Minky Tower Indoor Airer with 40 m Drying Space, Metal, Silver and Black

Product Information

I believe the newer models say "Do not connect this appliance to an external timer or remote control system." in the manual. The newer model has a timer already. This airer has the most drying space of any on our best buy list, while also being one of the most sturdy tower airers we’ve seen. This makes it perfect for families who get through a lot of washing. The wheels on the base make it easy to move around if you need to, and it can be partially open if you’ve got less washing so that it doesn’t take up too much floor space. With an additional small laundry holder for delicates and extra space for hangers, you’ll never have too much washing for this Vileda airer.

How does a heated airer compare to a tumble dryer cost wise? Which is cheaper to run a tumble dryer or electric airer? Compared to a tumble dryer, however, the story is a little more nuanced. If you have small amounts of washing that can fit on a heated airer in one go, then there are savings to be made when compared to condenser tumble dryers. We recommend the electric heated clothes airers that best balance drying speed and running costs, and found four airers impressive enough to merit a Best Buy. The best heated clothes airers There are two main types of heated clothes airer: heated bar clothes airers and drying pods. Both work very differently. As my eldest child had a lot of allergies, and was unwell frequently, it was just impossible to stay on top of the washing so a heated clothes airer made sense.It does, however, need quite a lot of room, so is best for those who have plenty of space in a spare bedroom, for example. When I first unboxed this it felt a little on the flimsy side. I was slightly worried that I was going to have wasted my money, but I followed through with using it for the first time and was pleasantly surprised with how sturdy this airer feels once it is in use.

With a combination of 3 tiers, the Tower Foldable 3–Tier Airer allows you to utilise up to a whopping 16m of drying space, making it a must–have for even the largest families or flat shares. This durable 3–tier structure is suitable for airing everything from everyday clothing to bed sheets, curtains, and blankets – thanks to its horizontal steel rods across each tier, which creates a handy flat surface for hanging larger items. This costs 0.3kWh per one hour of use. A tumble dryer cycle, typically up to 2 hours, uses over 5.3kWh ( Source). That would mean you’d need to use the heated airer for over 17 hours to spend the same money as just using your tumble dryer. How to use the Lakeland heated airer? Radiators can seem a handy option, but drying your clothes on them could end up being more expensive than you'd think: Switch it off overnight. If you can try to do your washing in the day, turn it on, let it warm up nicely and then turn it off overnight.

Fed up of using expensive tumble dryers that shrink your clothes? Our guide will help you find the best clothes airer to dry your washing

It is so straight forward, you open the arms up, put the shelves up on their notches and then you can load it up, plug it in, turn the switch on near the bottom of one of the legs and you’re good to go. Gated: Aptly named, these airers resemble fences and fold out to stand in a concertina. These are normally the cheapest clothes airers and are popular with students because they’re functional and don’t take up much space in storage. However, this design hasn’t made it into our best buy roundup because they tend to be flimsy and unstable. Heated: Whilst they are much more expensive than your standard clothes airer, heated airers can hugely cut down on drying time. These resemble tiered or winged airers, and are plugged into the mains to heat up each drying rung. Additionally, they’re less expensive to run than tumble dryers and are gentler on your clothes. We dried a small cotton load on each airer, representing a week's worth of washing for a single person. If you already have a tumble dryer and are thinking of making a swap, it will also depend on what type of tumble dryer you already own.