Can you use a dehumidifier to dry laundry?

Whether it's heavy rain keeping your clothes line empty, or a lack of outdoor space, you might need to dry your clothes indoors. Can a dehumidifier cut drying times and save you money on heating? 

If you don’t have a tumble dryer and it’s too cold or wet to hang clothes outside, a dehumidifier can help dry them indoors. Find out more below.

Take a look at our dehumidifier reviews to see the most effective and energy-efficient models to invest in

Can you use a dehumidifier to dry laundry?

A dehumidifier will help to dry your clothes more quickly. It does this by removing the moisture that evaporates into the air during the drying process.

We tried this on two identical loads of washing – one with a dehumidifier and one without – and using a dehumidifier cut drying time almost by half.

It also sucked up around two litres of water from the air, which would help prevent mould.

To make this dehumidifier hack work for you, hang your wet washing on a clothes airer and put a dehumidifier next to it.

Hanging clothes on a radiator can cause condensation and affect how much heat the radiator puts out, so you should always avoid doing that.

Is it expensive to use a dehumidifier to dry clothes?

Unfortunately, using a dehumidifier comes at a price. We monitored how much it cost to run during the 12-hour test and it came in at £1.50.

To put this in perspective, an energy-saving heat pump dryer costs around 33p per load to run, while more expensive condenser and vented machines are 82p and 89p per load.

It's worth noting that our Best Buy dehumidifiers are cheaper to run, costing around 7p per hour, but when compared with the most cost-effective tumble dryers, a dehumidifier would still cost more and take longer.

So, if you have a tumble dryer, this is far more likely to be the cheaper option to dry your clothes.

Discover the best heated clothes airers and energy-efficient tumble dryers from our tests

Do you need a dehumidifier with a laundry setting?

Some models come with a specific laundry setting, although you can use any dehumidifier to dry laundry even if yours doesn't have that. 

Many laundry settings just whack up the power to max for a set time, although some are designed to save energy by optimising the machine's performance so it doesn't work harder than it needs to.

If your dehumidifier doesn't have a dedicated laundry setting, set the target humidity level to 30-40% on the controls and leave it to run.

Don't forget to check your clothes every now and then to see how dry they are, so you don't leave the heating and dehumidifier on any longer than necessary.

How do tumble dryers, heated clothes airers and drying pods compare? Read the best and cheapest way to dry clothes indoors to find out

Where should a dehumidifier be placed in a laundry room?

Place the dehumidifier close to where your clothes are hanging, but not so close that water might drip on them, or they might slip off and onto the appliance.

Most dehumidifiers should be at least 20cm away from walls or furniture, so keep that in mind when you're setting things up. Some models, such as those in the Meaco Arete One range, can be positioned against a wall to save space.

More tips to help dry clothes faster indoors

• Extra spin cycle Consider giving your clothes an extra spin to remove as much water as possible from them before hanging.
• Use an electric fan If you have a fan, you might also set that up in your drying room on the opposite side to the dehumidifier. The combination of breeze from the fan and heat from the radiator will best replicate those ideal outdoor drying conditions.
• Shut that door Set everything up in a small room and make sure any windows and doors are closed. This will keep the heat in the room and save the dehumidifier from tackling damp air coming in from outside.

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