Many of us have now found incredible ways to save cash in preparation for the winter months.
The high street has realised that the majority of us need to scrimp and save a little more than usual, now with our monthly energy bills increasing. The likes of Dunelm, Aldi and Argos all have this popular new product everybody wants to get their hands on, ranging in price and size.
A heated clothes airer was the one product that also kept selling out this time last year, so we thought why not test a couple out to find the best on the market- and preferably ones that you can still buy now online.
READ MORE: Is Aldi's heated airer worth the money? We've tested it and here's our verdict
Aldi
One of our review's writer's, Narin Flanders tried the Aldi must have heated clothes airer- here's her thoughts.
Aldi's best-selling heated clothes airer recently came back in stock so we decided to see if it was worth the hype.
Autumn is well and truly here and the annual fight to keep energy bills down by not turning on either the heating or the tumble dryer in our house has begun.
Even before you factor in the frankly terrifying price rises of the last few weeks, I've been very aware for a while that using a tumble dryer to dry the clothes of our family of four was costing us a fortune.
So when our dryer stopped working at the end of last winter, (suggestions its premature death was from overuse are probably not unfair) we decided to try and hold off on buying a new one.
All my good intentions went out the window pretty much as soon as the weather turned and I started trying to dry my washing on a standard airer without the heating on.
Everything took days to dry, my windows started showing condensation and the smell of damp washing lingering in the air for most of the week was getting a bit grim.
I'd heard great things about Lakeland's DrySoon branded airers and decided after pay day I'd order one, but was shocked at how expensive it worked out.
Enter a popular Aldi SpecialBuy - Aldi's Easy Home Heated Clothes Airer.
For £89.99 it worked out a full hundred pounds cheaper than the Lakeland bundle when you took into account the cost of accessories and had dozens of positive online reviews of its own. I had to give it a go.
The first thing I was impressed about with the Aldi airer was how you could use it straight out of the box.
Our last airer involved some fiddly putting together so being able to literally pull this out, untie the cable and use it was brilliant.
The cable is a bit shorter than I'd like, but with some rejigging of the living room I was able to set it up and plug it in.
I also loved how it has two switches so you can use half of it for smaller loads.
The airer comes with a full-size cover and two sets each of heat proof pegs and nets to dry delicate clothes on. I've found it most useful just hanging things directly on the bars, but can see the benefit of these for larger items.
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For us though, this airer has been a dream for drying children's clothes, PJs, undies, tea towels and all the smaller items you can dry relatively quickly and then put away.
With the cover on, all these thinner items, like those of a cotton t-shirt type material, dry in around three to four hours, while thicker items need a little more time - although you can speed things along by turning them round every so often.
All in all, the airer really impressed me.
For the price it was sturdy and, importantly, packed up small enough to sit behind a door when it wasn't in use.
I was able to get an entire load of washing from my 7kg machine onto it and most of it dried within a few hours as long as I was sensible in how I hung it.
Not only has it become a staple of my laundry routine but I'd happily buy another one if I needed to. We are going to happily remain a tumble dryer free house for a while longer!
Verdict: Four stars
The Aldi's Easy Home Heated Clothes Airer in this review is currently out of stock online, but we will be keeping an eye out on stock levels in the coming weeks.
Dunelm
We also couldn't help that homeware store Dunelm have come into the spotlight with a money saving heated airer which has also sold out with eager shoppers this week.
One review's writer, Emily Sleight investigates the price to run this latest sell out and measure up how much energy is needed to run it efficiently.
Dunelm shoppers have been loving a £40 heated airer they've recently spotted online, and describe it as 'versatile'.
With the cold and wet weather looming, many of us are looking for affordable alternatives to dry our washing. A heated airer can be the perfect solution, as long as it's not costing too much per hour.
Some airers use more power than others, but eagle eye Dunelm shoppers have spotted a nifty £40 airer they're claiming is 'efficient' with the rising energy costs. The 'Heated Airer with Wings' uses a total of 220W with a running cost of approximately 6p per hour according to the Dunelm website.
It features heated wings to speed up the drying process and can be folded away to save space. In terms of space, the product description states that the airer is suitable for up to 10kg of washing with 12M 'big drying space'.
The product description reads: " Designed with fold out wings for extra drying space, this heated airer allows you to dry your clothes quickly and has low energy consumption. It features an illuminated on and off switch and folds away neatly after use, perfect for saving space in your home. This design is suitable for holding up to 10kg of washing with a 12m drying space.
"*Calculated using the UK: Price Cap (April 2022) electricity rate of 28.00 pence per kWh. Information correct of 03/05/22 subject to changes in energy tariffs."
Many shoppers were quick to praise the product, giving it an average star rating of 4.4 out of 5. The dimensions include W 53.5cm x H 7.5cm x L 97.5cm. In the review section, one shopper said: "Best thing I've bought. Using it instead of the dryer to save some money and it works really well."
A second shopper said: "Really does what it says on tin. Really good product that warms the room up as well as dry clothes." A third Dunelm fan added: "Really handy way to dry clothes without using radiators. Especially considering the recent energy price increases which make using a tumble dryer uneconomical. I also like the way it folds down fairly flat so can be put away after use."
A fourth shopper added: "Brilliant such easy access to add and remove garments and doesn't take up a lot of space. Clothes dry so much quicker when weather is bad and we use it out on the patio in fine drying weather too." Find out more about the 'Dunelm Heated Airer with Wings' here.
Buy Here: Wowcher still have a £45.99 Heated Clothes Airer available online with energy saving cover
Robert Dyas
One review's writer, Bethan Shufflebotham, has found a bargain Robert Dyas heated clothes airer with a £20 saving.
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.
Portable Heated Clothes Airer with Wings (Image: Robert Dyas)
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.
