As expected, the Great British weather is back to its old tricks, which means putting the washing out on the line is a real lottery. It could rain at any minute and we all want to avoid having to run out to get the washing in because it’s spitting.
Equally, with the current cost of living crisis and worry around energy bills, many homeowners are looking for ways to avoid using the tumble drier, a device which notoriously uses a lot of electricity.
If you’re doing several wash loads a day, that bill will soon rack up, with tumble dryers costing around 37.5p an hour to run. As a result, many people are opting for the cheaper-to-run heated airers, which cost around 13.7p an hour - more than half the price.
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Aldi’s own brand heated airer has been popular with shoppers - although the £39.99 device is no longer in stock. It’s received more than 500 five star reviews and is praised for ‘heating quickly’ and leaving clothes crease free.
We’ve scoured the web for the best heated airers for the lowest prices, and found some under £50. While there may be an initial investment, this clothes drying kit could save shoppers hundreds of pounds in the long run.
Argos, B&Q and Robert Dyas all have some affordable heated airers in stock at the moment, with Wowcher selling one for better than half price.
Robert Dyas’ Portable Heated Clothes Airer with Wings is currently down from £69.99 to £49.99, saving shoppers £20. The brand say the airer costs less than 12p an hour to run, with a low wattage of 220.
The compact electronic device has 18 bars on which to dry your clothes, with a capacity of 15kg, meaning it’ll take a full wash load. Made from aluminium, it is lightweight and easy to set up in your home, and folds down for easy storage to make it compact and keep it out of your way.
This electric airer is the ideal solution for smaller homes or for students going off to university with no dryer available. You can shop it on the Robert Dyas website here.
Also with wings is the Argos Minky airer for £55 . This lightweight, yet sturdy, heated clothes airer is perfect for drying clothes whatever the weather.
Easy to manoeuvre, the airer comes with a cover that helps retain heat and improve the drying performance, and is said to costing less than 4p an hour to run - however, this was based on 2017 energy prices of 13.86p/kWh. The price of energy by the end of the year is estimated to be 36p/kWh, but even at two and a half times higher, the airer is still around 10-12p an hour to run. Find the £55 airer here.
At B&Q there’s an Oypla Airer Dryer With Heated Wings for £41.99 . With twenty aluminium bars it is ideal for drying jumpers and delicate items flat, hanging laundry on to dry, airing damp clothes or simply warming up your towels.
This economical Heated Clothes Airer Dryer provides an extra-large drying surface, and for quick and easy storage it folds flat to just 4cm. You can pick it up at B&Q here.
Slightly more expensive is this Wowcher deal, which sees this Three-Tier Electric Heated Clothes Airer down to £69.99 instead of £149.99. Shoppers can save an additional 10 per cent with the code EXTRA10 at checkout , taking the price down further to £60.30.
Wowcher said: “It's an absolute household essential, allowing you to dry more of your clothes in an instant, thanks to its 3-tier heating system. It also includes a nifty little swivel feature, which is perfect for hanging longer items of clothing. After you're done using it, you can simply fold it flat and store it away easily.”
This device has 21 metres of drying space and folds down to 8cm, perfect for stowing away when it’s not in use. Shop the Wowcher deal here.
If you’re looking for something that will slot in with your home decor, Dunelm has a stylish ladder airer that you could leave out all the time. The 90 Watts device costs around 3p an hour to run, based on energy prices in July 2022.
The airer costs £40, and has heated bars ideal to dry off and warm towels in the bathroom. Made from sturdy aluminium, this heated ladder airer has 3m of drying space and is suitable for up to 5kg of washing. Pick one up for £40 on the Dunelm website here.
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