Between the endless school uniforms, damp jeans that take a lifetime and the general fight against condensation, drying laundry indoors in wintertime is honestly one of my least favourite chores to contend with.
I'm always looking for ways to speed the whole process up, whether that be with one of the best dehumidifiers or a heated clothes airer. Both of which are the hardest-working appliances in my home during the cold seasons.
Why a fan and a dehumidifier work so well
When you're drying clothes indoors, the moisture immediately builds up in the air around the laundry. A dehumidifier will capture that moisture, but the airflow is the missing piece of the puzzle.
'Using a fan alongside your dehumidifier can significantly speed up laundry drying,' explains Katie Lilywhite, dehumidifier expert at AO.com.
'By using a fan, this will quicken up evaporation and prevent any damp air pockets from forming around your clothes’ fabric. It’s worth noting that your fan won’t remove moisture by itself; it's only when paired with a dehumidifier that this can speed up the drying process.'
Chris Michael, CEO at Meaco adds that the key factor is stronger airflow.
'Clothes hold on to water when the air around them is still. Some moisture stays in the fabric unless moving air pushes it away. This is why washing dries so much faster on a windy day outside.'
Think of the fan as creating a tiny micro-climate that's constantly stripping moisture from your clothes and feeding it straight into the dehumidifier.
AO's latest addition is Katie, a key expert at a multitude of appliances, including dehumidifiers, portable air conditioners, fans and air purifiers.
The best dehumidifiers for drying laundry
Meaco's Arete Two is our favourite dehumidifier overall because of its range of sizes, smart connectivity, large tank and faster drying of large washing loads.
The EcoAir DD1 Simple MK3 is a great option for a garage, basement, or unheated rooms during the winter months, and it makes quick work of drying wet washing.
I selected the ProBreeze's 30L dehumidifier as the best high-capacity dehumidifier in our guide, as it'll make a powerful addition to your laundry drying arsenal.
How to set up a fan and dehumidifier for drying clothes faster
You can't just point a fan anywhere and expect magic, so I asked the experts to give us the intel on positioning for the best results.
'First, choose your laundry room wisely. Try to pick a spare bedroom, utility room or box room – smaller spaces work better since there’s less air to circulate,' explains Katie.
'Close all doors and windows so your dehumidifier isn’t fighting outdoor moisture, and begin to hang your clothes on an airer, being sure to leave space between items.'
Then, Katie recommends placing your dehumidifier a metre away from your laundry and setting the fan side-on, being careful not to blast air directly into the dehumidifier.
Instead of using a still fan, oscillating fans, like the Dreo Standing fan, £99 at Amazon, can actually work wonders since they spread airflow evenly, which allows moisture to evaporate before being removed.
Chris agrees that you should position the fan about 30cm from the clothes rack, pointing it directly at the washing, so the airflow hits the fabric and use the oscillation mode if the fan has it, as this helps the air reach more of the clothes.
Make sure you place your fan on low or medium speed, advises Katie. Then, 'allow your dehumidifier to run steadily rather than on stop-start bursts. This will avoid using excessive energy and dry your clothes far faster than if you just left your dehumidifier to run.'
And finally, if your dehumidifier has a dedicated Laundry Mode, like ProBreeze's 30L dehumidifier, RRP £229.99, now £184.99 at Amazon, absolutely use it.
Chris founded leading dehumidifier manufacturer Meaco and has been advising on humidity solutions and dehumidifiers since 1991 and is well-known within the dehumidifier industry across the world as a leader in innovation and sustainability. With a wealth of experience in the industry, Chris is committed to helping provide low-energy and low-noise solutions appliances that improve the lives of customers.
The best oscillating fans we've tested
If you need a powerful oscillating fan to make this fan trick super efficient, here are the favourites we've tested.
The Dreo PolyFan 508S is super energy-efficient, costing around 0.1p to 0.9p per hour, and it's powerful to boot. Auto and Eco modes help save even more by adjusting fan speed, making it cost-effective for all-day use.
The Duux Whisper Flex Ultimate Fan is the quietest fan we've tested, so if you use it to aid drying laundry, it won't add any extra noise. It's on the pricey side, but it's also wireless, Smart, and height-adjustable.
The Levoit Classic 36-inch tower fan is super quiet and is easy to keep clean. It's also temperature-responsive and automatically adjusts the speed based on the room temperature, which should only make laundry drying even speedier.
If you're drying laundry in winter and want to speed things up without switching to a tumble dryer, the fan-and-dehumidifier combo is an easy, low-energy hack.
It's particularly good on days when the air is cold, heavy or when you've got thick cottons and knits that normally take ages.
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