The best heated airers for drying your clothes without using a tumble dryer

As anyone who doesn’t own a tumble dryer will know, waiting for days on end for your washing to dry indoors in winter is as infuriating as it is impractical. Investing in a heated airer should therefore be a no-brainer.

While they might look unassuming, heater airers are capable of rivalling the mighty tumble dryer, not only in their efficiency but their lower energy consumption and space-saving design.

Much like electric heaters, electric airers are also pretty cheap to run. With the average tumble dryer using 3000W of energy to operate compared to a typical heated airer’s meagre 300W of energy, the latter could save you around £1.40 per hour of use.

To help you find a heated airer fit for your home, The Recommended scoured the internet to find a selection of the best reviewed dryers available to buy online. We’ve also included some useful tips at the bottom of this article for calculating how much a heated airer will cost you to use per hour and how long you should roughly expect one to take to dry your clothes.

The best heated airers at a glance:

• Best overall heated airer: Dry:Soon Drying Pod
• Best three-tier heater airer: Bargains-Galore 3 Tier Electric Clothes Airer
• Best functionality: Dry:Soon 3 Tier Heated Indoor Clothes Airer
• Best airer for large items: Concise Home Electric Clothes Dryer
• Best stylish heated airer: Homefront Electric Heated Clothes Airer
• Best value heated airer: AMOS 230 Electric Heated Clothes Dryer
• Best customisable heated airer: HomeRepublic Deluxe Maxi Plus Electric Air Dryer
• Best airer for small spaces: BLACK+DECKER 3-Tier Heated Clothes Airer

The best heated airers

Best overall heated airer: Dry:Soon Drying Pod

Holds up to 12 items

This pod-style heated airer has a zip-fronted fabric cover designed to trap hot air as it circulates around your clothes, and the heat it generates is said to help prevent creases.

Capable of storing up to 12 items of clothing at once, this drying pod is mains-powered and has an output power of 1000W. It also has a timer function that can be programmed to run for up to three hours and automatically switches off when the timer ends.

• Estimated cost per hour (1000W) = £0.34p

Best three-tier heated airer: Bargains-Galore 3 Tier Electric Clothes Airer

21 metres of drying space

This three-tiered electric airer provides up to 21 metres of space for drying your laundry and heats your clothes via 24 heated aluminium rails said to be capable of reaching up to 55 degrees celsius.

Wall-powered, this airer has a relatively low output power of 220W, which means it won’t cost you too much to run. It also has a cross-bar design for stability, a 1.7-metre power cable, and folds flat for easy storage.

• Estimated cost per hour (220W) = £0.07p

Best functionality: Dry:Soon 3 Tier Heated Indoor Clothes Airer

Space-saving design

This 300W heated airer can be folded in half and used against a wall, which is great for homes where space is at a premium.

This airer has three tiers of thermostatically-controlled rails offering up to 21 metres of drying space. When packed down, it folds to just 8cm deep, which is handy for storing under a bed or in a cupboard.

• Estimated cost per hour (300W) = £0.10p

Best airer for large items: Concise Home Electric Clothes Dryer

Holds up to 15kg of laundry

Designed to store up to 15kg of wet laundry at once, this wardrobe-style heater is great for drying large items of clothing such as trousers, dresses and coats.

This heater’s dryer component has a 180-minute timer, as well as a double-layered safety feature designed to stop dripping water from entering the heater. It is also wall-powered, with a relatively high output power of 1000W.

• Estimated cost per hour (1000W) = £0.34p

Best stylish heated airer: Homefront Electric Heated Clothes Airer

Discreet and minimal design

Requiring just 90W of power to run, this minimalist electric airer has the lowest power output out of our top picks, making it our most budget-friendly option.

This heater has six rails that heat up via a three-pin UK plug and provides up to 2 metres of space to dry your laundry at once. This airer is designed to look like a conventional radiator, which helps it to discreetly fit into your space.

• Estimated cost per hour (90W) = £0.03p

Best value heated airer: AMOS 230 Electric Heated Clothes Dryer

Slim when folded away

This heated clothes airer with foldable wings offers great value, both due to its low operating cost and budget-friendly price tag.

This airer has a power output of 230W and comes with a three-pin plug. It features 20 heated rails and two raised wings for hanging longer items. When finished, this heated airer folds away into a slim shape for easy storage.

• Estimated cost per hour (230W) = £0.08p

Best customisable heated airer: HomeRepublic Deluxe Maxi Plus Electric Air Dryer

With a dedicated shoe rack

This foldable heated airer can be used in a variety of modes to suit the items of clothing you’re drying. It also has foot racks for drying socks, slippers and other lightweight items.

With a power output of 230W, this heater is mains-powered and cheap to run. It is designed to hold up to 5kg of washing and can be configured to have up to three tiers, as well as one pyramid-shaped tier for draping large clothes and towels over.

• Estimated cost per hour (300W) = £0.10p

Best airer for small spaces: BLACK+DECKER 3-Tier Heated Clothes Airer

Folds away flat

Ideal for rooms with limited space, this three-tiered, 300W heated airer folds away flat for easy storage.

This airer has 21 metres of drying space and is designed to house up to 15kg of laundry. The three tiers are flat, which means you can either use each rack to fold over an item of clothing or, if you only have a few pieces to dry, you can lay them flat over an entire tier.

• Estimated cost per hour (300W) = £0.10p

How much does a heated airer cost to run?

The hourly cost of using a heated airer is approximately 7p per hour for 200W airers, 10p per hour for 300W airers, and 34p per hour for 1000W airers.

We’ve calculated the approximate hourly operating cost for all of the heated airers listed above. If you’d like to know how we did it, use the following calculation.

1. Multiply the appliance Wattage by 1 (number of hours) to calculate the Watt-hours
2. Divide the Watt-hours by 1000 to calculate the Kilowatt-hours (kWh)
3. Multiply the kWh by the price of electricity per kWh to calculate the appliance’s hourly operating cost

According to Ofgem, from 1st October, the current price cap for electricity for households with typical consumption on a dual electricity and gas bill paying by direct debit is £0.34 per kWh. The amount you will pay may vary from the current price cap depending on your energy tariff. To find out how much you pay, see your electricity bill.

How long does a heated airer take to dry clothes?

Some manufacturers claim it takes one hour for drying small and lightweight items such as thin t-shirts and socks and up to three hours for larger items such as denim.

Using a high spin when you wash your clothes is advisable for removing as much excess water as possible, as this will speed up how long they take to dry.

If you want to read more expert-recommended round-ups and product guides, check out our Household page, where you’ll find more home recommendations, including the best energy efficient heaters, the best hooded blankets and the best draught excluders.