13 best heated clothes airers and drying racks, tried and tested

This is one of the bigger airers available. With three tiers and 30 heated rails, it can hold 15kg of laundry, which works out as about two full loads of most standard washing machines.

It’s cuboid shaped, so it can be used in a corner without taking up too much space. We like that it folds up completely flat when not in use, so you can store the airer horizontally under a table or sofa, or vertically in a cupboard.

Already assembled in the box, all you have to do is unfold it. That can be done in less than 10 seconds. However, you do have to wait a little longer for clothes to dry on this than you would do on airers that have covers, as not trapping heat near the garment means drying time can be twice as long. One option is to drape your own sheet over the top of the airer – being careful not to cover it completely or you’ll encourage condensation – and that will speed up the process.

This also has a timer, so you don’t waste more electricity than you need, with options for two and four hours. But it’s the only airer we tested with wheels, which were helpful when it came to steering it to a clear drying spot in the corner.

Read our full review of the Easylife XL heated airer

One of the most versatile dryers we tested, Dunelm’s winged heated airer, which costs around 7p an hour to run, can be used with its two wings either folded out or tucked in. This means it takes up less space when not used at full capacity, and we could fold away one of the wings when certain items had dried faster than others.

It’s another dryer with an incredibly lightweight aluminium design – we were able to move it using just one hand – and it’s carpet-friendly too, with beam supports instead of separate, carpet-branding feet.

While it's sold out at the moment, Dunelm's heated clothes airer will be available online and in store from 29 January.

Powered by a 1,200W motor, this pod-style dryer will hold 18 garments (or up to 10kg of clothing) and can be left on for 30, 60, 90, 120, 150 and 180 minute time slots, or just switched on and off at will. It’s another dryer that is ridiculously easy to set up – we simply slotted the shaft into the base, then popped the collapsible parasol-like topper, with its six hangers, onto the top. It’s got the same small holes at the top that other pod-style dryers have, and the clever position of the zip at the top allowed us to control the amount of air circulation, which will come in especially handy when drying extra-damp garments. It was one of the quickest dryers when it came to heat-up times and was warm to the touch in just 10 seconds.

This is an efficient pod-style dryer (although it can also be used without the cover) for bigger households keen to dry large amounts of laundry (up to 15kg) in one session. The included accessories bundle covers garment-specific items that transform its capabilities, whether it’s the mesh shelves that are designed for smaller items such as socks and pants that can be laid flat, or the six-peg hanger to keep items in place. We particularly liked the 30-peg mesh shelf with a hanger to air out underwear and delicates.

Our advice? Clip the hanger to the bottom of heavier items such as sweaters and dresses to pull them taut and minimise drying times. Although it’s one of the larger dryers in our round-up, its wide, spacious design means easy access to the various racks, and its timer gave us the option to turn it off or on 12 hours in advance. It folds down well when not in use, collapsing to just 8cm deep. We used it both with and without the cover, which also doubles as a storage bag when not in use.

Although the deluxe bundle with accessories included is only available in-store at the moment, the airer alone (£199.99, Lakeland.co.uk) and the cover (£44.99, Lakeland.co.uk) are available now. The accessories can also be bought separately.

Another larger airer, this can handle a full washing machine load of clothes and more. The rails are spaced out more than on other rail-based airer models, which makes arranging clothes over it fast and simple. There’s no struggle to squeeze a top or a pair of trousers into the middle rail, for example, you can simply throw the clothes over it as fast as you can and get on with something else.

Powered by a 300W motor, drying times are respectable. You don’t have to wait for it to heat up, as this airer can reach full power in less than a minute. Should you need to move it, the lightweight aluminium frame weighs just 4.5kg, making it impressively portable, given its size.

This pod-style dryer features a base pole on a tripod and six rails that can hold two items each. Setup wise, it couldn’t be simpler, which is great if you’re lacking in the DIY skills department. Simply attach the two parts of the base pole together, put the bottom end into the base, add three legs, plug in and power on.

It truly is compact, taking up less space than a coat rack, and it’s powerful. With the cover on top, the unit heats up to 70C, which means warm air is constantly circulating around your clothes to dry them fast. T-shirts and shirts can dry in just 60 minutes and thicker fabrics, such as jeans, can be mostly dry in two hours. There’s a timer that will automatically shut off power after 30 minutes, three hours or intervals of 30 minutes in between, so you can set it for two hours overnight or before you leave the house without worry it will overheat.

With space for 12 items on hangers, you can dry a mix of items, including smalls, as you can buy sock hangers or underwear hangers to use in one of the 12 holes. The cover gives your garments some privacy as well as fast-drying times.

Read our full review of the Lakeland Dry:Soon drying pod

With 36 heated bars and a maximum capacity for up to 30kg of washing, this is a powerhouse of a dryer. It comes ready-installed, so we could unbox it and start using it in less than a minute. All we had to do was unfasten three clips, pull out the shelves and it was good to go. The heat-up time was faster than other models we tested, helping to cut down drying times. Plus, when we were finished, we could just fasten the clips again, after folding the dryer flat, for easy storage.

Our only complaint is it doesn’t come with a cover, so you might want to store it somewhere private, if you don’t want your underwear and other laundry items on display.

A slimline dryer that is ideal for smaller homes, this sleek heated garment airer resembles a standard bathroom towel rail, and costs around 3p an hour to operate. It’s incredibly light (weighing just 2.4kg) but will hold the same amount of washing as a 2m-long washing line. Although there’s plenty of room for smaller items, its thicker rails make it particularly suitable for larger pieces, such as towels and sweatshirts, with no risk of the individual rails sagging or popping out of place.

Weighing just 540g, this packs up easily into a suitcase or a weekend bag, so you can travel light. It’s ideal for short breaks or flights when you want to take hand luggage only.

It looks just like a hanger but the two ducts are easily expandable to hold up to four items or a pair of shoes. A patented air distribution system means clothes dry extra fast. During testing, we dried a shirt on this in 30 minutes and a skirt in 15. Even better, it uses UV sterilisation technology to eliminate up to 99.9 per cent of potentially harmful micro-organisms, to make your items extra fresh.

Forgotten to wash your favourite shirt or running low on school uniform? This dryer enables you to do a quick hand wash and have your items ready to wear almost immediately.

This affordable option from Beldray is capable of holding up to 15kg of washing across 18 heated bars, but it’s more than £100 cheaper than other models with equal drying capacity.

We liked that it could be used with the wings extended or collapsed, so we could shorten the length if we only had a small load of washing to dry. Although it’s longer horizontally than the tiered airers we tested, there’s something quite refreshing about its diminutive height. At 72cm, it’s never in your eyeline, so you aren’t constantly reminded of your laundry chores.

The 230W motor contributed towards satisfactory drying times, but this heated airer wasn’t as fast acting as models that came with covers.

Drying clothes is a bit like cooking – if you whack up the temperature, your garments will dry faster but they’ll feel slightly crisp on the outside. The GlamHaus heated airer is the answer for anyone who loves the feel of clothes dried outside on the line (who doesn’t?). With the cover on, the air circulating around your garments will be a constant temperature of between 44C and 55C, which is a lot lower than a standard radiator, which is often 70C to 80C.

We loved being able to fit a couple of loads of washing on the airer at once. Simply put on the cover and wait for the airer to deliver beautifully floaty garments. We found if we loaded it up early evening, our clothes would be dry by morning. Then we were able to collapse the airer completely flat and store it under our bed. When closed, it’s just 7.5cm in depth, making it a highly practical choice if storage space is tight.

Slightly shorter than the standard and deluxe versions of the Dry:Soon three-tier heated airer, this mini airer is a great option for big families living in smaller homes, where space comes at a premium. The airer can hold exactly the same amount of washing (15kg) as bigger models but within a smaller footprint, and it’s easier on the wallet.

It has six fold-out shelves and 13m of drying space to easily accommodate a full load of washing, and then some. But if you don’t have a large load and you want to save even more space, there’s the option of folding out shelves on one side and pushing the folded-in shelves closer to the wall.

Airer covers are normally sold separately but you’ll save £10 if you buy them together in this bundle.

A cover massively speeds up drying times and is normally an added extra, so we were pleasantly surprised that this £60 Minky heated airer had one included in the box. This is the lowest price we’ve seen for a heated airer that comes with a cover.

We could easily fit a whole load of washing on the rails, spreading out socks and underwear on the wings and using the main rack for larger items such as towels and dresses. It was also brilliant for drying delicate items such as woollen jumpers, which we spread flat over the larger section, to avoid rail marks denting the material.

A real advantage of this winged airer is that it folds up completely flat, making it a dream to store when not in use. But, at almost 1.5m in length with both wings extended, it does occupy a lot of space when in use.