Drying clothes in autumn can feel like a never-ending chore, especially when wet washing can no longer be hung outside. A lifestyle reporter has found that a dehumidifier is the most effective solution, drying a full airer of laundry in roughly two hours.
Why a dehumidifier works
As clothes dry, water evaporates from the fabric and disperses throughout the room. A dehumidifier draws in moisture-laden air, removes much of the moisture, and expels drier air back into the space. This creates far more favourable conditions for the remaining water in the clothes to evaporate effectively.
Rather than attempting to make the clothes themselves dry more quickly, the appliance targets the moisture that is released into the surrounding air. The reporter says it has become an indispensable part of her autumn laundry routine.
How to get the best results
The reporter places wet laundry on an airer, ensuring sufficient gaps between items to allow air to circulate freely, then positions the dehumidifier nearby, rather than directly beneath or pushed up against the airer. The crucial factor is to provide the appliance with sufficient space to function effectively while keeping the room's doors and windows shut. This enables the dehumidifier to focus on the moisture in that specific area rather than continuously attempting to extract damp air from other parts of the home.
Her Meaco dehumidifier operates 24/7 throughout the autumn and winter months, and she finds her washing takes roughly two hours to dry, as long as she has given it an additional spin in the washing machine first. Running it continuously can also help to prevent window condensation and mould.
Heated airers compared
Heated airers have also grown in popularity in recent years, and when used alongside a dehumidifier, they could prove highly effective. However, the reporter did not find a heated airer particularly successful on its own, as it only dried certain sections of the clothing.
