The best heated clothes airers are essential when it comes to drying your clothes in the UK’s inclement weather. Even putting a load in your washing machine and being able to dry it outside in the summer months isn’t guaranteed, as rain can often still be lurking on the horizon. Once summer is over, cooler and damper days can make it hard to get anything dry indoors without turning up the radiators or even employing a dehumidifier.
Tumble dryers are one solution, but these can be noisy, expensive and not everyone has room for one in their home. With all this in mind, it’s no surprise that heated clothes airers have increased so much in popularity thanks to their ability to dry washing without sending energy bills skyrocketing. Most models cost between 6p and 8p an hour to run, with a full drying session costing up to 50p. This may sound pricey, but it’s still cheaper than the cost of running a tumble dryer.
As IndyBest’s resident home appliances expert, I’ve tested a range of the best heated clothes airers, drying everything from heavy towels and jeans to lightweight t-shirts and nightdresses. Keep my reading for my top tried and tested picks.
Read more: Best dehumidifier, tested
The best heated clothes airers for 2026 are:
- Best overall – Lakeland dry:soon deluxe 3-tier heated airer and cover: £244.98, Lakeland.co.uk
- Best budget buy – Beldray clothes airer & heated pod drying system: £54.99, Beldray.com
- Best cabinet – Drew & Cole dry master heated airer: £89.99, Robertdyas.co.uk
- Best designed – Black + Decker 3-tier heated airer: £138.99, Diy.com
- Best for towels – Minky suredri 4-tier heated airer: £140, Dunelm.com
Read more: I swapped my tumble dryer for this heated clothes airer in my tiny flat
Lakeland dry:soon deluxe 3-tier heated airer and cover
Best: heated clothes airer overall
Why we love it
- Fits on a large amount of washing
- Solid construction
- Multiple configuration options
- Heats up evenly and quickly
Take note
- It's expensive
- The power cord is short
The Lakeland dry:soon deluxe is the Rolls Royce of heated airers, with a price tag to match. The best heated clothes airer I tested, it fits 15kg of wet washing onto 21m of drying space, which is equivalent to a couple of loads for those with an 8kg washing machine. That’s all very impressive, but what really sold me was the different ways in which you can configure it. As well as unfolding all the shelves, you can choose to only fold out some and leave others vertical, or you can transform the airer into a cabinet style so that you can hang clothes instead. Lay everything flat on the bars and smaller items will be dry within a couple of hours, thanks to the cover that keeps heat trapped inside.
Towels took the longest to dry at around six hours, but this left them completely bone dry and ready to put away. And, at around 9p an hour to run, this is still an absolute bargain. There’s also a useful timer to run the airer automatically and you can also buy lots of accessories such as peg shelves and mesh for delicates as well.
It’s got a shorter cable attachment compared to others, and you can’t deny that it’s pricey. However it’s versatility, capacity and power makes it worth the investment.
Key specifications
Buy now £244.98, Lakeland.co.uk
Beldray clothes airer & heated pod drying system
Best: budget heated clothes airer
Why we love it
- Dries most clothes quickly
- Easy to store away
- Attractive price
Take note
- Noisy
- Running costs are higher (but drying times are shorter)
The beauty of Beldray’s pod system is that you can, if you wish, use it with any existing three-tiered airer measuring 145cm x 65cm x 55cm or less. While you can buy the heated pod on its own, this budget-friendly combo comes with Beldray’s own airer that’s been made to measure as well as a generously sized cover that slots over with ease.
Unlike the Lakeland above, the Beldray uses a heater that you plug in at the base of the airer on its own special rack (to protect the floor from the heat it generates), which blows hot air up the airer. I found that this dried thinner clothes such as t-shirts within an hour, with jeans taking around three hours.
However, the temperature isn’t consistent throughout the pod, with it being cooler at the top. Although there is an adjustable timer dial, I wouldn’t want to leave this system unattended while I was out due to the heat the heater generates. It’s also a little noisy but considering the price and the fact it holds up to 7kg of washing, I think it’s a great budget buy.
Key specifications
Buy now £54.99, Beldray.com
Drew & Cole dry master heated airer
Best: cabinet heated clothes airer
Why we love it
- Prevents creasing thanks to hanging system
- Portable and easy to move around
- Folds away neatly when not in use
Take note
- Cover is quite fiddly
- Running costs are higher (but drying times are shorter)
Personally, I love a cabinet design when it comes to heated airers, as it allows me to hang longer clothes up to dry, without needing to bunch them up over rails. The cabinet is tall enough for my shorter dresses, along with trousers on a clip hanger, plus there’s a shelf to dry out shoes if needed.
Bonus points to the Drew & Cole for the fact that it folds away completely flat when not in use and for the wheels that make it easy to move around. The cover is a little bit on the fiddly side to get in place, as you have to secure it around the heating unit but, once you’ve done so, it creates a really good seal around the washing that helps to dry things more quickly.
You can fit up to 12kg of washing into the cabinet and there’s a timer that can be set for up to 180 minutes before automatically shutting off. Like the Beldray above, it is a little noisy thanks to the heater, but I found lighter items were dry within a couple of hours.
Key specifications
Buy now £89.99, Robertdyas.co.uk
Black + Decker 3-tier heated airer
Best: mid-range heated clothes airer
Why we love it
- Well-spaced rails
- Sturdy design
- Easy to move around
Take note
- Cover is fiddly and not a brilliant fit
- A little complicated to collapse down
Another tiered airer, the Black + Decker heated airer stood out from the crowd thanks to its slightly wider spaced rails, which made it really easy to get clothes on and off at speed. Crossed bars at the top of the frame add stability, but do note the top bar isn’t heated. Still, it’s a useful place to hang items to drape down between the bars if wanted. Those centralised brackets do mean that the shelves need turning in specific directions when you’re collapsing it, which does take a little bit of practice to start with.
A cover helps the airer to dry items more quickly, with lighter clothes taking about three hours, while jeans and towels took eight hours to be cupboard dry. The cover is great quality, with a breathable mesh at its base, but you do need to slot rods into the top of the airer to create a frame that keeps the cover off the bars. This is a little fiddly and when the cover was on, I didn’t feel it fitted particularly well. But functionality and design are both great, and I also appreciated the wheels for added manoeuvrability.
Key specifications
Buy now £129.99, Robertdyas.co.uk
Minky suredri 4-tier heated airer
Best: heated clothes airer for towels
Why we love it
- Angled tiers offer more space for longer items
- Can be half opened for smaller spaces
- Fold away feet for storage
Take note
- Top tier isn’t heated
- Cover doesn’t fully zip shut
The Minky 4-Tier airer has a slightly unusual design, with the three main tiers of shelving angled upwards instead of lying flat. It’s a simple feature but makes it easier to hang washing and creates more space to hang longer items, such as towels. However, the name ‘4-Tier’ is a bit of a misnomer as the flat shelves at the top don't actually heat up. They were also somewhat fiddly to attach and did feel a little bit flimsy, but do give the cover something to rest on.
Speaking of the cover, it was a little disappointing compared to some other brands. It doesn’t reach all the way down the airer and there’s no way to do it up to create a tighter seal round the washing. This does mean that drying times are a little slower, albeit it only fractionally so, with towels taking around seven hours to dry compared to the Lakeland’s heated airer.
If you’re short on space, I like that you can fold arms flat against the wall and just lower one side. While the feet have to be screwed in initially, you can then fold them inwards, plus you can fold the airer completely flat when it’s not in use.
Key specifications
Buy now £140, Dunelm.com
Status portable heated clothes airer
Best: winged heated clothes airer
Why we love it
- Affordable
- Holds a decent amount of laundry
- Folds down to only 6cm wide
- Cheap to run
Take note
- Clothes need rotating
- Cord is short and awkwardly placed
The Status portable heated clothes airer is a winged design that’s similar to the Argos Home version, but in testing I found it was a little sturdier than its rival. Again, I needed to turn clothes on the Status to speed up drying times, but I was impressed by the amount of laundry I could fit on it. Without rotating, I found that the longer garments that were furthest from the drying bars did stay a little damp at the ends.
I do wish the cord was longer, as it’s attached at the top of the unit and is only 1m long, which does limit your placement of the airer. Nonetheless, this was another cheap airer to run, and the optional cover helps to speed up drying times impressively. It’s another good option to consider if you’re on a budget.
Key specifications
Buy now £59.99, Robertdyas.co.uk
Beldray 3-tier heated airer
Best: heated clothes airer for large families
Why we love it
- Huge capacity
- Heats up quickly
- Easy to move around
Take note
- No cover
- Feet are a bit fiddly to fit
If you’ve got a large family, the Beldray 3-tier is the best heated airer for you, thanks to its 30kg capacity spread across 36 rails. There’s plenty of room to spread out larger items without them bunching up and the rails warm up quickly.
Like the Minky above, you need to screw in the feet but, once attached, you can then fold them in for storage. The racks have clips that keep them flat and in place, and the airer is very easy to move around. However, it doesn’t have a cover so drying takes longer than some of its rivals, with smaller items taking around three to four hours to dry completely.
Cost wise, the Beldray 3-tier costs around 8p an hour to run, so if you usually get through multiple washing loads in a week this could save you a fortune in tumble drying over the cooler months.
Key specifications
Buy now £107.99, Beldray.com
Argos home 11m heated clothes airer with wings
Best: budget winged heated clothes airer
Why we love it
- Affordable
- Heats up quickly
- Folds down to only 7cm wide
Take note
- It's a little wobbly
- Cord placement adds to imbalance
The Argos Home heated airer is the best budget winged airer you can currently buy. It’s also, in my opinion, a great option to send your little darlings off to university or college with, as it will make it far easier for them to dry bedding and towels, along with clothes (should they choose to wash anything, of course). Although winged airers are longer than tiered versions, they are easy to move about and could be a good fit for smaller spaces overall.
There’s a good amount of space on the Argos airer and you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how much laundry you can fit on. The wings on the side give you a good amount of extra space as well.
I did find the airer was a little wobbly and the placement of the cord isn’t great, adding to the balance issues. But the optional cover really helps to speed up drying times and the bars heat up very quickly. Unlike a tiered option, you may find that you need to turn longer clothes to get the ends dried, which is more time consuming but, for the price, this is an effective little heated airer.
Key specifications
Buy now £55, Argos.co.uk
Lakeland dry:soon heated cabinet
Best: heated clothes airer for single households
Why we love it
- Reasonable running costs for a pod airer
- Compact and portable
- Fragrance reservoir
Take note
- Only holds five garments
- Still noisier than a heated rail design
The beauty of the Lakeland heated cabinet is that it’s small in stature and easy to fold down for storage. This means it’s an ideal choice for either a single person without masses of washing, or even to take on trips away where quick drying might be necessary with a more limited wardrobe and the inclement British weather.
The cabinet has a built-in rack to hang five items of clothing from, as well as space to dry out shoes. There’s also a built-in fan at the base, which blows hot air up into the clothes in a similar fashion to the Beldray airer and pod system above, and a handy timer function to set for up to six hours. There’s also an auto shut off for added piece of mind.
It’s well made and the noise levels aren’t quite as loud as some other similar heated airers, but there’s no getting away from the fact that it has a limited capacity and won’t be any good for larger households. However, I did appreciate the fact that, like all Lakeland airers, there are plenty of accessories you can purchase for any particular drying needs. Plus there’s a fragrance reservoir at the bottom where you can add an aroma oil of your choosing.
Key specifications
Buy now £89.99, Lakeland.co.uk
Dunelm 3-tier A-frame heated airer
Best: heated clothes airer for drying shoes
Why we love it
- Handy built-in shoe rack
- Sturdy
Take note
- Stiff hinges
- Not great for heavier items
- Not the most space horizontally
I really like the sturdy design of the Dunelm A-frame heatws airer, which comes with a rather handy built-in shoe rack. This allows you to put shoes onto the airer vertically rather than flat and means they dry far faster. It’s also very useful for damp socks.
However, drying times were a little bit slow on this Dunelm heated airer, and it did struggle a bit with heavier items. Because of its design, it meant that I couldn’t fit as much laundry onto it in the first place, as items began to overlap and wouldn’t dry completely.
My biggest bugbear here was the metal hinged supports that had to be folded and unfolded by hand. They were stiff and a bit of a risk for trapping fingers in. However, the three tiers are well spaced out, which did make it easier to avoid items hanging over a lower tier.
Key specifications
Buy now £100, Dunelm.com
Your questions about heated clothes airers answered
What is the best heated clothes airer?
My top overall recommendation is the Lakeland dry:soon deluxe 3-tier heated airer and cover, thanks to its choice of configurations, solid construction and ability to fit on lots of washing. For those on a tight budget, the Argos Home airer is a great choice, although as it is a winged airer, you won’t fit as much laundry on it. As well as airers with rails that heat up, I also rated those designed with a heater to blow air through an entire rack and cover, with versions from Beldray and Drew & Cole performing particularly well.
How I tested heated clothes airers
I tested each airer using the same amount of laundry, testing a variety of items including towels, jeans, t-shirts and a couple of nightdresses. These are the factors I considered:
What are the advantages and disadvantages of heated clothes airers?
“Heated airers cost around 6p an hour to run and they’re gentle on your clothes,” explains Lincoln Smith, managing director at Custom Heat. “The downsides are speed and moisture. A full load can take eight hours or more, and all that water goes into the air of your home. Without decent ventilation you get condensation, then damp, then mould. We see the results in people’s homes all the time.”
Are heated clothes dryers cheaper to use than a tumble dryer?
“Per load, usually yes,” says Smith. “A full session on a heated airer costs around 40 to 50p, against anything up to £1 or more in a vented or condenser tumble dryer. Modern heat pump dryers are the exception, they’re efficient enough to match an airer and far quicker. And with temperatures heading back to 30 degrees, the cheapest dryer in Britain in the summer is a washing line.”
How hot do heated airers get?
It varies from model to model but, on average, a heated airer will reach about 60C. If you use a cover it will help to keep the temperature consistent across the airer.
Can you leave a heated airer on at night?
Firstly, do check the manufacturer recommendations. But, in general, a 300W airer uses the same amount of electricity as a fridge freezer, so leaving them on overnight is a good idea. Many models have an auto shut off feature, meaning they’ll switch off after an allotted amount of time and automatically cool down. In general though, it’s not recommended to leave airers with a fan heater on overnight, as these models shouldn’t be left unattended.
Why you can trust IndyBest reviews
Jo Plumridge is an expert product tester with more than 20 years of experience. Her expertise lies in home and tech products – Jo has previously reviewed the best steam cleaners and the best cylinder vacuum cleaners for IndyBest – so she’s well placed to bring our readers a round-up of the best heated clothes airers.
The wider IndyBest team also offers insights on other laundry-room essentials, such as laundry detergents, stain removers and steam irons. The team strives to offer all kinds of recommendations for making your home more efficient and cosy too, with reviews of products like electric heaters and smart thermostats.
Martin Lewis recommends using a dehumidifier to dry clothes – these are the models we’d invest in
