Dehumidifiers can help dry clothes in damp, cold weather
Autumn has its own charm. While summer is filled with joy and sunshine, the so-called ‘cosy season’ brings a certain warmth of its own. From curling up under a heated blanket to spending dark evenings in front of the telly, it can be a welcome respite from the heat of the preceding months.
However, there’s one aspect of this season that I dread as the nights grow longer and the temperature begins to drop – drying clothes and the accompanying excess condensation. Editor Sam Jones has been using a dehumidifier to help beat winter condensation and damp-smelling clothes, as he rounds up his review below.
That’s why I was thrilled when given the opportunity to test a dehumidifier equipped with a dedicated laundry drying mode, namely the SmartAir 20L Dehumidifier (£179.99 at HighStreet TV, £179.99 at Amazon and £200 at Yimbly).
My first foray into the world of dehumidifiers was a couple of years ago on Black Friday, when I bought the Russell Hobbs 10L Dehumidifier (£129 at Dunelm and £124 at Amazon) during the sale. Having heard and read about how effective these devices are at extracting moisture from the air, I found that particular model to be a worthwhile investment.
So, I was eager to see how a more expensive model would fare, and whether the additional features justified the higher price tag. We put it through its paces, reports the Liverpool Echo.
First impressions
The first thing to note is that it’s quite large. Measuring 36.2cm x 21.1cm x 60.7cm, it’s noticeably bigger than my previous dehumidifier, but the inclusion of wheels makes it easy to move around.
Naturally, I was eager to give it a go, so I put on a load of washing to test it out – and was quickly very impressed. While there are a few different modes and settings, it’s not overly complicated.
I detest reading instructions, but these are straightforward enough to follow – essentially just press the buttons to set it to the desired setting. The various modes include:.
Did it dry the washing?
I’ve been extremely pleased with how well it’s been drying washed clothes so far. Having a young child and the various spillages and accidents that come with it means the laundry basket is never empty for long, so keeping on top of getting clothes dry is crucial.
The SmartAir dehumidifier is proving to be a game-changer on this front so far. I simply hang the clothes on an airer, set the dehumidifier to laundry mode and shut the door.
I’m finding that within a few hours, light items are dry, while heavier items like towels take a bit longer, as one would expect.
I particularly like the oscillating louvre, which is essentially a piece of plastic that moves back and forth above the air flow to distribute the dehumidified air more quickly and ensure it’s circulating around the room. It’s a feature my Russell Hobbs device doesn’t have, and it seems to make a difference in speeding up the process.
It also has a good sized water tank (5.5L), meaning it doesn’t need emptying very often, while there’s the option to add a continuous drain hose too.
What else is out there?
I’ve previously mentioned the Russell Hobbs 10L Dehumidifier that I own. It’s been fantastic at eliminating overnight window condensation and drying laundry, although I’ve found the SmartAir does this more quickly.
It’s also a bit cheaper (£129 at Dunelm and £124 at Amazon), but less powerful, capable of extracting 10L of moisture per day, half what the SmartAir can manage. Despite this, I prefer it as an option for overnight use in a bedroom, mainly because it seems quieter to me, though overall, I’d say the SmartAir is a superior device.
I’ve also penned my full thoughts about the pros and cons of the Russell Hobbs model, which you can read here. As one might expect, there are plenty of options out there to cater for all sorts of needs.
Some homes might have a small amount of excess moisture in just one room, in which case a smaller, and cheaper, machine might be a better choice. One such item is sold by Amazon, the £39.70 EasyAcc 1200ml Electric Dehumidifier is only a little machine, but said to be low on energy consumption and includes automatic shut off.
A more direct competitor to the SmartAir could well be the likes of LOGIK’s L20DH24 Dehumidifier, priced at £169 from Currys. That also has the ability to draw out 20L of moisture per day, though the tank is smaller at 3.8L, meaning it will need to be emptied more frequently.
What could be improved?
There’s just one issue I’ve encountered with the dehumidifier so far, it’s a tad noisy. It does have the option to reduce the fan speed, which makes it somewhat quieter.
There’s also a night mode where the lights switch off, which is a handy feature if that would bother you, though I still reckon the level of noise could annoy some people if it’s being used in a bedroom at night.
What do other reviews say?
Out of the 12 customer reviews left on HighStreetTV to date, the product has averaged 4.8 stars out of five. One reviewer stated: “Excellent dehumidifier. It does exactly what it is supposed to do and it is energy efficient and very effective. It draws moisture from the room and heats the room at the same time. I’m not sure if it purifies the air but I love it.”
Another review praised the product but mentioned they found the laundry mode a bit pricey to run: “Looks nice and sounds quiet, sometimes can’t even tell that it’s on. I tried it to dry washing on the clothes horse, I left it overnight and found that our smart meter showed me that it costs more than our dryer so I will not use that function again but it does what I bought it for to rid my kitchen of the damp and steam from my cooking.”
Another customer shared: “We are extremely pleased with our dehumidifier. We are amazed at the quality and efficiency of it. We’ve suffered for years with condensation in our conservatory/kitchen but your humidifier sorted the problem out no problem. I would recommend this dehumidifier to anyone who is thinking of buying one.”
Where to buy
The dehumidifier can be purchased from several retailers. The best prices we found are: £179.99 at HighStreet TV, £179.99 on Amazon, and £200 at Yimbly.
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