Can A Heated Airer Be Left On Overnight? (is it safe?)

With ever increasing energy bills and bad weather, we’re all looking for more energy efficient ways to dry our clothes. A heated airer works well at drying clothes albeit slowly. 

With it taking up to 10 hours to dry laundry on a heated airer and with many homes having economy 7 which means you pay less for electricity overnight, it would make sense to leave the heated airer on overnight.

You’ll be pleased to know that it is perfectly safe to leave a heated airer on overnight as long as you follow a few simple guidelines. Keep reading to find out all there is to know about safely using a heated airer, including night time use.

Can A Heated Airer Be Safely Used Overnight?

It is safe to leave a heater airer running overnight as long as you follow the manufacturer’s instructions which can be found in your user manual. Heated airers have to by law be fitted with safety features which means you can use your heated airer during the night while you’re sleeping.

Heated Airer Safety Features

Heated airers are either thermostatically controlled or they run using a timer. This means that the airer will automatically shut off once the correct temperature has been achieved or the timer has run its course.

Added to which, heated airers are grounded to earth for safety in the UK.

This all means you can sleep soundly knowing that your laundry is drying safely and will in all probability be dry when you wake up. Plus as the airer is silent when in operation, there’ll be no noise to keep you awake either.

Children And Heated Airers

While we’re on the subject of safety, never allow children to play around a heated airer whether it’s plugged in or not. The heated airer might look like the monkey bars in a kid’s play park, but they’re not.

They’re not as strong for a start and of course there’s also the fact that they could have electrical current running through them. Even without the threat of electrocution, the bars can get quite hot, which could burn children (or adults for that matter).

Never leave the kids unsupervised when there’s a heated airer in the same room.

Never Use A Heated Airer Outdoors

Heated airers are for indoor use only. The air outside could be too damp for the use of an electrical appliance that’s been designed for indoor use only.

This could damage the airer, fuse your home and invalidate any warranty you might have on the airer.

Why Use A Heated Airer Overnight?

There are several reasons why using your heated airer makes sense which include;

• Frees Up Floor Space During The Day
  Many of us don’t have spare rooms we can allocate for drying laundry. If you have a small home, it makes sense to use your heated airer during the night when the room isn’t being used. Once the clothes are dry the following morning, the airer can be packed away, giving you your room back again.
• Costs Less To Operate
  If you are on the economy 7 tariff it means you pay less for electricity during the night. This makes a perfect way to save even more money. Heated airers already cost way less to run than tumble dryers, but running the heated airer when electricity costs less saves even more.
• Allows You To Pack Dry Clothes Away At The Start Of The Day
  Having the heated airer running through the night means that by the time you get up the following morning, your clothes will be dry. They can then be packed away or worn if needed straight away.

Possible Problems With Using A Heated Airer

Most of the time, using a heated airer is a problem free way to get your laundry dry. If done overnight it also solves the problem of cluttering up your home as well. 

However, it wouldn’t be right if we didn’t point out the possible issues that could occur when using a heated airer. These include;

• Running A Heated Airer For More Than 12 Hours Can Be Problematic
  It’s perfectly safe using a heated airer for up to 12 hours at a time. After 12 hours the appliance should be switched off and allowed to cool down fully before being used again. This is because if it’s kept running indefinitely it could overheat and either burn out a component or short out the fuse.
• Overdrying Clothes Is Bad For Garments
  When using a heated airer to dry clothes, it’s possible to overdry them. This will lead to clothes feeling coarse and scratchy or harsh. This is most likely to affect thin items like linen or thin cotton. It’s a good idea to dry thicker items like jeans or towels etc overnight as these will take longer to dry.

How Long WIll It Take To Dry Clothes On A Heated Airer?

Many small thin items can be dry in anywhere between 30 to 60 minutes depending on how wet they are. Thicker items could take 2 to 4 hours while some even thicker items could take 10 to 12 hours to dry.

This is why drying clothes overnight on a heated airer makes so much sense.

Ways To Reduce Drying Times On Your Heated Airer

You can get your laundry dryer quicker using a heated airer if you do the following;

Run An Extra Spin

Most washing machine programmes end on a spin cycle to remove as much moisture as possible. To remove even more, you should run an extra spin and if the fabric allows, at a faster speed. 

This will ensure the laundry is as dry as it can be before being placed on the heated airer.

Open A Window

Clothes dry faster if the room is well ventilated. This is because the heat from the airer warms the water molecules which then evaporate into the air.

The more moisture in the air, the slower the release rate. By opening a window you allow that moist air a way of escape which means more moisture can be evaporated into the now dry air around the clothes.

Use An Electric Fan

If you position an electric fan in front of the airer it will blow the moist air away from the clothes and allow more water to evaporate faster. 

This works well if you can direct the moist air towards the open window with the fan.

Use A Dehumidifier

Dehumidifiers work by removing moisture from the air. The moisture is stored in an on board water tank and the now heated air is sent back into the room which will also help to dry the clothes faster.

SEE ALSO: Best Dehumidifier For Drying Clothes Inside

Cover The Airer

Many heated airers come supplied with a cover which helps contain heat and moisture. You load the airer as normal then put the cover over the top to keep the heat inside.

If your heated airer never came with a cover, they can often be purchased separately or you could use a bed sheet to cover the airer.

Just make sure to cover the whole airer and tuck the sheet in to keep the heat contained.

Never Overload The Airer

While overloading a heated airer is not dangerous from a safety aspect, it will affect drying times. When placing clothes on the airer, always ensure there is a gap between each item and always place smaller items on the bottom bars. 

This will ensure the items dry as fast as they can and prevent edges from remaining damp.

So, Is It Safe To Use A Heated Airer Overnight?

It is not only safe to use a heated airer overnight, it can also save you money. In many ways it is safer using a heated airer overnight than using it during the day.

This is because during the night when everyone is in bed, there’s no chance of tripping on the airer. There’s also less chance of any children playing with the bars during the night.

SEE ALSO: Does A Heated Airer Shrink Clothes?

Frequently Asked Questions