There are several advantages of using a dehumidifier instead of a tumble dryer to dry laundry. Perhaps the most obvious benefit is the reduced cost. A dehumidifier can cost as little as 8p an hour to run in comparison to a tumble dryer that can cost over £2 per cycle*.
Meaco dehumidifiers have a dedicated laundry mode, which switches off after six hours to help you save energy. This means that with every load you choose to air dry instead of putting in the tumble dryer, you’re saving around £1.50 on your energy bill. For a busy family drying laundry every day this could add up to a saving of £45 every month!
Drying Laundry With A Dehumidifier
Whilst the dehumidifier is drying the clothes it is also protecting the room that the clothes are in. ‘Natural’ methods of drying laundry can create additional moisture in your rooms. This turns into condensation, or forms mould patches on walls, ceilings and even soft furnishings. Mould spores are bad for respiratory health, so the whole process is potentially damaging to both your home and your family. That’s why dehumidifiers are recommended as a safer, faster and more efficient way to dry laundry over the winter.
By choosing to air dry laundry, you can help your clothes to last longer too. Garments are not exposed to the high temperatures from tumble dryers that can damage delicate fabrics. Air drying is kinder to fabrics, making your clothes feel softer.
Still Using The Tumble Drier?
Over recent years there have been numerous product recalls and high-profile safety notices relating to tumble dryers. Tumble drying can be a fire risk, and owners are always advised to run their driers when they are in the house, and to keep them clean of lint and residue.
If you’re worried about the potential safety hazard of running your tumble drier – or the energy costs they incur, you might be thinking about the alternatives. The easiest of these is to air-dry your washing by hanging it on drying racks, over radiators or across chairs. As long as you have a reliable and effective way to reduce the excess moisture from the air in your home, this is a great alternative. It saves energy and reduces the potential fire risk in your home.
Using a dehumidifier to dry your laundry has a lot of benefits
What About When You Don’t Need To Dry Laundry?
While you have no clothes to dry you can put your dehumidifier to work to protect the rest of your home. There’s often excess moisture in your home – particularly during the colder months. Cooking, showering – anything that creates moisture – are all ways that you introduce more moisture into your home.
Not only does this extra moisture cause condensation and mould – it can also make it more expensive to heat your home. Cold, wet air is harder to heat than dry air, so your heating will have to work harder – even if you’ve turned down the thermostat. Investing in a dehumidifier will not just dry laundry – it will try the air. And this in turn will make it easier to heat your home – making it cheaper all round.
*Based on a dehumidifier that can extract up to 12 litres a day and runs at 0.157 kWh, and the average tumble dryer using roughly 4.5kWh per cycle. Calculations are based on the October 2022 price of 34p per kWh*.
49 Responses
Hello, I have just purchased a MeacoDry ABC 12l dehumidifier it arrived today and I have it in a small room that does not have a radiator. Room can be cold in winter.
Can you advise me the best way to set up the Dehumidifier when using two airers to dry washing. Do I put the MeacoDry inbetween the two airers and have the airers side on.
I have it set up that way at the moment and the Dehumidifier has been running for about 3 hours and the clothes do not feel any dryer. I am wondering am I doing something wrong. Also I think it will take longer than the 6 hours laundry mode. I am so wanting this to work for me and to help with drying the clothes. There is a gas fire in the room should I have that on, on low while the dehumidifier is drying the laundry. I hope you can give me some advice on this as I have read all the great reviews how the laundry has dried in the 6 hours and under and I have towels and clothes on the airers that do not feel any drier.
Thank you
Raven
Thank you for your enquiry and you recent purchase,
If you are able to position the washing so that the dry air coming out of the dehumidifier hits the washing then it will dry even faster (think windy day outside and washing on the line).
Your gas fire is helping keep the room warm, which will help the dehumidifier produce faster results.
In order to dry washing efficiently you should position a Laundry Drying dehumidifier next to the washing in a small room (the kitchen perhaps) and close the door. The dehumidifier will dry the air within the kitchen to around 35%rh and the washing will release its moisture from the laundry to be in equilibrium with the air in the room.
I hope this helps,
Omar@Meaco.