How long does it take to dry clothes?

If we were to give an average estimate, we would say around 4-5 hours, but it depends on how wet your laundry is and how ventilated your room is.

How many litres dehumidifier do I need?

Any number of litres will help dry your laundry and it varies depending on the size of your home. We would suggest a dehumidifier with a large water tank for full loads so you’re not having to empty the water tank constantly.

Do dehumidifiers use a lot of electricity?

It depends on your dehumidifier’s power consumption which is the amount of energy it needs to function, your electricity rate, the type of dehumidifier you choose, its energy rating and how big it is. To find out more, read ‘How much does it cost to run a dehumidifier 24 hours a day’ here.

Do all dehumidifiers dry clothes?

So long as there’s a dehumidifier function, it’ll help dry clothes as the dehumidifier’s job is to remove moisture from the air, so it becomes less humid and enables the moisture within your clothes to evaporate more quickly too. Some dehumidifiers have a built-in heater which helps to dry clothes. Even the placement of your dehumidifier can help too, for example, placing it in a small room or near a window with lots of sunlight. However, we advise choosing a dehumidifier with a dedicated laundry mode if you intend to use it for regular drying.

How to use a dehumidifier to dry clothes

Getting your laundry dry, especially in the colder, wetter months can be a chore, but can you use a dehumidifier to help?

First, how does a dehumidifier even work? Well, they remove moisture from the air, the moisture condenses into water, which is collected into a water tank, then returned into the air as dry heat.

In a nutshell, a dehumidifier helps maintain a damp-free home and improve air quality, resulting in a more comfortable environment, but yes, they can help dry your laundry. They’re much kinder to your clothes than the heat from a tumble dryer and can also eliminate odours caused by drying clothes indoors without proper ventilation because they’ve been damp for too long.

Dehumidifier Drying FAQs

How long does it take to dry clothes?
- If we were to give an average estimate, we would say around 4-5 hours, but it depends on how wet your laundry is and how ventilated your room is.
How many litres dehumidifier do I need?
- Any number of litres will help dry your laundry and it varies depending on the size of your home. We would suggest a dehumidifier with a large water tank for full loads so you’re not having to empty the water tank constantly.
Do dehumidifiers use a lot of electricity?
- It depends on your dehumidifier’s power consumption which is the amount of energy it needs to function, your electricity rate, the type of dehumidifier you choose, its energy rating and how big it is. To find out more, read ‘How much does it cost to run a dehumidifier 24 hours a day’ here.
Do all dehumidifiers dry clothes?
- So long as there’s a dehumidifier function, it’ll help dry clothes as the dehumidifier’s job is to remove moisture from the air, so it becomes less humid and enables the moisture within your clothes to evaporate more quickly too.
  
  Some dehumidifiers have a built-in heater which helps to dry clothes. Even the placement of your dehumidifier can help too, for example, placing it in a small room or near a window with lots of sunlight.
  
  However, we advise choosing a dehumidifier with a dedicated laundry mode if you intend to use it for regular drying.

Will using a dehumidifier save you money over a tumble dryer?

If you use your tumble dryer often, especially during the colder months, it’s worth knowing that dehumidifiers use so much less electricity.

They’re much more efficient than using a tumble dryer or central heating alone. Even though a tumble dryer dries your clothes faster, its higher wattage means it uses more energy, making dehumidifiers much more cost-effective thanks to their lower power consumption.

Will using a dehumidifier save you money over a tumble dryer

How to dry your clothes with a dehumidifier effectively

We advise hanging your washing on an airer and placing the smallest items at the bottom and the largest at the top without overcrowding so that air can get in between.

It’s wise to also position your dehumidifier so the front is facing the side of the airer (an open end) so air can blow through, then halfway through drying turn your airer around.

Quick drying tips

Before taking your laundry out of the washing machine give it an extra spin, this ensures excess water is drained.

Spread your laundry out to help airflow as putting things on top of each other may only slow the drying process down.
Choose a well-ventilated area as this allows moist air to escape while your dehumidifier removes excess moisture, making it more effective.
Using a fan alongside your dehumidifier helps circulate even more air.
The smaller the room, the faster your clothes dry.

Best dehumidifier for drying clothes

After thorough research and vigorous testing, electriQ’s LD25PROLEW low-energy dehumidifier with wet clothing detection comes in as our best dehumidifier for drying clothes. It features an advanced laundry mode that scans your clothes with infrared sensors, so the PTC heater can target warm, dry air at the wettest areas first.

It can extract up to 25L a day and the 4L water tank capacity means you can do a few laundry loads before emptying the tank, and it’ll let you know thanks to a sounding alarm when it needs emptying.

As well as a touch control panel, once it’s in position you can even connect it to your phone or use voice commands using Alexa or Google Home via Wi-Fi.

For further information and advice check out our dehumidifier buying guide.

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