I review heated clothes airers for a living – these are the 7 things I'd always look for before buying one

Finding the right heated clothes airer for your home comes down to a few key things, including how much washing you regularly need to dry, the size of your household and, importantly, how much space you have to spare.

I've tested quite a few of the best heated clothes airers for Ideal Home, from compact options for smaller spaces to family-sized tiered airers and speedy drying pods. Through testing them with real loads of laundry in my own home, I've learnt which features genuinely make a difference and which are worth looking out for before you buy.

So I've rounded up the main considerations below so you can decide if a heated airer is worth buying for your family and household.

How to choose a heated clothes airer

1. Types of heated clothes airers

There are two main types of heated airers: heated drying pods and heated drying racks. A heated rack warms the rails to speed up drying, while a drying pod circulates warm air around clothes inside a cover.

In our tests, drying pods such as the JML DriBUDDI Heated Indoor Airer, £79 at Argos and Minky's heat pod, RRP £60 at Argos, were the fastest, drying clothes in roughly three hours. However, their fans make some noise, and they generally hold less washing, making them particularly useful for getting school uniforms and sports kits dry quickly.

Traditional heated racks are slower, taking around six to ten hours in our tests. However, they're silent, generally cheaper to run and can accommodate more washing.

If you're choosing a rack, we've generally found tiered models more effective than winged designs. More of the laundry sits close to the heated rails, whereas longer garments can hang below the heated sections of a winged airer and remain damp.

2. Their drying capacity

Check how much washing an airer can accommodate before buying. Capacity may be given in kilograms of laundry, metres of drying space or, for pod-style airers, the number of garments it can hold.

'The right heated airer size depends on how much laundry you regularly dry, the size of your household and the space available in your home,' says Mary Widall, Product category manager for laundry at Minky.

Mary suggests a compact model will generally suit one or two people, while a larger three-tier heated airer offers more drying space for a household of three or four. Larger families should look for maximum drying capacity and multiple heated tiers.

Catrin Parry, Buying lead for cleaning and laundry at Lakeland, gives a useful benchmark for a family-sized model. The Lakeland Dry:Soon 3-Tier Deluxe Heated Airer, £199.99 at Lakeland, offers 21m of drying space, holds approximately 15kg of washing (around two wash loads) and is well suited to a family of four. Its design is also more accessible from the front than the smaller mini and standard models.

However, bigger isn't always better. 'Avoid overcrowding; leaving space between garments improves warm-air circulation and helps clothes dry faster and more evenly,' Mary advises.

If floor space is limited, a vertical or tower-style airer can also provide plenty of drying capacity without taking up as much room.

3. Size and storage

Don't underestimate how much space a heated clothes airer can occupy once unfolded. Check the dimensions and think about where you'll use it, remembering you'll need access to a plug socket and enough room to move around it safely.

Storage is just as important, particularly if you don't have a dedicated utility or laundry room. 'One that folds up nice and compact' is Catrin's recommendation for homes where storage is limited. Look for a design that's quick to put up and collapse, and always check its folded measurements before buying.

Small practical details can make a difference here too. Lakeland's Dry:Soon models have handles at the top to make them easier to move, and optional wheels are available if you need to transport a loaded airer between rooms.

Some covers can even double up as storage solutions. Catrin explains that the Dry:Soon cover can be zipped flat around the airer once it's collapsed, so you don't need to find somewhere separate to store it.

If you already own a three-tier airer, another space-saving option is a system such as the Minky Heat Pod Pro (£45 at Argos). It sits underneath a standard three-tier airer and adds a cover and warm-air technology, so you don't need to store a second full-sized drying rack. Minky says it can dry clothes up to four times faster than air drying.

4. Covers

A cover is one feature I'd recommend looking for, as it can make a heated rack more effective.

'A covered heated airer can be more efficient than an uncovered one because the cover helps trap warm air around the clothes rather than allowing heat to escape into the room,' explains Mary. 'This creates a warmer drying environment and can help clothes dry faster.'

Catrin agrees: 'We'd always suggest adding the cover. It traps the heat in and dries things faster.'

However, ventilation is important. Look for a cover with vents that allow moisture to escape rather than trapping humid air around your washing, which can leave clothes damp or musty.

5. Energy use

Heated airers are generally much cheaper to run than a tumble dryer, but running costs vary depending on the model's wattage and your electricity tariff.

'A heated clothes airer is generally very economical to run,' says Mary. 'Most heated airers cost approximately 5p-15p per hour to operate, making them a lower-energy alternative to a tumble dryer.'

Lakeland puts the running cost of its Dry:Soon Deluxe at around 8p per hour, compared to approximately 65p for a standard tumble dryer. These figures are based on an average electricity unit cost of 26.11p per kWh as of July 2026, so actual costs will vary according to tariff and usage.

Don't judge efficiency on hourly running costs alone, though. It's also worth considering how quickly the airer dries clothes. A higher-powered model that finishes the job faster could prove more practical than a lower-powered airer that needs to run all day.

6. Features that make drying easier

Heat isn't the only thing that dries clothes quickly – airflow and how you arrange your washing are just as important.

Look for good spacing between rails, multiple heated tiers and enough drying room to avoid bunching garments together. Adjustable tiers are also useful for accommodating longer items.

'Give garments a good spin in the washing machine first, spread them evenly across the airer and leave gaps between items,' recommends Mary. 'Avoid overloading, as airflow is just as important as heat for achieving faster drying.'

A timer is another feature I find useful, particularly if you're likely to leave the airer running for several hours.

Also consider the accessories available for the airer you're buying. Mesh shelves can be useful for drying delicates or items that need to lie flat, while dedicated hangers can make better use of the available space.

7. Ventilation and humidity

A heated airer gets water out of your clothes, but that moisture has to go somewhere. Drying laundry indoors can increase the humidity in a room, so ventilation is an important consideration.

Catrin recommends leaving 'a small space around the airer for ventilation,' adding that heated airers can also make the room feel warmer. Depending on humidity levels, she suggests leaving a window on the latch to allow moisture to escape.

Mary similarly recommends using a heated airer in a well-ventilated space and opening a window or using an extractor fan or dehumidifier where appropriate.

Pairing a heated airer with a dehumidifier is actually one of my favourite ways to dry clothes indoors during autumn and winter. And it's a combination that both experts recommended.

As Catrin explains, 'The airer warms the fabric and the dehumidifier pulls the moisture from the surrounding air, which speeds up drying even more and prevents damp.'

Shop our favourite heated clothes airers

Ultimately, these are all the things I wish I'd known before buying my first heated clothes airer. Get them right, and you'll avoid any buying mistakes and own a model that suits your space, laundry loads and drying routine.