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Heated clothes airers were hot property last winter – here’s where you can buy them now
A good airer can save you time, money and space
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Your support makes all the difference.Now that our very short-lived UK summer is officially over and the autumn and winter months lie ahead of us, heated clothes airers are about to become hot property once more. Designed to help wet laundry dry out more effectively, these heated laundry racks were hugely popular last year – so much so, that very few models remained in stock.
There are many reasons why heated airers are sought after during the winter, including their ability to speed up laundry drying times once we can no longer rely on warm temperatures and sunny weather. Plus, they’re energy-efficient and cheaper to run than a traditional tumble dryer.
In fact, some we’ve tested ourselves cost as little as 3p an hour to operate, so using one is a sensible way to make savings where they count. Additionally, heated clothes airers can be ideal if you live in an older house with high ceilings and single glazing, as one of our writers found.
It’s important to understand what makes each clothes airer worth the investment, as your choice may depend on size. This final decision includes factoring in the size of the area the airer will occupy, as well as the amount of laundry it’s able to handle at once. We’ve spotted a couple of our favourites at leading appliance retailers, including the EasyLife XL and Dunelm’s range.
Read more: Electric blankets to keep you warm this winter
We also recommend checking to see if the heated clothes airer comes with a built-in timer. This can help limit the amount of energy consumed, by restricting use to set times and further cut down the cost of running it.
If their sell-out success last winter is anything to go by, we’re forecasting that these heated clothes airers may become a hot-ticket item once more during the upcoming colder months. So, our expert shopping team has compiled a list of retailers with models still in stock, from John Lewis & Partners to Argos and Currys.
How do heated clothes airers work?
Most heated clothes airers tend to resemble their non-heated counterparts, on which damp laundry is draped over aluminium bars, ready to air dry. With heated options, a component inside the metal bars uses electricity to create warmth, which in turn speeds up the process of drying. They need to be plugged into an outlet to work, so providing there is space to fit the airer near a plug socket, you shouldn’t have any issues.
As well as these types of drying racks, there are also collapsible drying pods, which work by circulating warm air inside a mesh pod as the clothes hang inside. These tend to be portable and dry clothes quicker, but they do use extra energy and therefore cost more to run continuously.
How much energy do heated clothes airers use?
Mileage may vary depending on the type of clothes airer you own, how their heating components work, and how often they are used. Some models, such as the 11.5m airer from Argos (£55, Argos.co.uk) only uses 220W, which works out at about 7p an hour, based on current estimates.
In comparison, the Dry:Soon drying pod from Lakeland (£99.99, Lakeland.co.uk) uses 1kW amd costs about 34p an hour to run, but the speed at which the two models will dry clothes will be different.
Read more: Best dehumidifiers to help tackle damp and mould at home
Where can you buy heated clothes airers right now?
Unsurprisingly, the rise in demand for heated clothes airers is a direct result of the cost-of-living crisis, which has seen many households adopt new ways to try and save energy and money.
We’ve rounded up all the top UK retailers for home appliances, with links to their listings of different heated airers and we’ll be keeping a regular eye on the stock situation in the coming months. Here are some of the models in stock now, including a few IndyBest tried and tested favourites.
- Amazon: In stock now, £42.99
- Argos: In stock now, £55
- B&Q: In stock now, £49.95
- Currys: In stock now, £59.99
- Dunelm: In stock now, £40
- EasyLife: In stock now, £149.99
- John Lewis: In stock now, £100
- Homefront: In stock now, £47.99
- Lakeland: In stock now, £159.99
- Lakeland: In stock, £199.99
- ManoMano: In stock now, £49.99
- Robert Dyas: In stock now, £79.99
- Robert Dyas: In stock now, £109.99
- Robert Dyas: In stock now, £49.99
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Shopping for other warming buys ahead of winter? We’ve rounded up the best electric heaters