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Can you use a dehumidifier to dry laundry?
Whether it's rain showers keeping clothes lines empty, or a lack of outdoor space, you might need to dry your clothes indoors. Can a dehumidifier cut drying times and save you money on heating?
If you don’t have a tumble dryer and it’s too cold or wet to hang clothes outside, a dehumidifier can help dry them indoors.
Take a look at our dehumidifier reviews to find the most effective and energy-efficient models
Can you use a dehumidifier to dry laundry?
A dehumidifier will definitely help to dry your clothes more quickly. It does this by removing the moisture that evaporates into the air during the drying process.
Which? researchers tried this on two identical loads of washing – both with and without a dehumidifier – and using a dehumidifier cut drying time by nearly half.
It also sucked up around two litres of water from the air, which would really help prevent mould.
To make this dehumidifier hack work for you, hang up your wet washing on a clothes airer and put a dehumidifier next to it.
Hanging clothes on a radiator can cause condensation, so you should always avoid doing that.
Is it expensive to use a dehumidifier to dry clothes?
Unfortunately, the dehumidifier laundry hack comes at a price. We monitored how much the dehumidifier cost to run during the 12-hour test and it came in at £1.50.
To put this in perspective, energy-saving heat pump dryers cost around 33p per load to run, but more expensive condenser and vented machines are 82p and 89p per load.
It's worth noting that our Best Buy dehumidifiers are cheaper to run, costing around 7p per hour, but when compared with the most cost-effective tumble dryers, using a dehumidifier would still cost more and take longer.
So if you have a tumble dryer, it’s likely to be the cheaper option.
Discover the most energy-efficient dehumidifiers and energy-efficient tumble dryers from our tests
Do you need a dehumidifier with a laundry setting?
Some models come with a laundry setting, but you can use any dehumidifier to dry laundry if yours doesn't have one.
Many laundry settings just whack up the power to max for a set time, although some are designed to save energy by optimising the machine's performance so it doesn't work harder than it needs to.
If your dehumidifier doesn't have a dedicated laundry setting, just set the target humidity level to 30-40% on the controls and leave it to run.
Don't forget to check if your clothes are dry every now and then, so you don't leave the heating and dehumidifier on any longer than necessary.
If you're on a budget, don't miss our Great Value dehumidifiers – these are high-scoring models that might not be as good as a Best Buy, but are great value for money.
Where should a dehumidifier be placed in a laundry room?
Place the dehumidifier close to the hanging clothes, but not so close that water might drip on it or clothes might slip off and onto the appliance.
Most dehumidifiers should be at least 20cm away from walls or furniture, so keep that in mind when you're setting things up. Some models, such as those in the Meaco Arete One range, can be positioned against a wall to save space.
More tips to help dry clothes faster indoors
- Extra spin cycle Consider giving your clothes an extra spin to remove as much water as possible from them before hanging.
- Use an electric fan If you have an electric fan, you might also consider setting that up in your drying room on the opposite side to the dehumidifier. The combination of breeze from the fan and heat from the radiator will best replicate those ideal outdoor drying conditions.
- Shut that door Set everything up in a small room and make sure any windows and doors are closed. This will keep the heat in the room and save the dehumidifier from tackling damp air coming in from outside.
How do tumble dryers, heated clothes airers and drying pods compare? Read the best and cheapest way to dry clothes indoors to find out
Our most popular dehumidifiers
We've picked the top three dehumidifiers that were most popular on the Which? website between March 2023 and March 2024. However, a product's popularity doesn't necessarily mean it's the best choice, so read our expert dehumidifier reviews to find a model that scored highly in our independent tests.
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