Anyone using a heated drying stand thing.?

Yeh we got one a few years back with the cover. It's been great and no issues with it. We had problems drying in a cold damp rented house and no chance of a tumble dryer even if we wanted one.

Definitely recommend them and with the cover too.

They do collapse away a fair bit for when not in use and the cover improves drying and reduces any fuglyness, not that tumbler drier and pipes are works of beauty

I've had one for years - fab bit of kit. Dries a whole load overnight, and good for hanging damp coats on as well..

They've gone up in price, but still very useful bits of kit.

DrP

Yep, that model currently upstairs gently baking some clothes right now. Bit of an eyesore, I agree, but folds up flat. If you get it with the tent(?) accessory it dries a full rack in a few hours. Would recommend.
RM.

Yeah we have one without a tent. We don’t have a tumble dryer and it is better than having to have radiators on to dry clothes when it’s miserable out but not cold enough for central heating. Think ours came from John Lewis

There’s another design which folds out a bit like an ironing board, I’ve got an unheated version upstairs that Joey bought ages ago, and it’s been invaluable when it’s cold and wet. I’m looking into getting the heated version ’cos if the house isn’t heated then it takes ages to dry stuff, which happened the other day - I put a load of washing out, brought it all in thinking it had dried during the afternoon, but I think there may have been a shower, because it felt quite damp. Took three days to properly dry. I don’t have an airing cupboard any more due to the combi boiler being in there.

This is the Aldi one, has a cover to help keep the warmth in.

https://www.aldi.co.uk/easy-home-heated-airer/p/713313545173201

Someone did a similar thread not that long back.

I would prefer a tumble dryer personally, I dont like cardboard clothes and a damp house

I've got one, it's very useful, and the Lakeland version is superior to the cheaper copy that we have in the office changing room. The Lakeland one doesn't seem to get as hot and seems to dry things more evenly rather than in stripes. If you don't buy the cover you can just throw a sheet over it for similar effect. It's at its best if you can hang clothes on the line outside - even if it's not sunny - for a little while. If you can get even some dampness off outside in a breeze or whatever then it's even faster to dry things.

No idea what the cardboard clothes complaint is about - they're fine, no weird stiff clothes.

Where does the moisture go?

I would prefer a tumble dryer personally, I dont like cardboard clothes and a damp house

That presupposes actually being able to fit a tumble dryer, without having to spend thousands completely rebuilding the kitchen, and there’s no reason why clothes should go stiff, it’s a gentle heat to dry clothes and bedding over a period of time, so why should the house get damp, when it’s heated, rather than just using the air temperature to evaporate the moisture. The things are covered, after all.

Where does the moisture go?

My thoughts exactly. We were looking at one of these a while back.

Where does the moisture go?

Valid question - oddly i've had mine for years in a few homes ina few locations - NEVER had damp or condensation appear on windows...It's not even a breezy old house.

I can only assume, erm, Magic...

DrP

We’ve had one for a few years. I was sceptical, but The Wife insisted, and it’s been fine. Costs to run are negligible, it beats having non-tumble-dryable clothes all over radiators. The house is warmer as a result of radiators now being left to warm the house. No damp issues, but you could run a small dehumidifier next to it as a belt and braces option.

Considered a good-quality dehumidifier as an alternative?

Great for drying clothes and ever-so-slightly warming the room at the same time.

Also works as a dehumidifier, unsurprisingly.

Good if it's in a warm ventilated room.

Ours was asolutely terrible in an unheated room even with the cover. The heat the 'dryer' generates isn't enough on its own.

We went with a heat pump tumble dryer. Costs less to run (for our use) and is way more convenient.

We used to have one in the office kitchen and a colleague was in the habit of hanging his damp cycling kit on it, fresh from the commute. Many a lunch was seasoned by the vinegary aroma of his atomised ball-sweat.

I think the usual response is a dehumidifier shut in a room with a couple of airer's give you more space to dry bedsheets etc...

we have the lakeland one, found the tent bit next to useless, its also a bit wobbly but other than that it seems to work.
ive found it difficult to load with larger items due limited access to the rungs, I've taken to just laying out all the smalls on top of the rungs with better results than dangling things over the rungs. bigger items just go on a normal clothes horse next to it and they is a dehumidifier in the same room.

its my mancave/office and gets bloody warm...which is nice

I bought a variation on it a few years ago and it's been one of the best things I've purchased. You can fol it if needed, it heats whatever room it's in and I'd recommend opening a window to let moisture out certainly in the first few hours. If I'm feeling adventurous I'll place clothes horses nearby to get some heat too. Only thing is you might have to flip over thick items just to get faster drying times.

i used to have a JML Dri Buddy when I lived in flats and it not only heated the place but also did not cause any damp. Gave it away when I moved to a house with a garden. Dry outside now.

Had one for few years, works great, depending what clothing your drying leave on for few hours then switch off, never had an issue with damp, condensation.no tent either.

Got a flat fold out one at the caravan currently - ideal for when we've a load of MTB kit to dry overnight. At home it's a normal airer and a dehumidifier.

Got a lads weekend down the van soon, so we'll pop the heated dryer in the shower room, and plug in a dehumidifier - should have soggy gloves and shoes dry pronto.

Another one here. No space for a tumble dryer so it’s great in winter. Doesn’t cost much and dries most stuff overnight.

Another one here - great and also adds a bit of warmth to room. Wife promises it is saving us money!

Hasn't someone just got one within the last couple of weeks?
If I remember correctly it uses about 300w and takes about 7 hours (clothes dependent).

If so that's about 2kw .... Which is about the same as a tumble drier for 1 hour.
🤔

Definitely good if you don't have room for a tumble drier.

We've got the lakeland one. I've no data on costs but I reckon it works well on a timer - in our house anyway, all night would be far more than necessary, so I've set ours to have a daily off time in the early hours. And obviously if you've lots of time you don't have to turn it on.

How do towels fare with these? Thanks.

Hasn’t someone just got one within the last couple of weeks?

Was it Kryton who wasn't too impressed?

I think the usual response is a dehumidifier shut in a room with a couple of airer’s give you more space to dry bedsheets etc…

That's what we do. It removes the evaporated moisture and heats the room. A full load dries overnight.

Not cheap are they, £189 quid for the Lakeland one with cover.

A quick Google suggests you can get a heat pump dryer for around £325.

That same dryer is 5.2 kWh for a full load, the Lakeland dryer is 3.6 kWh for 12 hours drying, I.e. over night. So around 50p more per load for the tumble dyer

So looks like it is cheaper as long as you remember to turn it off or use a timer. The beauty of most tumble dryers is they turn off when the load is dry.

Personally the hassle of loading, unloading it, space it takes and time it takes plus the additional purchase price if you already have a tumbled dryer means no from me. On the calcs above its 360 washing loads to break even. Over two years at 4 loads a week, probably more like 5 years if you line dry during the summer.

If you don't already have a dryer or don't have the space it makes more sense.

I'd still be worried about condensation unless your house is well ventilated (in which a bigger saving would be to stop heat loss that way), the water has to go somewhere and unless all of your house is really warm it will condensate out somewhere.

There's a reason why a tumble dryer uses more energy, it does a better job of evenly drying clothes and captures the water, that's the trade off.

I think the heated dryer fad is people cocentrating on absolute running costs not the cost of purchase and downsides.

Combining the rack with a humidifier is then just nuts, another couple of hundred out lay and another 400 watts per hour, tumble dryer works out more efficient and cheaper all around.

Was it Kryton who wasn’t too impressed?

well, with a couple more uses and the cover, my summary is that it’s good when you need lighter loads dried quicker than they would without the heat. With the cover on, we are now at 50% of the tumble dryer cost. Things like work and school shirts & t shirts dry quickly. A useful tip is to stick it on in the evening before bed for a few hours, turn it off, leave the clothes and voila in the morning you have a rack full of dry clothes.

How do towels fare with these

This is where we found the biggest problem in that thick towels and heavier items E.g. hoodies take an age, and with those ours forms condensation inside the cover.

So in essence, the real trick is to have prioritised your washing in order of need avoiding the tumble dryer at all costs. Family of four here and we haven’t used the tumble dryer since we had the rack. On the points above there are cheaper dryers - ours was £96 with cover- and yes it’s handy to have a spare dining room to accommodate them.

One thing we are missing is the ionised water which we used for ironing.

Living in a old stone walled house with cold walls, the time we stopped drying clothes in the house was the time we stopped getting mouldy black damp walls. Others have similar experience.

We just hang the washing in our utility room and point a normal fan at it. There’s a downstairs loo off the utility room with an extractor fan so I leave that on while we’re drying stuff. Works a treat and very little power usage.

We have 2 and they get used year-round. Living in the Hebrides means there’s usually only a handful of days where it’s dry enough to hang them out and even then the wind would blow it over to Ardnamurchan 🤣 useful place to hang wet coats after a dog walk too - we have hard floors.

ionised water which we used for ironing

What a bloody good idea, I love my tumble dryer even more now, stops the iron needing to decalc regularly and reduce water use. Need to find something to store the condensed water in now.

Been drying stuff for years with a similar one. So much so it's started to twist and bend 😁. It goes in the spare room to dry things and is hidden be hind the curtains when not in use.

With the cover on, we are now at 50% of the tumble dryer cost. Things like work and school shirts & t shirts dry quickly.

Does that take into account the same clothes will dry quicker in the tumble drier also?

I picked up a mint condition Beko condensing drier for my daughter* for just £42 a couple of weeks ago and she says that she dried a full set of [double] bedding in just under 1 hour. Which equates to 2.5kWh.

* I suggested a normal drying rack but there's simply not enough space in their apartment to spread everything out!

Thanks @Kryton57 for a most helpful reply. Only using my old but repaired tumble dryer for towels, everything else goes on the clothes horse which unfortunately is in a room with a dead radiator meaning everything takes an age to dry. Mmmm, reckon some chewing the cud is in order.

vinegary aroma of his atomised ball-sweat

No more internet for me today.

Desk fans are pretty good for unheated rooms. Our airer sits behind me in the conservatory. Just have to make sure the Teams background is blurred.

under 1 hour. Which equates to 2.5kWh.

Coincidentally this morning we've had a double duvet cover, sheet and 4 pillow cases on it. They are dry, just approaching 4hrs that that 1.32KWH fyi.

Coincidentally this morning we’ve had a double duvet cover, sheet and 4 pillow cases on it.

What about when you add the rest of a typical load ?

We have an old house with 2 foot thick stone walls; indoor drying causes a fair bit of condensation and can lead to black mold.

We tend to dry outside, even in winter. So long as it's not raining and there's a bit of wind some evaporation occurs, and then into a condenser drier with the dehumidifier running.

Prefer higher bills to cleaning the walls.