Dry wet wash indoors with a 49p hack that’s better than a tumble dryer

As winter approaches, drying laundry is a challenge. And with tumble dryers costing an average of £200 per year (75p per hour) to run, this can be expensive.

We asked Emma Lazenby, mother of three, to test different types of drying appliances and rate them out of five.

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She says: “When testing each dryer, I hung two loads of laundry – a total of 7kg of damp clothes – and then timed how long it took for them to dry completely.

“Each load contained a mix of school uniforms, children’s sportswear, pajamas, men’s and women’s shirts, T-shirts, light jumpers, trousers and underwear.”

TELESCOPIC RADIATOR AIRER, Dunelm, £12

Ongoing costs: € 0 (excluding radiator costs)

Drying time: Two days

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I WANTED to add a non-electric airer here to compare drying times.

You hook this over your radiator, but it is slightly more chic than those small metal hanging rails we have all used.

It cleverly expands and adjusts to the width of your radiator, has four rails and a handy clip area for trousers and socks.

Currently I have the heating on for two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening, so I hung my laundry on it at 7am. Two days later it was almost dry, but the freshly washed smell was long gone.

I could only fit a third of the load on it, so you would probably need three to hang a full load of laundry.

While it’s a brilliant budget-friendly airer, it’s not great if you’re short on time and patience.

But that said, it would be faster if you have the heating on more often than I do.

It is also worth noting that it is more difficult to hang these over traditional column radiators and radiators that sit very low under windows.

Judgement: 3/5.

JML DRIBUDDI, Wilko, £76

Ongoing costs: 40p per hour

Drying time: 2 hours 45m

Drying costs: £1.10

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ALTHOUGH not as energy efficient as some other dryers, there was still plenty to be happy about.

It’s similar to the Hang ‘n’ Dry, in that you throw in your laundry on hangers and let it dry in a capsule of hot air.

It’s also quite compact and fits nicely in the corner of a room, so it’s ideal as a permanent fixture if you want something that you don’t have to fold away after each use.

But I did find it a bit tricky when attaching my hangers through the designated holes in the rails.

And my clip hanger that I normally use for pants and socks would have taken up too much space.

That means drying underwear is a problem in this one.

I couldn’t really fit two loads in there – it was probably more like one and a half.

However, things went quite quickly on the drying front.

The price is right and it is perfect for drying longer garments such as dresses.

But for me the capacity is inadequate and it could be a little cheaper to use.

Judgement: 3.5/5.

HANG ‘N’ DRY, Robert Dyas, £64.99

Ongoing costs: 22p per hour

Drying time: 2 hours 15 minutes

Drying costs: 49.5p

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I HAVE so many good things to say about this dryer, despite it not being the cheapest of the bunch.

Technically it’s a zippered wardrobe, with a hot air pump at the bottom.

Ideal if you are an ironer and have to wash a lot of school uniforms.

You hang your wet clothes on hangers in the dryer and the best part is: you can put them directly in your wardrobe when they are dry.

I have to admit, I loved this because it streamlined the “storage” process.

But you do need a separate clip hanger for your pants and socks.

I used my trusty Ikea Pressa octopus style hanging dryer which only cost £3 and it worked perfectly.

The timer was very handy and I love how light the Hang ‘n’ Dry is.

It is easy to move and can be folded for storage.

It also looks pretty sleek for a dryer, which is a bonus if you don’t have to deal with the hassle of collapsing and re-erecting these things every day.

Judgement: 4/5.

MEACO DD8l JUNIOR DRYING AGENT DEHUMIDIFIER, Currys, £179

Operating costs: 16p per hour (in washing mode)

Drying time: 3.5 hours

Drying costs: 56p

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WHAT a revelation. There is a lot of praise for dehumidifiers right now.
They are energy efficient, can heat your room and reduce condensation.

But I didn’t know that some appliances have a ‘wash’ setting and can cut the drying time of your laundry by more than half.

Make sure you have a window slightly open and use the dehumidifier in your smallest room, with the door closed, for extra drying speed. I used the bathroom for this test.

A similar load of laundry that I hung to dry in the same spot, without the dehumidifier, remained slightly damp there after ten hours.

With the dehumidifier it only took 3.5 hours. It really sped up the drying time.

The initial cost is high, but I think it can be worth it in the long run.

I also couldn’t believe how much it warmed the room. And the moisture in the air was completely gone.

I was sold for a fifth of the cost of a dryer.

Judgement: 4.5/5.

DRY:SOON TRI:MODE 3 LAYER HEATED HUB Lakeland, £349.99

Operating costs: 9p per hour

Drying time: 4.5 hours

Drying costs: 40.5p

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I was so excited about this one. With the sky-high costs and ‘versatile drying options’ I thought it would change my laundry life.

It is a heavy piece of equipment and I found it very awkward to maneuver into the different drying positions.

It also takes up a lot more space than I thought.

But now for the positives.

It’s almost futuristic in its excellent energy efficiency and costs incredibly little – just NINE PENCE per hour to run.

It’s also a nice device and super sturdy, with handy laundry baskets that sit under the rails.

However, it claims it can hold 30kg of laundry, but I couldn’t understand how that was possible.

It would be too busy, especially since the instructions urge you to put away your laundry.

Luckily it took a perfect 7kg (two of my standard loads).

It was pretty quick in terms of drying, but not as quick as I had hoped.
I’ve read some good reviews about the Dry:Soon, but for me the high price tag isn’t justified.

Judgement: 3/5.