The Best Dehumidifiers for Drying Clothes and Gentle Laundry Drying

Why choose a dehumidifier over a tumble dryer?

When it comes to drying clothes, a dehumidifier provides several key advantages:

1. Gentler on fabrics: Unlike the hot, heavy cycle of a tumble dryer; a dehumidifier’s task is to extract excess moisture from the air. This will gently dry your clothes and reduce signs of ageing (and the shrinking you often see on organic fabrics in a tumble dryer), helping your clothes to last longer.
   
2. Cheaper to run: Running a dehumidifier costs significantly less than using a tumble dryer. With the rising costs of electricity, switching to a dehumidifier for laundry drying can help you save money on your energy bills. According to the Energy Saving Trust, the average UK tumble dryer uses roughly 4.5 kWh per load on average, which would cost you £1.01 per load based on 24.50p / kWh. Based on the estimated UK average of 270 loads a year, that’s costing you £272.70 a year compared to £64.80 with a Meaco dehumidifier*.
3. Energy Efficient: Dehumidifiers typically use only a fraction of the electricity required by tumble dryers, which means lower energy bills and a reduced carbon footprint. While tumble dryers use an estimated 3000 watts, Meaco dehumidifiers average 170 watts). By using less energy than your average tumble dryer, your laundry is having less impact on the environment when you choose a dehumidifier. It is the greener choice when drying clothes, contributing to a more sustainable lifestyle and a healthier environment.
4. Prevents damp and mould: Hanging wet clothes indoors will increase humidity levels, leading to damp and mould problems. You’ll notice as we get deeper into winter and have been hanging the washing indoors for months, it’s now taking a lot longer to dry and still smells musty and damp days later! A dehumidifier not only dries your laundry but also reduces the overall moisture in your home, improving air quality and protecting your home against damp related issues.
   

4 key features to look for in a laundry-friendly dehumidifier

If you’re drying the washing outside in the summer, you would choose a day that was warm, dry and breezy. When choosing a dehumidifier specifically for drying clothes, you’ll be looking to recreate the same conditions. To do this, we recommend considering the following:

1. Desiccant dehumidifiers add warmth

Traditionally, we recommend a desiccant model for high performance in colder areas like a conservatory, basement or garage. Desiccant models are designed to work efficiently at lower temperatures, even below 10°C. To do this, they generate a small amount of heat. It’s this added warmth which actually makes them superb for drying clothes. The Meaco DD8L is a popular choice for this reason. So if you dry your clothes in a cold room a desiccant dehumidifier is the best option for you for faster laundry drying.

2.  A dedicated Laundry Mode

Most dehumidifiers come with a dedicated laundry mode, such as the MeacoDry Arete® Range of Dehumidifier and Air Purifiers. This setting increases the fan speed to maximise moisture extraction, cutting down the drying time. Most standard loads of washing take 6 hours to air dry, that’s why we’ve engineered our Laundry Mode dehumidifiers to run on a high fan speed for 6 hours as a default. 

3. A moveable louvre

A dehumidifier with a moveable louvre, like the Meaco DD8L Zambezi, Meaco 20L Low Energy and MeacoDry Arete® Two Dehumidifier and Air Purifier models, allow you to direct airflow towards your laundry. This circulates the dry air around your hanging laundry, reducing the time it takes for your washing to dry. We’re replicating that ideal warm, breezy day outside.

4. Powerful Fan Speeds

The best dehumidifiers for drying clothes offer multiple and powerful fan speeds. The MeacoDry Arete® Two Dehumidifier and Air Purifier, for example, has been engineered with an Energy Saving DC Motor moving up to 60% more air whilst using the same amount of energy. It also features an additional fan speed, activated only in Laundry Mode. This increased airflow helps to dry your clothes faster and costs less to run.

If you’re looking to add even more airflow for optimal laundry drying, you can combine your dehumidifier with a fan. Remember, our aim is to replicate that perfect summer’s day.

Answering your FAQs about dehumidifiers and drying laundry

When it comes to drying laundry with a dehumidifier, people often have specific questions and different laundry set ups at home. Let’s address some of the most common queries:

•  How long does it take for a dehumidifier to dry laundry?

A dehumidifier typically takes about 6 hours to dry a standard load of washing on a clothes airer. That’s why we’ve engineered our Laundry Mode to run on high fan speed for a 6 hour period, turning off once your clothes are dry, saving you money. However, the time it takes to dry your laundry depends on multiple factors: the humidity of the space you’re drying the washing in and what kind of laundry you’ve washed are the main ones. The more humid the space, the longer it will take to dry your clothes. This is because you’ll be drying the room as well as the clothes themselves. In the same vein, thicker items like towels may take longer to dry fully whereas sports clothes will dry a lot faster. 

• How much does it cost to dry your washing with a dehumidifier?

Drying your clothes with a dehumidifier is an energy-efficient alternative to using a tumble dryer.

Martin Lewis, at the MoneySavingExpert: “you pay roughly 34p per kilowatt per hour. A fifth is 7p, so you’re going to pay roughly 7p per hour to run a dehumidifier at 200W, assuming it uses full power the whole time”.

Many Meaco dehumidifiers are actually cheaper than the average to run. For example, the MeacoDry Arete® Dehumidifier and Air Purifiers are designed as low-energy and high performance laundry solutions. The MeacoDry Arete® Two 10L costs just 3p per hour, that’s just 18p for a 6 hour Laundry Mode cycle.

• Which is the best dehumidifier for drying washing in a cold room?

For cold rooms or unheated spaces such as a conservatory or utility room, we recommend using a desiccant dehumidifier. Models like the Meaco DD8L work effectively in lower temperatures and generate a bit of heat (on average 12 degrees warmer than the environment it’s being used in), which helps dry your washing faster while keeping the room warm.

• Does drying with a dehumidifier actually work?

Yes, drying laundry with a dehumidifier is effective and offers additional benefits too – it’s kinder to your clothes and cheaper to run than a tumble dryer! The dehumidifier’s primary job is to manage the humidity in your home. When you hang wet clothes indoors on a clothes airer, it adds moisture to the air. The dehumidifier extracts this excess moisture, reducing the drying time for your laundry. Yes, it is a slower but much gentler process compared to a tumble dryer and also helps control the overall humidity in your home, which helps to prevent damp and mould as well.

Mumsnet Review: “Honestly, it really works! I was surprised at how effective it is. We usually have damp clothes hanging around for days in winter, but not now! We have a Meaco.”

• Can a dehumidifier help get rid of that damp smell, or is it just for drying clothes?

Absolutely, a dehumidifier will reduce damp smells (and a whole lot more with a charcoal filter)! By removing excess moisture from the air, a dehumidifier helps eliminate the musty, damp smells commonly found in older homes, house shares and student lets. Regularly using a dehumidifier, especially when drying laundry indoors, prevents the build up of moisture, damp and the musty smells that come with it. Additionally, many Meaco dehumidifiers can be fitted with a charcoal filter, designed to absorb volatile odours like damp laundry or last night’s cooking.