The trouble with having a family is the laundry.
I mean, they’re awesome and everything (no, really, they are). But they do insist on wearing clothes. And sleeping in beds. And using towels.
Which means when there’s six of us and we’re all at this laundry-making business, the bloody laundry mountain never ever ends.
And actually, it’s okay in the warmer months – I’m fond of my washing line, and a line full of flapping washing makes me smile.
But of course we live in not-so-weather-reliable Blighty… and I do not smile at the in-and-out dance on showery days when you end up putting the same load of washing on the line four times in one afternoon.
And in the winter months the washing line is just an impossibility for those of us who have better things to do than watch the sky all day.
But of course, thanks to the pesky family people the laundry keeps on piling, no matter what the weather is doing outside…
You can hang it around the radiators – but that has the combined effect of steamy rooms, stifling the heatflow that’s supposed to be warming your house, and making your living areas feel like you’re living in a messy launderette.
You can use the tumble dryer if you have the space – but of course the tumble dryer not only uses three times more energy to dry your clothes than you spent in washing them – but it’s also not kind to quite a lot of things. Lots of items will shrink. Bras will get de-boned. Delicates will find themselves damaged beyond wear.
And some things like wool just want to be dried flat, which is frankly a pain in the backside (thank you dining room table).
So I might have been a little more excited than was good for me when I got to try the Dry:Soon Heated Airer from Lakeland. Yes, I admit it – after a long damp winter the thought fo new laundry-drying ijmplemenets was more exciting than it should have been.
But this thing is unbelievable!
I know, sorry, it’s not much of a looker, is it?
But let me tell you it makes up for it in the brains department.
So the metal bars heat up, obviously. There’s three tiers, and they all get warm enough to dry jeans in about 4 hours – but not hot enough to burn small hands that’ll probably grab them.
So far, so good.
But look at this:
Oh yes. It’s not just a square. The dry:Soon can be anything you want it to be.
One two or three tiers – the choice is yours. Short o space and only want to dry a few things? Only pop up one side then, silly.
Just want to dry that cashmere jumper and nothing else? One tier is enough for you to lay it flat, it’ll be dry for this afternoon.
Have a full load of washing from your 9kg machine that you need dry by morning? No worries – it’ll fit!
Best of all – it only costs 6p an hour to run. A typical 7kg of washing in a tumble dryer costs around 30p a load – I have a 9kg washing machine, and a full mixed load on my Dry:Soon is ready to be put away in around 3hrs – 2hrs if it’s lighter fabrics.
Plus there’s no dampness spreading around the rooms, it’s all contained neatly in one place, and the Dry:Soon folds up to be stashed out of sight when not in use.
A few tips for you though –
- start filling at the bottom. I’m *still* using it for the top, and then muttering at myself as I peer through the dangling top layer of washing to hang the lower tiers.
- Jeans – lay flat and drop the legs through the bars a couple in from the end. loop them around and lay the ends of the legs back on top – the whole leg will dry at the same time.
- If you’re only using half the shelves, the bars at the back which are dropped down still get warm; if you’re squished for space you can still use them as a vertical airer.
The Dry:Soon Heated Airer is exclusive to Lakeland.
Update 2022 – It would seem Lakeland are now selling this fab airer through Amazon, but the larger model is currently sold out. However you can get the smaller (stiil holds an amazing up to 15Kg of washing!) on Dry soon model on amazon here for £119.99.
Alternatives to this are the Dry soon Heated Clothes drying pod cabinet which dries using a hot air fan ([Energy Class A+] – Buy on Amazon here for £129.99
Both these modeal are covered by Lakeland warranty of 3 years no quiblle returns (proof of purchase necessary).
