Do you want to dry clothes quicker but without using a dryer? Try a using different appliance
From autumn to early spring (the cold season), drying clothes on the clothesline outside can be challenging, if not impossible. And when we can't get clothes dried, piles of dirty laundry start to pile up.
So is it worth investing in a clothes dryer (aka tumble dryer)? Well, this depends on personal needs and recognizing (and accepting) that the power bill will go up. But there could be a good "middle-ground" solution and there is a portable appliance that can be very useful in this regard: a dehumidifier.
Use the dehumidifier to dry clothes quickly
These days, there are dehumidifiers that can suit all budgets: they all absorb humidity in the air and then transport the water to special storage tanks (or discharge it onto the ground via hose pipes). Cheaper models, however, are not very powerful and will not collect much humidity from the air. That said, these cheaper models will still be useful as an emergency back-up solution.
The more expensive models (but still much cheaper than a dryer) have special programs (indicated as the "dryer" function), which is designed to help dry out clothes on a line much quicker. All you need to do is place a dehumidifier near the drying rack/clothes horse, and turn them on for the first few hours of drying out the clothes: drying times will be cut in half (or better) and the collected water can be recycled, perhaps used to water your plants or for other cleaning chores.
By doing this, you will no longer have to put the drying racks near the radiators, and you avoid excessive humidity build-up in your home!
Dehumidifier or dryer: which is best?
The answer to this question is subjective, but there are some key factors to take into consideration:
- If you don't regularly do a lot of laundry, a dryer could be replaced with a dehumidifier. Of course, a dryer is faster and more efficient, but the dehumidifier is an excellent compromise if your laundry loads are usually small. And in summer, the laundry can be hung out to dry outside!
- As for power consumption, a dehumidifier will certainly cost a lot less than the dryer.
- The prices of the appliances themselves also tips the scales in favor of dehumidifiers.
- Finally, most dehumidifiers are portable: when you no longer need it, you can put it away and it doesn't take up room.
In short: laundry dries very quickly in a dryer, less quickly with a dehumidifier. If you're always in a hurry and don't mind doing a bit of ironing, a dryer is probably for you. If this is not the case, a simple dehumidifier could be right for your needs.
It's up to you to make the choice!
