Unlike a traditional clothes horse or airer, heated airers are electric powered and have bars that heat up. When used with a cover, the drying effects are maximised. Some styles of heated dryers have fans that blow hot air inside a covered stand that looks like a small wardrobe. These are generally more expensive to run but can dry a small laundry load in under two hours. The terms 'heated airer' and 'heated dryer' are often used interchangeably. Is a heated clothes airer worth it?

Looking ahead over the next few months, we're bound to see a lot of one thing: rain. The good ol' British weather never fails us, particularly during the colder seasons, which can make getting your washing dry a bit of a tough job. In a word, yes. The UK’s unpredictable climate can wreak havoc on our laundry plans, which is why many families see the humble heated airer as a household hero that’s well worth splashing out on and which they couldn’t live without, particularly on cold or rainy days. Yes, a heated airer warm the room up a little, especially if you're using it in a smaller room. However, we'd recommend trying to use your heated airer in the largest room possible as your washing will release moisture as it dries, and more space means the air has more room to circulate which will speed up drying times further. How can I speed up the drying time of a heated clothes airer?

Are heated clothes airers safe?

While the bars do become warm (the clue's in the name), they shouldn’t be too hot to touch, which is good news for parents of curious infants and toddlers. Can you leave a heated clothes airer on overnight? A heated clothes airer or dryer currently costs between 7p and 45p per hour to run, making the cheaper models extremely economical compared to even the most energy-efficient tumble dryer – even if it takes several hours longer than expected to dry your washing. They come in all shapes and sizes, and once plugged in, their electric rails will heat your washing, meaning your towels, sheets and clothes are ready to be put away in no time. Not to mention, you can bid farewell to that classic musty smell that comes from slow winter drying. We tested and discounted products that we didn't think made the cut so we're confident that we're only recommending heated airers that are designed to make parents' lives that little bit easier by saving time and money when drying laundry. Recommendations from real parents If you're looking to speed up how long it takes to dry wet laundry indoors, then yes, a heated airer can be well worth buying.

Capacity - How much washing do you want to hang? Do you wish to dry a full load or focus on the essential items you need the next day? Some dryers have a 10kg capacity, whereas others have up to 15kg – enough to carry a big load. Does it come with accessories? - Some heated airers come with accessories such as covers and casters included, whereas other brands have them available as an optional extra. However, its larger drying space does make the Minky Sure Dri Heat Pod Drying System one of the best heated airers we've come across for drying larger items like towels and sheets; items you'd struggle to fit into the JML DriBUDDi and Dry:Soon Drying Pod. And, drying times were a lot faster than with a standard tiered heated airer, like the Dry:Soon 3-Tier Heated Airer and a huge improvement on a winged heated airer. Size - How big is the heated airer, and how much space do you need? Some airers can be on the large side, whereas other tiered dryers tend to be more compact. It does take up quite a bit of space (bear in mind that once the wings are extended, it measures 148cm in length) and the folding mechanism is a little stiff but it dries clothes cheaply and swiftly, helping you to blitz through the laundry pile.Read next: For any problems keeping your home free of damp, mould and your appliances free of limescale, we've got guides to the best mould removers, the best water softeners and the best washing machine cleaners. What is an electric heated clothes airer? It heats up within minutes and there's enough space for a full load of washing. Just be careful when hanging things on the outer rails, particularly heavy items like jeans and towels, as it can feel like it can easily topple over. But this is an issue with the winged design in general rather than this particular model. There are a variety of different heated airers on the market, so here are some things to consider when making your choice:

However, in our tests we found we needed the drying pods running for a far shorter time to get washing dry. Closely resembling traditional clothes horses, heated clothes airers have heating elements within their rails to warm your washing and speed up the drying process. Heated airers can look pretty same-y but this John Lewis option stands out from the crowd thanks to one small thing: shoe dryers. If you’ve been caught out in a storm and had to stuff your shoes full of old newspapers of kitchen towels to dry them, only to find them still slightly soggy the next day, this is for you.

When choosing the best heated clothes airer for your family, it's worth thinking about the following questions before investing: Winged heater airers are generally the cheapest heated airers available. However, in our tests, we found that tiered heated airers worked a lot better than winged heated airers at drying washing. On a winged heated airer very little of the wet laundry actually touches the heated bars, so longer items can hang down below the heated elements and remain damp at the ends.

per hour for 200W dryers and 9p per hour for 300W dryers, approximately. This is based on the energy price cap of 30p per kW/h since July 1 2023, although prices will vary according to your tariff. Running at 300w, it costs 15p an hour to use at current prices. It’s tall enough for hanging long items like trousers and towels, and the adaptable rungs mean you can lay up to six jumpers flat for speedy drying. My colleague Debora Robertson swears by it as the best way of drying bras and Sally Hughes of laundry experts Kair recommends it to make delicates last longer. Ease of use - How easy is the heated airer to run? Does it have a timer? Can you set a drying time that auto shuts off once reached? Rather than heated rungs, this variation on the heated airer features a 70C fan. It circulates hot air around your clothes, which are encased in a tent-like, ventilated outer cover. This means it dries clothes faster than other airers. Similar to the JML DriBUDDi airer in design, the slightly more expensive Dry:Soon Drying Pod is fan-powered and circulates warm air to dry clothing within the zip-closed cover

Which is the best heated clothes airer?

That said, many heated clothes airers have safety mechanisms built in, operating on timers with auto switch-off features. We’ve highlighted these in the key specifications below. How long do clothes take to dry on a heated clothes airer? We found there wasn’t a lot of difference between the heated airers when it came to their energy consumption, with the models we tested using between 0.09 kilowatt hours (kWh) and 0.91 kWh – that’s between two and 23 pence of electricity an hour.