paying the extra for the bigger model and it's very easy to store as it folds completely flat."
3. BLACK+DECKER 3-Tier Heated Clothes Airer Aluminium
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The largest available airer, this heated dryer is big enough to hold multiple loads of washing. The BLACK+DECKER 3-Tier Heated Airer is ideal for a convenient, easy-to-use and cost-effective solution to dry your washing. It has three-tiers and swivel arms to dry longer items such as trousers, dresses, towels or bedding.
Features:
Size - 140cm x 73cm x 68cm
Holds 15kg of washing
21m of drying space
Folds flat for storage
Use all three tiers or independently to dry longer items
Review: "Really happy with this product. Was a bit sceptical not getting one from Lakeland but it does the same job pretty much! Need to leave it on all day or overnight to dry the clothes, but can put about 3 loads of washing on which is ideal!"
4. Laptronix Winged Heated Clothes Airer
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A lighter and smaller version, this heated airer is super easy to move around and ready to be brought into action, whenever the unpredictable weather hits.
Features:
Size: 147 x 54 x 94 cm
Holds 10kg of laundry
Folds neatly to 1.3cm for easy storage
Energy class A+
Review: "This is a game changer. I live in a basement flat so drying clothes is very tricky. There's a decent amount of space and most of it dries within a few hours. It also helps heat up the room. It folds down, so easy to store."
5. Argos Home 11.5m Heated Electric Indoor Clothes Airer
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A smaller more convenient option, this heated airer enables you to dry your clothes whatever the weather.
Features:
Size: 93 x 84 x 54 cm
10kg drying capacity
Ideal for flat drying
Folds flat for convenient storage
Review: "This is great. I have a small flat and this thing works really well with the room I have. It warms up quick and dries my clothes very fast as well."
Answered: Heated airers FAQs
Are heated clothes airers expensive to run?
Electric airers are really economical to run and a lot cheaper than a tumble dryer. Some can even cost less than 3p per hour, though more commonly you’re looking at 4-6p per hour when in use.
Related: How to dry clothes indoors: the best indoor laundry airers
Do heated airers shrink clothes?
No! Using a heated clothes airer is just like drying your clothes on a radiator, giving you no shrinkage and reducing creases at the same time.
Related: The best upholstery cleaners for every spill and fabric
Can you leave heated clothes airer on overnight?
Heated clothes airers are really safe, but of course, we wouldn’t recommend leaving it on overnight while unattended. However, thermostatic controlled ones with auto-off timers are perfect for getting some controlled drying time overnight, if necessary.