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Tested
HIGH AND DRY

I tried & tested 6 heated airers including three from DuneIm, Argos & Asda – one cost just 7p an hour to run

The saying "you get what you pay for" really applies with heated airers

AS the weather turns colder it's a constant struggle to get clothes dry which means draping underwear, socks and sopping wet clothes all over the house.

Electricity is through the roof and even if you have a tumble dryer, more of us are either steering clear or using it sparingly to save money.

How your place your clothes on an airer can alter how quickly they dry
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How your place your clothes on an airer can alter how quickly they dryCredit: Getty

An electric airer is a good alternative - like a regular clothes horse, but with heat - and they cost pennies to run. But how good are they?

Writer Julie Cook got her hands on six from the high street and timed how long it took to dry the exact same clothes on each one.

Here, she reveals which one is worth spending money on...

Minky heated airer with cover - Argos

Cost: £60

The Argos Minky Wing 12m Heated Clothes Airer is £60
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The Argos Minky Wing 12m Heated Clothes Airer is £60Credit: Argos

Drying time

  • Men’s jeans: 8 hours
  • Shirt: 6 hours 45 minutes
  • Socks: 3 hours
  • T shirt: 5 hours 35 minutes
  • Hand towel: 7 hours 20 minutes
  • Leggings: 5 hours 15 minutes
  • Football shirt: 3 hours 39 minutes
  • Hoodie: 7 hours 20 minutes

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Verdict

This is a really good lightweight but sturdy airer.

It comes with an easy-to-fit hood that drapes easily over the top.

Whenever I checked, air was staying put inside, causing an insulating effect on the washing.

Very easy to move around and yet quick to heat up. Everything was dry in eight hours.

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Julie tested the best heated airers on the market, and here she shares her verdict
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Julie tested the best heated airers on the market, and here she shares her verdictCredit: Chris Balcombe

Dunelm heated airer with wings

Cost: £40

Drying time

  • Men’s jeans: 8 hours 55 minutes
  • Shirt: 7 hours 53 minutes
  • Socks: 3 hours 30 minutes
  • T shirt: 6 hours 10 minutes
  • Hand towel: 7 hours 30 minutes
  • Leggings: 6 hours 20 minutes
  • Football shirt: 3 hours
  • Hoodie: 7 hours 30 minutes

The verdict

This airer was lightweight and easy to put up but felt a bit flimsy.

Additionally there was no hood, but it is compact and easy to move around which is a real selling point if you are short of space and don't want to spend a fortune.

Pifko electric heated airer, Home Bargains

Cost: £39.99

Home Bargains have a version available for just £39.99
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Home Bargains have a version available for just £39.99Credit: Home bargains

Drying time

  • Men’s jeans: 10 hours
  • Shirt: 7 hours 10 minutes
  • Socks: 4 hours 15 minutes
  • T shirt: 6 hours
  • Hand towel: 7 hours 15 minutes
  • Leggings: 5 hours 45 minutes
  • Football shirt: 4 hours 20 minutes
  • Hoodie: 8 hours 20 minutes

Verdict

With no hood, the heat went north and so I had to turn items more to try and dispense the heat evenly.

Heavy items took a long time - so this airer felt like hard work.

However, it was very lightweight and easy to assemble and move around.

Black & Decker electric laundry airer - Amazon

Cost: £55

Black and Decker's laundry airer dries everything in under eight hours
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Black and Decker's laundry airer dries everything in under eight hoursCredit: Black and Decker

Drying time

  • Men’s jeans: 8 hours
  • Shirt: 5 hours 20 minutes
  • Socks: 3 hours 20 minutes
  • T shirt: 5 hours 10 minutes
  • Hand towel: 7 hours
  • Leggings: 5 hours 15 minutes
  • Football shirt: 4 hours 10 minutes
  • Hoodie: 7 hours 50 minutes

Verdict

Despite not having a hood, this airer seemed to still radiate heat and certainly dried some things faster than other versions.

Heavier items like the hoodie still took a long time to be bone dry but on the plus side it is a very sturdy airer which has been built to last.

Heated winged clothes airer - Asda

Cost: £40

  • Men’s jeans: 10 hours
  • Shirt: 7 hours
  • Socks: 4 hours 20 minutes
  • T shirt: 5 hours 50 minutes
  • Hand towel: 7 hours
  • Leggings: 6 hours
  • Football shirt: 4 hours 10 minutes
  • Hoodie: 8 hours 30 minutes

Verdict

This was on a par with the Pifko airer and had a very similar drying time.

Again, lightweight, easy to move around and cheap to buy but heavy items take longer.

I was disappointed with how long it took to dry a hand towel. My radiator would've done the job in half the time.

Lakeland Deluxe three tier heated airer & cover

Cost: £224

The most expensive airer of the lot, but can dry a huge number of items at once
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The most expensive airer of the lot, but can dry a huge number of items at onceCredit: Lakeland

Drying time

  • Men’s jeans: 6 hours 55 minutes
  • Shirt: 5 hours 55 minutes
  • Socks: 2 hours 45 minutes
  • T shirt: 5 hours 12 minutes
  • Hand towel: 5 hours 45 minutes
  • Leggings: 4 hours 45 minutes
  • Football shirt: 2 hours 55 minutes
  • Hoodie: 7 hours 15 minutes

The verdict

This was by far the most expensive out of the lot but I wanted to see if that meant a much faster dying time.

It is a huge airer so no good if you're short of space bit the nice easy-to-fit hood with zips acted as an insulator for the heat.

Whenever I checked my laundry, a waft of hot air came out from beneath the hood, proving the heat was staying close to my laundry.

As a result, the drying time was faster.

Yes, it’s expensive.

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But the money you’d save on not using the dryer or your radiators would soon add up.

Downside: it’s huge and heavy to move around.

OUR FINAL VERDICT

  • Best mid-price: Minky

This was slightly more pricey than the other airers but with its hood, it dried things much quicker and was very lightweight and easy to move around

Very pricey but a good investment airer and you could soon make you savings as you won’t need to use a tumble dryer or radiators again!

  • Best value: Black and Decker

Despite having no hood, this was much faster than the other hoodless airers.

  • Overall winner: Lakeland

Very pricey but arguably an investment and because it is so large and dries relatively fast, you're sure to save money on central heating or a tumble dryer in the long run. The saying, 'you get what you pay for', definitely applies with this airer.

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