11 best heated clothes airers for speeding up the laundry drying process in 2024
The best heated clothes airers have quickly become a must-have purchase for our homes — especially during the winter months. Sure — you'd likely much rather spend your hard-earned cash on a cute new quilted jacket or knitted cardigan for your AW24 wardrobe; but we promise that swapping the clothes horse or drying rack for a heated airer or drying pod is a decision you definitely wont regret.
I decided to hop on the heated clothes rack hype last winter, when — once again — my favourite office outfit didn't dry in time for my commute. In my experience, as soon as October hits, jeans need roughly 3-5 business days draped over a standard clothes horse before they're somewhat dry. Safe to say, this was truly the straw that broke the camel's back — and I purchased a heated airer the very next day.
As providing a crease-free and gentle way to quickly dry my clothes, I've loved how much it helps warm up the rest of the room on particularly cold evenings. Plus, while the average tumble dryer will set you back by up to £1.50 in energy costs per cycle, a plug-in rack can cost as little as 5p per hour to run — and we're all about cutting costs wherever we can in the run up to Christmas.
SKIP TO: What is a heated clothes airer? | What are the benefits of a heated clothes airer? | Is it worth buying a heated clothes airer? | How long do heated airers take to dry clothes? | Is it safe to use a heated airer? | How we tasted the best heated airers | Our full reviews
The best heated clothes airers, at a glance:
- Best classic 3-tier heated clothes airer: Dry:Soon Deluxe 3-Tier Heated Airer
- Best winged heated airer: Minky Wing 12m Heated Clothes Airer with Cover
- Best heated airer with cover: JML DriBUDDI Indoor Airer
- Best heated clothes airer for smaller loads: John Lewis 3-Tier Heated Indoor Clothes Airer
What is a heated clothes airer?
Most electric heated clothes airers look like your typical clothes horse — but the rails helpfully heat up when plugged-in. Drying pods are other popular models — and they work by circulating hot air like a mini heated dryer.
What are the benefits of a heated clothes airer?
Not only are electric airers faster and cheaper than their more traditional counterparts (more on that later), heated airers can increase the lifespan of your clothes, too. With woollens and silk pyjamas, you can soak them in a tub and then lay them out on your airer to dry gently — and since heated airers are also known to reduce crinkles, you might not need to use an intense steam iron or garment steamer.
Is it worth buying a heated clothes airer?
In short — yes. They dry your clothes more quickly than their non-electric counterparts – allowing you to reduce the time you spend doing your laundry hugely – and they leave you with toasty, warm garments that are a dream to pull on.
If that isn't enough, they'll save you money. The average tumble dryer costs around £1.44 per cycle to run, which would cost around £150 a year if you use it twice per week this winter. A plug-in rack costs around 10p per hour to run, so if you use it for ten hours every week, will cost you around £52 per year. You do the math.
How long do heated airers take to dry clothes?
For cotton and linen, expect your clothes to take between four and five hours to dry. Drying jumpers or denim? Expect around ten. To speed up the drying process, there are a few things you can do.
- Squeeze as much moisture as possible out from your clothes before leaving them to hang.
- Lay them evenly on the electric airer.
- Consider a drying pod, which is a heated airer with a cover (the canvas covering will allow warm air to circulate beneath it and dry the clothes more speedily).
- You could also consider running one of the best dehumidfiers in the same room — which can further reduce drying time by 25%, while also minimising the likelihood of dampness and mould appearing in your home.
Is it safe to use a heated airer?
As long as they're used sensibly, heated clothes airers aren't dangerous. Electric clothes dryers are thermostatically controlled, which makes them totally safe. Plus, the best-heated clothes airers will turn off after a certain amount of time, to ensure your clothes don't get damaged by long periods of exposure to heat. If you want to be extra cautious, consider turning them off overnight.
How we tested the best heated airers:
Clearly, people have different preferences when it comes to heated airers. But we took into account everything from the type and style of airer, to the amount of drying space it had available, when weighing up which heated airers deserved a spot in this edit. Plus, where possible, we've also taken note of approximate running costs — as this is a key reason why so many of us are ditching the tumble drier for a heated airer.
After more content like this? Shop the best electric blankets to keep you toasty this winter, stylish laundry baskets and the best clothes steamers to leave your office 'fits looking fresh in minutes.
Scroll for our full edit of the best heated clothes airers to add to your basket — before everybody else beats you to it.
- Best: Classic winged airer.
- Dimensions: H94 x W148 x D54cm.
- Capacity: 16kg of washing - 12m drying space.
- How it works: Cover retains the heat that radiates through aluminium rails.
- Drying time settings: None.
Why we love it: With a one-year guarantee and a cover to optimise drying times, this heated clothes airer comes with the Mrs. Hinch stamp of approval. No mean feat.
It has space for one generous load of washing, and costs around 15p per house of use — which is pricier than some other models in this edit, but still comes in as more cost effective than using the tumble dryer.
Worth noting: it's wide, which means it has plenty of room for lots of clothes, but also takes up a lot of floor space. However — it's quite narrow, so would work well in a slim hallway, or pushed up against a wall. Swings and roundabouts.
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- Best: Classic 3-tier heated clothes airer.
- Dimensions: H137 x W73 x D75cm.
- Capacity: 15kg - 21m drying space.
- How it works: Heat radiates through aluminium rails.
- Drying time settings: None.
Why we love it: Perfect for families or those serial shoppers prone to needing to dry lots of clothes at once (guilty), this Lakeland heated airer holds 15KG of washing in one go.
It folds down to just 8cm deep, which is perfect if you're not blessed with tonnes of space, and it's made from lightweight aluminium, which makes it easy to transport.
As for cost? It'll set you back less than 6p per hour to operate, which is hugely more affordable than using a tumble drier. We were sold.
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- Best: For smaller loads and underwear.
- Dimensions: H135 x W66 x D72.8cm.
- Capacity: 15kg.
- How it works: Heat radiates through aluminium rails.
- Drying time settings: None.
Why we love it: Instead of hanging items like socks, vests, and t-shirts from the radiator, why not use pegs to arrange delicates and small loads of washing across this cute and compact ladder-style airer?
It's got three tiers of shelves — and as well as each one being a different size, they can all be laid flat, tilted, or completely folded down to suit your specific requirements. Plus, each shelf can hold up to 5kg of damp clothing.
Our favourite part? It has to be the four handy hooks that are perfect for quickly getting your favourite pair of fuzzy socks, slippers, or freshly-washed shoes nice and toasty.
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- Best: For quickly drying delicates and items on hangers.
- Dimensions: H146 x W62 x D62cm.
- Capacity: 10kg - 12 items on hangers.
- How it works: Circulates hot air around your clothes — within the cover.
- Drying time settings: Multiple temperature settings.
Why we love it: The best drying pod for speed, this heated airer circulates hot air around your clothes to leave them wearable more quickly. It holds up to 12 items on hangers, making it great for tailored pieces or dresses — and because your clothes hang straight when they dry, creases and wrinkles are minimised.
It looks sleek, can be folded down for easy storage when not in use, and there's an auto shut-off function (an optional timer can be set for three hours which will automatically turn the fan off).
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- Best: For really versatile use.
- Dimensions: H147 x W73.5 x D67cm.
- Capacity: 20kg - 23m drying space.
- How it works: Cover retains the heat that radiates through aluminium rails.
- Drying time settings: None.
Why we love it: In terms of maximum versatility, this is the heated airer that comes out on top. As well as having the largest hanging capacity out of all the airers in this edit, it's also been made with clever Unique Vertex angled arms that separate each garment — therefore optimising airflow, which helps clothes dry quicker.
Extra tall and wide, it's also a brilliant option for spreading out larger items like bedsheets and duvet covers — plus, it comes with a handy cover that helps with heat retention.
Save when you shop for electric clothes airers with these Argos discount codes.
- Best: For drying and warming towels and pyjamas.
- Dimensions: H91cm x W53.5 x D35cm.
- Capacity: 5kg - 3m drying space.
- How it works: Heat radiates through aluminium rails.
- Drying time settings: None.
Why we love it: Easily mistakable for a radiator, this heated clothes airer is sleek in design, costs only around 3p per hour to run, and heats up pretty much instantly.
Perfect for drying towels, flannels, and cleaning cloths — or even warming up your PJs before you put them on — it's got three metres worth of drying space for you to use however you wish.
Bathroom lacking a built-in towel rail? Customers are saying that this portable one is the perfect alternative. Plus — while it's not foldable — it's slim silhouette means it takes up very little room when placed next to a wall.
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- Best: For small spaces.
- Dimensions: H113.5 x W60 x D63cm.
- Capacity: 15kg - 13m drying space.
- How it works: Heat radiates through aluminium rails.
- Drying time settings: None.
Why we love it: Also by Dry:Soon, this Mini 3-Tier heated clothes airer is a great pick for singles or couples looking for something that wont take up too much precious floor space.
It comes with a three-year guarantee when ordering through Lakeland, and has a running cost of less than 4p per hour to run. In terms of capacity, you can expect to fit around 15kg of washing on this dryer — and it folds down to 8cm deep when collapsed, and can therefore be sotred easily under or behind a sofa.
Save when you shop for heated airers with these Lakeland discount codes.
- Best: Heated airer with cover.
- Dimensions: H160 x W70 x D70cm.
- Capacity: 10kg - 18 items on hangers.
- How it works: Blows hot air around the clothes within the cover.
- Drying time settings: Multiple temperature settings.
Why we love it: If you really want to supercharge clothes drying times, make a beeline for this JML drying pod which holds 18 garments (or up to 10kg of ‘fits) at any one time.
You can set the time it runs for, choosing between 30 and 180 minutes – and it heats up in just 10 seconds thanks to the powerful 1,200W motor. What’s more, this heated clothes airer is really easy to set up, clicking into place with speed and featuring a zip at the top for you to control the amount of air circulation allowed. Top marks.
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- Best: For multiple timer settings.
- Dimensions: H132.5 x W70 x D74cm.
- Capacity: 15kg - 21m drying space.
- How it works: Cover retains the heat that radiates through aluminium rails.
- Drying time settings: Multiple timer settings.
Why we love it: While many heated airers simply have an ‘on/off’ button, this Dry:Soon one has a timer setting so you can choose how long it should stay on for.
In terms of capacity, it'll hold two average sized loads of laundry — and the foldable shelves mean you can easily adapt it to suit your particular drying needs. Need your favourite t-shirt dry ASAP? Spread it out flat across a shelf. Want to fit as much damp clothing on as possible? Hang each item over a single heated rung.
While it's large in size, one of our favourite things about this heated airer is that you can just erect half of it if you want — meaning it can still be made to fit into a more narrow space like a hallway on the days where you've just done a relatively small wash.
Save when you shop for heated airers with these Lakeland discount codes.
- Best: Budget-friendly option on Amazon.
- Dimensions: H148 x W90 x D53cm.
- Capacity: 15kg.
- How it works: Heat radiates through aluminium rails.
- Drying time settings: None.
Why we love it: Amazon's heated clothes drier handles a substantial 15kg load with ease — and thanks to its sturdy frame, you wont have to worry about it tipping over when used to dry heavier items like bed linen and duvets.
It has 20 heated bars to dry lots of clothes at once, and a free-standing design which can be easily collapsed when not in use. Essentially, it's the perfect solution for drying damp bath towels in the winter months.
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- Best: For a full load of washing.
- Dimensions: H140 x W73 x D68cm.
- Capacity: 15kg - 21m drying space.
- How it works: Heat radiates through aluminium rails.
- Drying time settings: None.
Why we love it: Simple yet effective, this classic three-tiered airer has ample space for hanging out damp clothing, and can be both folded out and collapsed in a mere matter of seconds to fold out and collapse in a mere matter
It doesn't come with a cover, but throwing a simple bedsheet over it will help it retain as much heat as possible. But reviewers also can't stop raving about just how much it warms up their homes — and for far less than turning on the heating!
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