Martin Lewis has shared a cost-effective tip for households drying clothes indoors this winter, recommending one extra item for those using a clothes horse: a dehumidifier.
As temperatures drop, many people have put away their outdoor washing lines and moved laundry indoors. While some use tumble dryers, others want to avoid the extra electricity costs and instead hang washing on radiators or clothes horses.
Why a dehumidifier helps
Clothes that take too long to dry can end up smelling musty. Lewis suggests a dehumidifier, a device designed to remove excess moisture from the air, to speed up the process.
Not only could it help clothes dry more quickly, but it may also be cheaper to run than a tumble dryer. According to Heatable, a tumble dryer can cost up to 61.7p per hour to run, while a 10L dehumidifier costs around 2.1p per hour.
Running costs can vary depending on the model, energy efficiency and how often the appliance is used, so it is worth checking the figures before making a purchase.
Other tips and tricks
Homeowners have been sharing their own methods for drying clothes in the winter months to avoid unwanted smells.
One user said: "Spin your clothes once or twice after wash cycle on high spin to get rid of excess water and that cuts drying time significantly."
Seconding Lewis' suggestion, another user added: "Get a dehumidifier. They are very small, fairly quiet and very cheap to run." They explained that dehumidifiers "inhale" all the damp air and pump out warm dry air, drying out not just washing but also the cold damp inside walls.
That user added: "I run mine every day, (not all day, just a couple of hours in the morning and a couple of hours in the evening). Seriously, it'll be a game changer for you, and you'll be amazed at how much water it collects."
A third user said: "I've found that a fan pointing towards my regular three-tier airer and a dehumidifier work really well."
Another user added: "I ran my dehumidifier for six solid weeks before the damp was out of my room. The damp is in your clothes, carpet, walls and furniture. Once its out, run the dehumidifier in winter every time you dry your clothes."
Sharing the two steps they follow, a final user said: "Stop using fabric softeners. They temporarily make your clothes smell nice but leave oils on the fabric which damages them and is an attractant for smelly stuff. Stop drying your clothes in the smallest room in the house. Dry them in the largest room where there's more airflow and places for the moisture to go. When the clothes dry, that moisture goes into the air in the room. If the room is small it will just get trapped and give everything in the room a damp smell. Worst case scenario you end up with mildew."
