When living in London, mould is a fact of life.
From old buildings with singe-glazed windows and poor insulation, to tricksy new builds which promise better insulation but leave you with mould on everything from your chopping boards to your slippers due to limited airflow – it can feel impossible to escape the curse of those dastardly microorganisms with no matter how many times you flat hop between boroughs.
The specificity of my description comes from horrifying personal experience. On the surface, my Shepherd’s Bush abode looked freshly renovated and re-decorated. Within four months, there was mould on just about every surface imaginable. After returning from a Christmas holiday, it had infected my clothes, shoes, bedding, towels and – yes – even my poor wooden chopping boards.
The experience has, with no exaggeration, traumatised me. I’ve since become an expert in all things mould-related – preventative and palliative. While university accommodation certainly schooled me in the basics (Georgian-style Edinburgh flats look lovely but have the construction of a pop-up book), it was this particular experience in the Hammersmith & Fulham borough which gave me my mould-attacking chops.
After spraying down affected areas with extra-strength hydrogen peroxide or vinegar and airing out your home despite the icy winter breeze, there are a myriad of methods which you can take to ensure the spores don’t return.
If you’re able, wash any affected item in an extra-hot cycle with plenty of detergent. Here comes the important part: since the vast majority of homes across the city and country more broadly aren’t equipped with tumble dryers, you mustn’t air dry clothes without the help of a dehumidifier or heated rail system. Ideally, you should invest in both.
I have a friend who used her spare room to dry a few standard airers worth of clothes after a long holiday, and with the doors shut she whacked up her heating (included in her rent – she’s not entirely mad) but failed to provide ventilation in the form of a cracked window or dehumidifier. The resulting mould was so hard to shake that she had to end her tenancy early.
Enter: the humble heated clothing airer. A miraculous invention and must-have investment during the winter months on this dreary island – if you pair one with a decent dehumidifier mould of all kinds will run screaming. This Dry:Soon option from Lakeland has been a godsend, and is £100 off for Black Friday.
Lakeland Dry:Soon deluxe 3-tier heated airer
Best for: a streamlined, extra-large heated rail
By the time I’d moved on to the second heated airer, I’d really warmed up to the concept, no pun intended. The Lakeland model has all of the benefits of its John Lewis counterpart but its attractive streamlined design makes it more flexible – it has pull-out extending sides to support the frame and you can pull out both sides for extra drying space, or just one for a smaller load, with the airer sitting flush against the wall.
Like the John Lewis model, the on/off switch has a protective cover and there’s also a timer so you don’t need to worry about forgetting to switch it off. Only the inner rails heat up so you can move it around easily by holding the outside rails, it’s also very lightweight for moving, even when clothes are on it – casters are also available to make this even easier.
Nifty details include a control panel at eye level, a plug holder at the top to stop the wire tangling when not in use and clips to hold it neatly together when storing. There’s a cover available to buy separately to speed up the drying process – or you could just use our sheet idea!
It costs 8p an hour to run – so won’t be a huge extra burden on your electricity bill. On the downside, it is quite a bit more expensive than the John Lewis model – but has the extras to justify the extra spend. You will need a decent-sized storage space for it, however, as it remains full height even when folded.
Was: £249.99
Buy now £149.99, Lakeland
Other heated clothes airers on sale
DMD Hang-N-Dry Electric Clothes Dryer
Best for: drying your entire wardrobe crease-free
The biggest pod we're yet to try, DMD's Hang-N-Dry airer holds up to 15kg of washing across two tiers of rails. There's enough space to hang a full load of washing - meaning all of your clothes will be crease-free every time. It's collapsible and portable and has a handy timer that can be set up to 180 minutes - which we found was just enough time to dry everything at maximum capacity.
Was: £69.99
Buy now £64.99, Robert Dyas
Lakeland Dry:Soon Drying Pod Airer
Best for: a compact hanging pod design
Smaller than the Deluxe, this Dry:Soon model is great for those living in smaller spaces or those who mostly wash shirts and other items that need to be hung. Rather than the racks that typical airers use, this model is composed of a rail that coat hangers can be hooked on, so you can dry up to 12 shirts at a time. After testing, we found that this one takes about an hour and a half to get a full set of shirts dry but thanks to the fact that the garments are hung and the air is blown through the pod-style bag. They also required very little ironing time after – a winner if ironing shirts is usually the death knell that signals the end of the weekend for you.
Was: £109.99
Buy now £84.99, Lakeland
Black and Decker 3-tier heated airer
Best for: a heated airer for a small space
Black & Decker's three-tier heated rail is ideal for those with limited space. Not only does it boast an impressive 15kg capacity, but it also folds completely flat so it's easy to stow away - and it only weighs 5.5kg thanks to its lightweight aluminium construction so lugging it about is a breeze.
The only downside? There's no cover, meaning the drying process is not quite as efficient as those you can zip up.
Was: £149.99
Buy now £109.99, Robert Dyas
When is Black Friday 2024?
For 2024, the biggest sales event of the year began on November 29.
When does Black Friday end?
Black Friday culminates in Cyber Monday, which this year will be on December 2. Cyber Monday was traditionally the day in which the tech brands would slash the RRPs on their wares but over the years has come to include all categories and marks the final sale day of the Black Friday period.
Why is it called Black Friday?
There are many theories as to where the US import gets its name from. It was dubbed this as far back as the early 60s after the chaos that ensued after the Thanksgiving celebrations.
Why you can trust ES Best’s Black Friday coverage
It is getting increasingly difficult to sort the wheat from the chaff during Black Friday with so many brands involved - what’s really a discount? Well, that’s where we come in. In this very article, the ES Best team are curating cute fashion picks to see you through the party season and beyond, and then simply listing the brands offering good discounts for your browsing pleasure. Enjoy!
