My wet washing’s dry in a few hours thanks to bargain buy that costs pennies to use -I’ve not used my tumble dryer since
With the weather teetering above nought degrees, drying your washing outside is not an option.
However, having wet laundry hanging around inside can not only lead to foul smells but also increase the chance of damp and mould forming.
Dehumidifiers are fast becoming the must-have gadget, and if yours has a laundry setting on, it can speed up the drying time for just a few pennies.
Mary Tudor took to Mrs Hinch’s Cleaning Tips Facebook group to ask for some advice when it comes to using a dehumidifier to dry laundry indoors.
She posted: “Can anyone please tell me if they have a dehumidifier with dry clothes function on it?
“How long on average to dry the clothes does it need to be on please?”
Her questions received lots of comments, Ally Lambell replied: “We’ve recently bought the MeacoDry ABC and we dry our washing in the conservatory.
“Before we got it the washing would take two to three days to dry jeans as no heating in there but now they’re dry within a day and it costs just pennies to use.”
She added: “It really is worth the money and is on offer £45 less than we paid, plus easy enough to move into other rooms.”
Sue Edwards shared her experience: “I have a twenty litre. I usually run it for about 12 hrs.
“If I have bedding then I do about 24 hrs. About half way through. I empty it and turn the bedding over.
“So cheap to run. I had a tumble dryer for years, when it packed in I never looked back. Best thing you’ll ever buy.”
Lisa Pinks revealed she can get two loads of laundry dry in a day by using a dehumidifier.
She posted: “I have a 12ltr Meaco I put every thing on coat hangers evenly spaced for air circulation and I can get two loads dry in a day.
“ I have to empty it twice. It’s set on the laundry setting.”
Sam Bailey shared: “Screwfix 16ltr is good amazing how much water it sucks out!.
“I leave mine on for about four hours, gets mostly dry then I just leave on the airer until the next day if it needs it.
“But also depends on what your drying, some thicker stuff or different materials take longer.”
According to Meaco, it costs around 4p an hour to run a dehumidifier to dry your laundry.
How does a dehumidifier work to dry washing?
According to Which?, “dehumidifiers draw excess moisture from the air, helping to combat condensation, prevent mould growth and reduce damp on walls”.
Many dehumidifiers with laundry settings also blast air at the garments – similarly to them being dried outside on a windy day.
Curry’s added: “Clothes can take a long time to dry properly indoors, especially if it’s a humid environment.
“But when you use a dehumidifier, the air surrounding your wet clothes becomes less humid.
“This allows the moisture within the clothes to evaporate more quickly, resulting in shorter drying times.”
To use a dehumidifier for drying clothes indoors, keep it a close to the clothes.
Make sure the items are spaced out across the drying rack or on hangers to allow the airflow to pass through each item.
You might need to rotate the items a few times to ensure all sides are evenly dried.
As for what the best dehumidifier is, The Sun’s Shopping team tried and tested 10 models.