If you don’t have the space for a tumble dryer at home or prefer to let clothes air dry, a clothes airer or a washing line in the garden are easy solutions.
This is fine in summer when you can hang clothes outside or even inside and warmer temperatures mean that clothes dry quickly, but in cooler weather the process can take far longer.
This can mean that items aren’t ready when you need them, and it can also cause damp issues in the home.
An alternative is to use a heated drying rack.
These are based on the same simple design but a heated clothes horse helps clothes to dry more quickly.
An electric clothes horse is portable and plugs in wherever you want to place it. A heated clothes dryer is also kinder to delicate fabrics than using a tumble dryer, and running costs are typically lower.
With so many electric airer options on the market, how do you know which one to choose?
We’ve done the research to find the best heated airer.
Read on for our reviews and some of the information that will help you decide which is best for you.
See Our Best Electric Clothes Dryers
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| 1
Best For Low Budgets
1AMOS Eezy-Dry Electric Clothes Dryer
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| 3
Best For Higher Budgets
3Dry:Soon Deluxe 3-Tier Heated Airer
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| 5
Best Overall
5JML DriBUDDi Electric Clothes Dryer
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| 6 |
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1. AMOS Eezy-Dry Electric Clothes Dryer
- Wardrobe style construction can hang items on two tiers
- Can hold up to 15kg of damp clothing
- Powerful 1300W motor
- Time settings between 20 and 240 minutes
Rather than an open framed airer, this dryer has a wardrobe-type construction.
The dryer has two tiers to hang clothes from, although we did find that the height was too short to hang items without them draping onto the tier below.
Once you’ve hung up to 15kg of damp clothing, you can zip up the cover and use the buttons on the fan or the remote control to set a time between 20 and 240 minutes.
The motor is a powerful 1300W and intelligent temperature control avoids any issues with overheating.
We like the fact that this dryer has wheels so you can move it around easily, and it folds flat when not in use.
Specifications
Pros
- Folds flat for easy storage
- Intelligent temperature control to avoid overheating
- Can be operated by remote control
- Additional bars can be added to either tier
Cons
- Limited height to hang items
- Rods can drop off easily
2. BLACK+DECKER 3-Tier Heated Clothes Airer
- Can hold up to 15kg of washing
- Three tiers for drying
- Arrives ready assembled, simply unfold and plug in
- Simple on/off switch with illuminated panel
This Black + Decker airer has three tiers which offer a combined 21m of drying space.
It can hold up to 15kg of washing and is easy to operate with a simple on/off switch.
The airer is ready-assembled straight out of the box so only needs to be plugged in and is then ready to use. It’s lightweight so easy to move around as needed, and the cable is 1.6m if there’s not a socket close by.
It also folds flat for storage when not in use. It’s an energy efficient alternative to a tumble drier, although we did find that it took a while to dry everything when the rack was fully loaded.
The bars are also quite close together so it would be more effective to space out bulkier items such as jumpers to allow air to circulate.
Specifications
Pros
- 2 year warranty
- Folds flat for storage
- Energy efficient
- Lightweight
Cons
- Gaps between the rails can be too narrow for bulkier items
- Catches can come loose when the rack is moved making it collapse
3. Dry:Soon Deluxe 3-Tier Heated Airer
- Holds up to 15kg of laundry
- Gently heated bars won’t damage delicate fabrics
- Timer can be set for up to 12 hours
- Folds to just 9cm deep when not in use
Although this airer can offer 21m of drying space, it folds down to just 9cm deep when not in use making it great for apartments or smaller homes where storage space is limited.
We like the thoughtful features such as a container to store the plug and clips that hold the airer flat when in storage.
The three tiers can hold up to 15kg of laundry and the bars are gently heated so they won’t damage delicate fabrics.
The control panel is at the top of the airer making it easy to view and use and the timer can be set for up to 12 hours so you can leave it to run and forget about it.
As with other airers, we found the best drying results are achieved when it is not too heavily loaded.
There are accessories which can be purchased separately, such as castor wheels and a cover, but we didn’t put these to the test.
This is an energy and therefore cost efficient airer which gets great user reviews, and we can see why!
Specifications
Pros
- Three tiers
- Easy reach control panel
- Cost and energy efficient
- Neat plug holder
Cons
- Wheels can be bought separately but aren’t included
- Can take a long time to dry clothes if rack is fully loaded
4. Pifco Portable Heated Clothes Dryer
- Cover maintains heat with vents to reduce condensation
- Timer can be set from 30 to 180 minutes
- Powerful (1000W) but quiet motor
- Collapsible design
For smaller households or if you have limited room to set up an airer, this round unit takes up minimal floor space.
It has a tripod-style base and the arms at the top can hold up to 12 items of clothing at a time.
The design does mean that you’ll need to put everything on hangers, but the advantage is that your items dry with fewer creases than using a tumble dryer.
A cover sits over the unit to maintain heat but vents minimise any condensation.
The motor is powerful at 1000W, but it’s quiet and the timer can be set to run from 30 to 180 minutes depending on the drying time you require.
The airer can be taken apart for storage, though this isn’t as convenient as simply folding it flat.
We found the energy efficiency to be good and running costs were reasonable, certainly less than running a tumble drier.
Specifications
Pros
- Holds up to 10kg of laundry, or 12 individual items
- Compact airer for smaller households
- Items dry with fewer creases compared to tumble drying
- Easy to assemble
Cons
- All items need to be hung on hangers
- Doesn’t fold flat - you’ll need to take apart if you want to store between uses
5. JML DriBUDDi Electric Clothes Dryer
- Motor is more powerful (1200W) than many other airers
- Cover maintains heat
- Timer dial to set your required drying time
- Gentle drying is suitable for all fabrics
This round airer doesn’t take up much floor space and is very lightweight so can be easily moved around.
It has arms at the top with notches to separate your items of laundry, each of which needs to be placed on a hanger.
The 1200W motor is one of the most powerful we found but produces a gentle heat that is suitable for all fabrics.
The cover keeps heat inside to aid the drying process and you can easily set the timer dial to your required time.
This is not a model which folds down so if you want to store it easily between uses you’ll need to take it apart, however assembly is very simple.
The airer can hold up to 10kg of laundry, with lighter loads drying more quickly. A benefit of using hangers was that clothes had fewer creases once dry, cutting down on ironing.
Specifications
Pros
- Items dry with fewer creases than when using a tumble drier
- Easy to assemble
- Holds up to 10kg of laundry
- Cost effective to run
Cons
- Items need to be placed on a hanger
- Needs to be taken apart to store - doesn’t fold down
6. Homefront Heated Clothes Airer
- Versatile design – can be used fully opened or with one side folded down
- Cover supplied, with vents to reduce condensation
- Provides up to 21m of drying space
- Kinder to fabrics than using a tumble drier
Versatility is a great selling point of this airer. It can be used fully expanded to provide 21m of drying space, or if you have a smaller quantity of washing, you can fold one side down to reduce the amount of floor space taken up.
There are three tiers and the construction is lightweight but we found it to be quite sturdy.
This airer comes with a cover which helps maintain heat and air vents in the top reduce the amount of condensation.
The cover has a zip-up panel at the front to give easy access though we found the zips not to be of the best quality and notice this point was made by other users as well.
This is a really cost-efficient airer to run, but we would have liked to see a timer option so you can select the amount of time you’d like the motor to run.
Specifications
Pros
- Three tiers
- Folds flat for easy storage
- Energy efficient and cheap to run
- Cover has easy access zipped front panel
Cons
- Zips on the cover could be better quality
- No timer
Heated Airer Buying Guide
Technology Behind Electric Dryers
You’re probably familiar with the standard design of a clothes airer or clothes horse, which has a series of bars on which you can drape or hang laundry.
Usually, the items would dry naturally as water evaporates. However, when temperatures are colder this process of evaporation takes far longer and this can cause damp issues in your home.
An electric clothes airer works in a similar way to hanging clothes over or near a radiator.
It circulates heat through the airer structure, with heat passing through the bars which helps the clothes to dry. Some units also have a fan which helps to circulate warm air.
It’s a much better solution than using a radiator which can be dangerous in some cases, and can also result in condensation and mould.
Cover
Some airers come with a cover which provides a tent-like structure over the top of the airer.
This helps trap the warmth created by the heated bars or from a fan, if there is one, rather than this heat dissipating into the room.
Covers usually have vents to minimise the build up of condensation, and often a zipped opening or panel so you can check on the drying progress.
Some covers can be washed to avoid them smelling musty or damp, but check the instructions with your purchased airer to be sure.
Layout
As most users find that floor space is at a premium inside the home, many airers have a tower design.
This means that multiple tiers of hanging rails are stacked on top of each other, increasing the drying area upwards without increasing the floor area.
If you opt for an airer with bars, laundry can either be draped or put on hangers.
Some airers have a round design, with a tripod-style base. At the top of a central pole are a number of arms which project outwards and have notches to evenly space hangers.
This means that items can’t be draped and have to be placed on hangers, but a benefit of this is that creases will drop out of fabrics as they dry.
Circular airers tend to have a lower capacity so are better suited to smaller households or for use as a back-up option.
Drying Time
Because heat is being gently applied to clothing, the drying time using an electric clothes airer will be longer than using a tumble drier which applies more intense heat and constantly rotates to distribute that heat evenly.
The drying time will depend on both the fabrics you’re drying and how loaded the airer is. Lightweight fabrics such as cotton will dry more rapidly than wool or denim, for example.
To help clothes to dry, ensure they have been thoroughly spun at the end of the wash cycle (being careful with delicate fabrics) and space clothes on the airer to allow air to flow between items.
Pricing Range
The pricing range of electric clothes airers can range depending on their capacity, power and the brand you choose.
The items we considered ranged from around £50 to £150, and this seems standard for a reliable and effective airer.
Remember that if finding the cheapest heated clothes airer is important to you, you should consider the running costs as well as the initial cost of the airer.
You will need to run the airer for long periods to dry laundry thoroughly, so the running costs could mount over the duration of the airer’s life.
Our Verdict
With varying prices, shapes and capacities on offer, you’re sure to find an electric clothes airer to suit your needs.
Our Best Value choice is the AMOS Eezy-Dry Electric Clothes Dryer. With a distinctive wardrobe style layout, this airer has two tiers to accommodate up to 15kg of laundry, a powerful motor and a cover to retain heat.
Our Top of the Range selection is the Dry:Soon Deluxe 3-Tier Heated Airer. It’s cost- and energy-efficient and features such as the plug holder and the control panel located in easy view at the top of the airer have been well-thought out.
It folds down to a very compact size when not in use so it’s easy to store in a cupboard or under a bed if space is limited.
Then there’s our Best Value award, which goes to the JML DriBUDDi Portable Electric Clothes Dryer. This has a powerful motor, a space-saving layout and has a useful timer dial.
The only downside is that you’ll need to take the airer apart for storage as it doesn’t fold down, but it’s quick and easy to assemble again.
