BRIGHT sunny days to dry your washing are long gone – but that's where heated airers can come in handy.
They heat-up and help get laundry dry, even in the dampest of weathers.
Shoppers rave about heated airers and they often sell out quickly, so we’ve put them to the test to see how well they work and which are the best.
We’ve picked five models you can buy on the high street, online and in stores.
We’ve included Aldi’s popular Specialbuy which last year sold out, and one from Lakeland, which kicked off the trend for heated airers.
We also tested dryers from Dunelm, Robert Dyas and The Range.
Argos also sells a popular heated airer, but this is currently widely sold out and so we have not included it in out test.
The devices range in price from £29.99 right up to just over £100.
We gave them a go over a few weeks, with a range of different clothes, including denim, thick hoodies and light cotton t-shirts.
We've rated them on price, drying ability, looks and ease of use out of five, with a total score out of 20 up for grabs.
You can get these dryers with covers to keep the moisture in, but all the ones we tried come without.
Dunelm heated airer £29.99 – buy now
Final score: 14/20
- 100W
- Max capacity 10kg
- 8 bars and 6metres drying space
This model from Dunelm scored the lowest out of all our heated airers, only because it was smaller than the rest without extra fold out "wings" – so has less space for drying.
It comes in two parts – the drying rack on top and the separate legs – so it wasn't quite so easy to set up as others, but it was just a case of snapping the two together.
It was the best priced at £29.99 though, so for a small space it would still be a good purchase.
The Range £39.99 My Home heated airer – buy now
Final score: 15/20
- 230W
- Max capacity N/A
- 18 bars and 11metres drying space
The Range's heated airer is well priced – the second cheapest along with Aldi's – and has wings that fold out.
This extra space gives it more drying space than Dunelm's, just like Robert Dyas' and Aldi's.
But this one also came in two parts which you have to fix together and this made it a little less stable than the others of a similar design.
Lakeland Dry:Soon Mini 3-Tier Heated Airer £109.99 – buy now
Final score: 15/20
- 198W
- Max capacity 15kg
- 30 bars and 13metres drying space
Lakeland's airer was the cheapest available from the retailer – but the priciest we tested at £109.99.
This is a different shape to the rest, with three layers making it tall rather than folding out so is another that suits a small space.
Although this has more bars to dry your clothes, they are smaller than ones from other brands and the drying space overall is only slightly larger.
WINNERS
Robert Dyas Status Portable Heated Clothes Airer with Wings £49.99 – buy now
Final score: 16/20
- 220W
- Max capacity 15kg
- 18 bars and 10metres drying space
Aldi Easy Home Heated Airer £39.99 – buy now
Final score: 16/20
- 230W
- Max capacity 12kg
- 20 bars and 11metres drying space
Overall, both these heated airers scored top with 16 out of 20.
They are very similar in design and what put Aldi's ahead is the price – it's the cheapest for it's size.
But Robert Dyas' scored the most points for ease of use and looks making it a top contender.
It was the least plastic looking of all and the wings stayed put when folded away, rather than flapping open like the others.
THE VERDICT
Anyone expecting a heated airer to work magic and dry their clothes instantly is going to be sorely disappointed.
But a heated version of a clothes horse can speed things up. I used each for a fewer hours through the day, and then left it turned off over night.
By morning, most items were dry but for the thickest items like large hoodies, you might have to spread them across several bars at once for a little longer.
I’ve spent years hanging wet jumpers, t-shirts and the rest of my wardrobe on radiators and the backs of chairs.
This left me either with damp smelly laundry, or having to put the heating on for my entire flat unnecessarily just to dry clothes.
With energy bills rising and heated airers costing just pennies per hour to run, using one is a win-win.
Energy use can depend on the power of the airer and your tariff, but if you have it on for eight hours, it would cost roughly 48p.
Over a year based on daily use, that would add up to an estimated cost of just under £25.
I don't think you'd go wrong with any of these heated airer models, as there was only two points in it between the two winners and last place.
If I were to choose one, I'd spend a bit extra on the Robert Dyas one so I could store it behind a door without the wings falling open.
But if price is your main requirement, then Aldi's is a bargain.
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