Looking for a heated airer that's ultra-compact? This is the best I've tested

Whilst I wouldn’t be without my heated airer, I’ve always accepted that they aren’t the most space-efficient appliances. Until now, I thought it was one of those compromises we all make for the sake of convenience. But after testing the Black + Decker X Frame Heated Airer, I’ve changed my mind completely. It turns out you can have generous drying capacity without sacrificing the precious floor space in your home.

Most of the best heated airers follow the same tried-and-tested structure: tall, winged, and often a little awkward. This design breaks that mould. The clever X-frame opens out horizontally to create three tiers of drying space, along with optional fabric shelves for delicates and smalls. It feels refreshingly thoughtful, like someone actually considered how people dry clothes in real homes with real spatial limitations.

I already trust Black + Decker for reliable appliances, but this heated airer feels like proof that they’ve really considered the needs of people working with small rooms, limited plug sockets, and a lot of laundry to get through.

Black + Decker X Frame Folding Heated Airer review

Who would the Black + Decker X Frame Folding Heated Airer suit?

If you live in a flat, petite home, or shared space, this design is one of the best ways to dry clothes indoors. It requires around half the floor footprint of my existing heated airer but still manages to offer nearly the same drying capacity.

The shape of the frame naturally encourages good airflow, so delicates can be laid flat on the mesh shelves while still receiving warm, even heat. If your wardrobe includes silk, activewear, or knits, you’ll appreciate how gentle this is.

It’s also surprisingly affordable, making it a brilliant first heated airer if you're just starting to build out your laundry set-up. The relatively low wattage also means that this is one of the cheapest heated airers to run. You can work out how much a heated airer costs and, whilst most are under 14p per hour, this works out at just pennies.

Unboxing the Black + Decker X Frame Folding Heated Airer

The Black + Decker arrives in a slim, tidy box, similar to most heated airers, though it's a little weighty when you first pick it up. That’s mostly because of the shape rather than the true weight, something I’ve found to be standard within this category.

Inside, the heated airer is wrapped in soft plastic. You’ll need to recycle this at a supermarket collection point, which isn’t ideal but, again, is not unusual for heated airers.

Once it's out of the box, there is no assembly whatsoever. You simply unfold the frame, plug it in, and press the power button. The included mesh shelves attach with Velcro tabs, an unassuming but very effective design detail. They sit securely against the bars and create flat platforms that are perfect for underwear, woollens or anything you don’t want to crease or stretch.

You've also got slip-resistant feet that protect the heated airer's stability, as well as the condition of your floors. You can see why I think of this as a well-considered heated airer.

What is the Black + Decker X Frame Folding Heated Airer like to use?

I’m a small person and this is a relatively large airer, so I braced myself for a struggle. But the mechanism is extremely smooth. It unfolds without any pushing or wrestling, locking into place as a stable, wide X-shape.

There’s no thermostat or multiple heat levels, just a single, even setting activated with a button. But the warmth it emits is consistent, gentle and effective.

I ran it through my standard Woman & Home testing routine, which starts with sportwear, I call it the "light load."

My benchmark is around 6 hours for a full rail of leggings, tops and technical fabrics. This Black + Decker model delivered exactly that. Not faster, but reliably within that window and evenly dried, with no damp patches around thicker waistbands, straps, or gathered materials. It's a really good result, especially because I could lie my activewear flat, if it was delicate, but I could also position it normally too.

The next step up is my "everyday load." With a standard mix of cotton T-shirts, pyjamas, joggers and lighter knits, it replicates a classic load of washing. If it was naturallu hung, indoors, this would need 24 hours before it's ready for the cupboard. With the heated airer fully loaded and closely hung, it took 10 hours for my clothes to be fully dry. However, spaced-out with a bar between clothing and with an inch of space for between each, the airer performed in line with the best compact designs. My clothes were ready for the cupboard in 8 hours.

At this point, I realised that spacing makes a huge difference with this model, and the open X-frame makes it easy to spread items out and you'll want to maximise that to really feel the benefits of a heated airer.

I carried that tip about spacing forward into my heavy load test, which includes drying towels and jumpers. Towels are always the toughest challenge because of weight and density. However, with reasonable spacing, I had all the towels dry in six hours. That’s exceptional for a heated airer, and the performance was noticeably better than airers that heat only the outer rails. The sheet-friendly drape over the top rail also makes this a strong option for bedding.

How the Black + Decker X Frame Folding Heated Airer compares

Most other winged heated airers open out in a way that demands more and more room, the wings stretch wide, the legs splay further than you expect, and suddenly half your living room disappears. That’s why I was so impressed by just how compact the Black + Decker X Frame remains when fully open. Its X-shaped base keeps the footprint tight and balanced, and because the drying rails stack vertically rather than horizontally, you can position it closer to a wall or in a narrow gap without compromising airflow. In my home, it took up around 30–40% less lateral space than a standard winged model.

If you’re comparing it on price, the closest alternative is the Beldray Heated Winged Airer. It offers a similar total drying capacity on paper, but its classic winged design needs considerably more room when open, particularly in homes where you don’t have clear floor space on both sides. With the Beldray, the wings extend to roughly 1.3–1.4 metres across, and you lose the ability to tuck it neatly into corners.

Performance-wise, the Beldray does have an edge in one specific area: it’s harder to unintentionally overfill. Because the wings force you to spread garments apart, they naturally allow better heat circulation. In my testing, this meant clothing dried around 10% faster, especially cottons and mixed loads. The Beldray also includes a heat-retaining cover, which helps trap warm air around the clothes, creating a mild “mini drying cabinet” effect. This makes a noticeable difference for heavier fabrics like jeans, sweatshirts and towels, helping them dry more evenly.

If space is your priority, or you live in a flat where every inch counts, the Black + Decker remains the more intelligent, room-conscious choice. If you have the space and value slightly faster drying times for bulkier loads, the Beldray’s design and cover do give it a small performance advantage.

Should you buy the Black + Decker X Frame Folding Heated Airer?

The Black + Decker X Frame Heated Airer stands out for its smart, compact footprint and solid, consistent performance. In testing, it handled everything from technical fabrics to heavier cottons and towels with ease, and the mesh shelves make it far kinder on delicates than most alternatives. It’s a fantastic choice for flats, small homes, and anyone who wants maximum drying capacity without sacrificing half their living room. If you’re looking for a heated airer that’s efficient, thoughtfully designed, and genuinely practical for everyday family laundry, this one is absolutely worth considering.

How we test heated airers

At woman&home, we run every heated airer through a standard set of tests, from lightweight sportswear to knits and large towels, measuring drying times, usability, footprint and running cost. My aim is to give you a clear, real-world sense of what it’s actually like to live with each appliance.

If you have any questions about how this one performs, feel free to email me, or head to our page on how we test heated airers for more detail.