I asked laundry experts how they use their heated clothes airers – and I picked up some genius tips to dry clothes even faster

As someone who tests heated clothes airers regularly, I thought I had a pretty good handle on how to get the most out of one. However, with autumn approaching and indoor drying season almost upon us, I wanted to know if there were any simple tricks I was missing that could actually get clothes dry faster.

And since a lot of us will be relying on one of the best heated clothes airers to dry our laundry indoors, I asked Catrin Parry, Buying Lead for cleaning and laundry at Lakeland, and Mary Widall, Product Category Manager: laundry at Minky, how they use theirs to speed up drying.

It turns out that where you put your clothes, how you space them and even where you position the airer itself can shave valuable time off drying a load.

1. Don't overcrowd your heated clothes airer

This is probably the tip I need to take on board most because my default is always to get the most washing done in the least possible time. Which means I end up squeezing as much onto the airer as physically possible, but both experts warned against overcrowding.

'There's no fixed amount of space you should leave between garments, but not overlapping or allowing garments to touch each other improves warm-air circulation and helps clothes dry faster and more evenly,' explains Mary.

Catrin agrees, saying clothes shouldn't be 'packed too tightly' and that you need to allow the heat to circulate around them.

One trick I particularly like comes from Mary: rather than folding a garment tightly over one rung, she spreads it across two where possible. It takes up more space but exposes more of the fabric and stops clothes from sitting against one another.

2. Make the most of the hottest part of your airer

I've never actually given this much thought to which tier I use for different clothes (I sort of use instinct), but there's a good reason to be more strategic.

'Heat rises, so if there's something you urgently want first, put that on the top level,' says Catrin. She tends to put heavier towels lower down and lighter items near the top, along with accessories such as mesh shelves for delicates like these mesh shelves, £12.99 from Lakeland) and peg hangers (like these Dry:Soon peg hangers, £7.99 from Amazon) for socks.

Mary takes a slightly different approach and reserves that warmer upper section for garments that naturally take longer to dry. Either way, the important takeaway is that the top of your airer is prime drying real estate, so use it for whatever you most want to speed up.

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3. Use a cover to trap the heat

If your heated airer has an optional cover, both experts are firmly in favour of using it.

'Yes, always,' says Catrin. 'It can really speed it up, trapping warm, relatively dry air and removing a couple of hours of drying time.'

Mary explains that containing the warmth creates a warmer drying environment rather than allowing all that heat to escape into the room. However, she stresses that ventilation is still important. A suitable cover should allow moisture to escape rather than simply trapping increasingly humid air around your clothes.

Mary also shared a clever trick I'll be trying now: 'In the evening, I'll often switch the airer off after a couple of hours and leave the cover on, allowing the residual warmth to continue helping the clothes dry overnight.'

4. Turn thick clothes partway through

You shouldn't need to constantly rearrange your washing, but particularly thick items can benefit from being turned partway through drying.

Catrin recommends doing this with heavier pieces such as jeans and towels because it takes longer for the warmth to penetrate thicker fabric. Mary also suggests rearranging jeans and jumpers to help speed things up, although she points out that every time you lift the cover, you'll release some of the warm air you've worked to trap.

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5. Open clothes up as much as possible

Instead of hanging trousers with both legs together or leaving the sleeves of a top bunched up, Catrin says: ' Spread sleeves, open shirts, divide trouser legs, to allow the fabric as much contact with the airer as possible.'

Longer garments can also be hung over the outside rails rather than folded up inside the airer, leaving more space for warm air to move around the rest of our washing.

Essentially, the less fabric you have folded, overlapping, or touching other clothes, the better.

6. Where you put your airer matters more than you think

I've always been conscious of where I position a heated airer, particularly because drying a load of wet washing indoors inevitably adds moisture to your home.

Catrin recommends putting one in a utility room if you have room, underneath its cover and slightly away from the wall. Mary similarly advises choosing a well-ventilated room and giving the airer 'some breathing room' rather than squeezing it against a wall or into a corner.

And while a garage or bathroom might seem like a convenient place to hide an airer, Mary says a room that is already cold or humid could actually increase drying times. A reasonably warm, dry and well-ventilated space is preferable.

7. Get rid of the moisture your laundry releases

This is something I already do when I want to get washing dry quickly: I pair my heated airer with a dehumidifier.

Wet laundry releases a significant amount of moisture into the surrounding air as it dries. If that moisture is allowed to build up, you're essentially trying to dry clothes in increasingly humid conditions.

Mary recommends opening a window or using an extractor fan or dehumidifier where appropriate. 'Good ventilation helps manage humidity and condensation, while also reducing the risk of clothes taking longer to dry or developing a musty smell.'

Catrin agrees, explaining that you'll release excess moisture into your home whether you're using a heated or non-heated airer.

I already swear by running mine alongside a dehumidifier when I have a big load to get through, particularly when it's too cold or wet to open the windows.

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The biggest lesson I picked up from the experts is that faster drying isn't about cramming as much washing as possible onto your heated airer (which is a huge mistake). It's quite the opposite.

Give clothes room, expose as much fabric as possible to the warmth and get excess moisture out of the room, and you have a much better chance of getting your washing dry quickly and efficiently.