Recommend a dehumidifier for drying clothes in an apartment

QuiteInterestin

Not sure if this is the right forum for this, but people on here regularly recommend getting a dehumidifier to help dry clothes in an apartment. With winter coming its getting harder to leave windows open (I live in a ground floor apartment so can only leave them open in the evenings after work) so was thinking of investing in one. Can anyone recommend a good one to get? They have some in Lidl tomorrow http://www.lidl.ie/cps/rde/xchg/SID-EDE81DA7-9A2F46C7/lidl_ri_ie/hs.xsl/index_34836.htm
Anyone have any experience of these ones or any other ones they've found good?

Cuddlesworth

Its a horrible idea to use a de-humidifier to dry clothes unless you have huge un-fixable damp problems. They chew through electricity.

djimi

Would they be worse on electricity than a dryer? We were considering getting the same this winter.

Cushie Butterfield

Cuddlesworth wrote: »

Its a horrible idea to use a de-humidifier to dry clothes unless you have huge un-fixable damp problems. They chew through electricity.

What alternative cheaper nicer ideas/suggestions do you have for the OP that would solve their problem & prevent their clothes from shrinking in a tumble dryer, which is also expensive to run or that would prevent clothes from smelling 'musty' from being dried indoors & ending up stiff & hard due to being dried using indoor heat?

Cuddlesworth

djimi wrote: »

Would they be worse on electricity than a dryer? We were considering getting the same this winter.

Yes. A condensing dryer is a heater and dehumidifier targeted at a very specific enclosed area.

A dehumidifier tries to remove the moisture from a whole room. For it to be effective, the room needs to be at very high temperatures and high humidity.

Cuddlesworth

Cushie Butterfield wrote: »

What alternative cheaper nicer ideas/suggestions do you have for the OP that would solve their problem & prevent their clothes from shrinking in a tumble dryer, which is also expensive to run or that would prevent clothes from smelling 'musty' from being dried indoors & ending up stiff & hard due to being dried using indoor heat?

Open a window?

Cushie Butterfield

Cuddlesworth wrote: »

Open a window?

QuiteInterestin wrote:

With winter coming its getting harder to leave windows open (I live in a ground floor apartment so can only leave them open in the evenings after work) so was thinking of investing in one.

The_Conductor

I use a 300W dehumidifier the whole time in the apartment. I don't necessarily have a damp problem- but drying clothes etc, does massively increase the moisture in the air- which doesn't help with chest colds etc.

You can set the humidity setting on these- its not an on/off type device, you could aim for 30% humidity, and use the timer function to use night-time electricity.

Mine is a 300W machine- the Lidl one is 400W- its not running constantly irrespective of how you use it- so its actually quite reasonable electricity wise.

Perhaps a condenser combo washer/dryer might be a neater idea- I was warned off the combo machine by a few different people when buying my Indesit a few years ago- apparently they are more prone to trouble/breakdowns (so I was told)- and even after you dry your clothes, you're still going to want to air them anyway- so the dehumidifier just assists with air drying.

I'd have no hesitation in recommending the Lidl machine- I know its 140 quid- its not cheap- but it is a good investment, and in my opinion a household appliance that you will actually have good use for.

bluecherry74

Would one of these be any good? I've been thinking of getting one as the tumble dryer is so expensive to use.

http://www.jmldirect.com/eu/laundry/dri-buddi/invt/d04db10100000001/

Argos stock them as well:

http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/8501147.htm

The_Conductor

It looks quite bulky. I'm more inclined to suggest the dehumidifier- its a much smaller neater machine, easily moved to different rooms, and multipurpose- aka its not just for assistance with drying clothes- if you have a humidity issue, its the whole place that needs help- not just your laundry.

QuiteInterestin

Thanks for all the replies.Thankfully I have no mould/damp issues and I'd like to keep it that way. Have a washer/dryer in the apartment but found the dryer part pretty useless, though now that I think of it, I didn't give it much of a chance. Think I'll start using it again and see how I get on with. I did consider buying a condenser dryer as I felt I'd get more for my money €140+ on a dehumidifier v ~€250 for a dryer but don't think I have the space for it (as it is the washer/dryer is in the hotpress in front of the water tank so putting it on top isn't an option).

Idbatterim

why not just get a clothes horse and put an oil filled radiator under it? that will dry the clothes and heat the room... do you not have any air vents?

Toulouse

I bought one of these last year http://www.harveynorman.ie/dimplex-dehumidifier.html

Best thing I ever did.

We're in an apartment with no dryer. This dries a full clothes horse overnight and the increase in the ESB bill isn't worth mentioning - about an extra €7.50 a month.

Zulu

QuiteInterestin wrote: »

Thanks for all the replies.Thankfully I have no mould/damp issues and I'd like to keep it that way. Have a washer/dryer in the apartment but found the dryer part pretty useless,.

Not being smart, but are you sure you were using it correctly? A common mistake people make is turning it on straight after a wash (with a full load). More often than not, you're supposed to remove half the load first.
And a little pro-tip: only dry half loads, and add a clean dry bath towel ino with all the wet clothes. This will soak up some wet and result in a quicker drying time!

QuiteInterestin

Idbatterim wrote: »

do you not have any air vents?

There's no air vents in the walls, though there are in the window frames.

Zulu wrote: »

Not being smart, but are you sure you were using it correctly? A common mistake people make is turning it on straight after a wash (with a full load). More often than not, you're supposed to remove half the load first.
And a little pro-tip: only dry half loads, and add a clean dry bath towel ino with all the wet clothes. This will soak up some wet and result in a quicker drying time!

Thanks, pretty sure I was using it correctly. In fairness I only used it once or twice and probably didn't give it a chance. It seemed to heat the clothes without removing the moisture and seemed to take ages to dry. Had a vented or condenser dryer in other places I lived so was comparing it to that. Thanks for the tip on the towel, never heard of that before. Going to start using the dryer part again for the next few weeks and see how I get on with it before resorting to dehumidifiers. Thanks for all the advice

The_Conductor

QuiteInterestin wrote: »

There's no air vents in the walls, though there are in the window frames.

Quite standard- and was in compliance with building regulations, up to recently. Unfortunately- it doesn't help with humidity much

dearg lady

I posted before with a similiar issue. I'm ground floor but leave windows open during the day. We have a dehumidifier and lots of vents. As the Conductor says the dehumidifier isn't on constantly. Ours is a bit noisy but does a grand job. I usually do smaller washes, take out the few bits that can't go in the dryer, put the rest in the dryer for a short while then hang everything on the clothes horse. No damp problems so far, and apparently our apartment had previously been prone to damp so I'm very conscious

Gandhi

QuiteInterestin wrote: »

There's no air vents in the walls, though there are in the window frames.



Thanks, pretty sure I was using it correctly. In fairness I only used it once or twice and probably didn't give it a chance. It seemed to heat the clothes without removing the moisture and seemed to take ages to dry. Had a vented or condenser dryer in other places I lived so was comparing it to that. Thanks for the tip on the towel, never heard of that before. Going to start using the dryer part again for the next few weeks and see how I get on with it before resorting to dehumidifiers. Thanks for all the advice

Have you checked that the dryer's exhaust vent is blocked? They can sometimes get blocked up with the fluff that comes out, and the result is clothes that get hot and wet instead of dry. I've found that just reaching my hand in from outside the house and pulling the fluff out gets it clear enough to work.

ETA: Sorry, just noticed you said it was an unvented dryer. Never mind.

whatnext

Have a 200w one from Argos, had it about 5 years now. One of the Best buys I've ever made. It will dry jeans and sweaters over night. Up in the morning and the water container is full. Never really noticed it on the elec bill. It cuts in and out as the humidity rises / falls.

Also have a washer dryer. The dryer is absolutely pants. It doesn't dry clothes it boils them!! Thought it was a fault, but a little google search said it is the appliance. Unfortunately it was one of the most popular models installed in apartments.

athtrasna

We have one of these. It works http://www.harveynorman.ie/dimplex-airdryer.html

ronan45

athtrasna wrote: »

We have one of these. It works http://www.harveynorman.ie/dimplex-airdryer.html

Do they definitly improve drying time? I have seen mixed reports on these and also a lot of them for sale second hand on adverts etc!

Piliger

Toulouse wrote: »

I bought one of these last year http://www.harveynorman.ie/dimplex-dehumidifier.html

Best thing I ever did.

We're in an apartment with no dryer. This dries a full clothes horse overnight and the increase in the ESB bill isn't worth mentioning - about an extra €7.50 a month.

How is this for noise ? I am concerned about how noisy some dehumidifiers I have encountered in friend's houses have been.

I have the same problems in my apartment in the winter. Can't open windows because of the cold, or because it't wetter out than in. Outside walls are freezing and constant mould issues. Drying clothes for two people takes three days even after a go in the washer drier. I use a tall clothes horse and would put a heater under it if I could find a low flat heater

I note the above suggestion about a big dry towel ... but then won't I end up with a damp big towel to dry too ?

The_Conductor

Don't use a heater- you'll dry your clothes ok- but you'll just drive the moisture elsewhere in your apartment. A dehumidifier actually removes the water from the air- which is an entirely different proposition.

It can be quite noisy- yes- but you won't it on constantly- a couple of hours use would normally dry a clothes horse.

The latest models are only 60Watt- so even leaving it on during the saytime isn't going to use much electricity.

MicktheMan

This

Piliger wrote: »

I have the same problems in my apartment in the winter. Can't open windows because of the cold, or because it't wetter out than in.

and this

Piliger wrote: »

Drying clothes for two people takes three days even after a go in the washer drier. I use a tall clothes horse and would put a heater under it if I could find a low flat heater

results in this

Piliger wrote: »

Outside walls ... constant mould issues.

MicktheMan

Piliger wrote: »

I have the same problems in my apartment in the winter. Can't open windows because of the cold, or because it't wetter out than in.

In the winter, the outside air is rarely if ever "wetter" than warmer internal air. This is why opening windows and/or ventilating is very important. It is even more important when adding moisture internally by, for instance, drying clothes on a rad or clothes horse.

A dehumidifier, while not ideal, is better than nothing.

Piliger

MicktheMan wrote: »

This


and this



results in this

And me arriving here ...

mikom

The_Conductor wrote: »

The latest models are only 60Watt- so even leaving it on during the saytime isn't going to use much electricity.

60 watt?

athtrasna

ronan45 wrote: »

Do they definitly improve drying time? I have seen mixed reports on these and also a lot of them for sale second hand on adverts etc!

Yes. I tend to use it overnight and jeans put on at midnight are bone dry by the time I get up. Left to dry alone they wouldn't be.

Piliger

athtrasna wrote: »

Yes. I tend to use it overnight and jeans put on at midnight are bone dry by the time I get up. Left to dry alone they wouldn't be.

That's a fascinating piece of equipment.

It seems very expensive though ! a little 25w heater and 6 little fans !

Edit: I am also guessing ... but though this will do the clothes thing, this will actually increase the moisture content in the rooms ... so making the need for a dehumidifier possibly even higher ....

The_Conductor

Piliger wrote: »

It seems very expensive though ! a little 25w heater and 6 little fans !

Its not a heater. The air out of it may even be cooler than room temperature. It removes moisture from the air- it doesn't necessarily heat (or cool). Some dehumidifiers have heaters- however this is *not* their principle function.

cnocbui

I can recommend Mitsubishi dehumidifiers. I have a 280w one that was bought 12 years ago and is still going strong. It will get a load of washing dry overnight.