Are you looking for an affordable way to dry your clothes even in wet or humid weather?

Drying clothes in wet or humid weather can be a pain, especially in the UK. And if you live in a flat, drying clothes indoors becomes a challenge because of how long it takes and the amount of moisture you add to the environment. Fortunately, you can easily save time, space, and energy by using a dehumidifier for drying clothes.

It is difficult to dry clothes indoors in humid weather because the air in your home is filled with moisture. Most of this moisture will set on cold surfaces to form condensation, while some of it is absorbed by fabrics. Drying clothes outdoors isn’t an option either, especially when there is not enough sunlight.

Most people would opt to dry clothes indoors using a few hacks:

1. One of them is using a tumble dryer which, although it is effective, uses a lot of electricity.

2. The other unconventional option is placing wet clothes near a radiator or heater. This may work, but moisture from clothes is released into the air, increasing indoor humidity. Not forgetting that placing and forgetting your clothes near a radiator could lead to burns or, worse, a fire hazard.

A dehumidifier for drying clothes will make things easy if you know how to use one.

Does dehumidifier help with drying clothes?

So, how does a dehumidifier help dry clothes? Dehumidifiers work by drawing moist air from the environment and passing this air over cooling coils, where it condenses and is collected as water. In the process, the air is dried and blown back into the air as slightly cool air. If you need more detailed information about how the dehumidifiers are working, you can read our article “13 Must-Know Dehumidifiers Answers”.

It is always recommended to place the dehumidifier closer to the moisture source for it to work efficiently. In this case, placing a dehumidifier next to wet clothes will help them dry faster by reducing surrounding moisture. When the air is too humid, the clothes take too long to dry because most of the humidity is absorbed back into the fabric.

When high humidity is regulated, it creates a dry environment that is conducive for moisture to evaporate from the clothes. This evaporated moisture is sucked back into the dehumidifier and filtered from the air. Cool dry air from the dehumidifier blows back to the clothes, speeding up the drying process.

Will a bathroom dehumidifier dry my laundry quicker?

At this point, you may be wondering, 'How long do clothes take to dry with a dehumidifier?'. A dehumidifier for drying clothes may take four to five hours to completely dry clothes. This is longer than a tumble dryer, which can dry clothes in under an hour. However, there is a catch.

Although tumble dryers are faster, they consume a lot of energy. A typical dryer may consume between 1800 watts and 5000 watts of energy per hour depending on the model. A low-energy portable dehumidifier consumes 185 watts of energy in an hour. Even when you leave the Morris dehumidifier running for 5 hours straight, the total energy consumption is nowhere near that of a tumble dryer in an hour.

You also have to think about the laundry load when determining drying time. A standard tumble dryer can only take a maximum load of 8 kg per cycle. If you have a lot of laundry to dry, it will take time and energy to completely dry them.

On the other hand, a 20L portable dehumidifier has a laundry mode that can dry a big load of laundry hung in a room that is 15 ㎡ to 25 ㎡ in size. You save more time in the long run compared to using a tumble dryer.

Where do you put a dehumidifier when drying clothes?

The best place to put a dehumidifier for drying clothes is closer to the laundry for fast drying. However, ensure that you leave enough clearance for the dehumidifier, on all sides, to facilitate airflow. A clearance of 30 cm on all sides will suffice.

It is also advisable to dry your clothes in a small room, especially if you have a small portable dehumidifier. The dehumidifier will remove moisture in the environment faster compared if it is placed in a large room. This is why most homeowners would dry clothes using a dehumidifier in the bathroom.

However, ensure there are no additional moisture outlets in the bathroom. Moisture could come from faucets, showers, wet towels and bathroom rugs. Ensure your bathroom is dry before using a dehumidifier for drying clothes.

The additional benefit of dehumidifier laundry

Another advantage of using a dehumidifier for drying clothes is protecting the quality of the fabric on your clothes. A dehumidifier clothes dryer uses dry air instead of heat, which leaves your clothes softer to the touch.

Also, dehumidifiers for drying clothes can help eliminate mould and musty smells in your home. Admittedly, most laundry rooms have an unpleasant odour that comes from mould and mildew that sets in over time. While drying your clothes, a portable dehumidifier also keeps mould and other allergens at bay.

Another hidden benefit is the option to use smart features with a dehumidifier. If it's a Wi-Fi-enabled dehumidifier, you can easily connect the unit using a mobile app. Using the app, you can determine when to switch the unit on and off to dry clothes. Besides that, you can also monitor humidity levels in your home.

Then there is the advantage of a dehumidifier being multifunctional. A portable dehumidifier can be used in the laundry room for a few hours before moving it to your garage, basement, attic, or greenhouse. There are many other ways to use a dehumidifier for drying clothes, which you can read in our article "13 Must-Know Answers Before Buying A Portable Small Dehumidifier”.

Conclusion

Are dehumidifiers good for drying clothes? Yes, they are more economical in drying your clothes because they help you save time, money, and space. Besides using a dehumidifier for drying clothes, you can also set the unit to monitor and regulate indoor humidity in any other part of your house.