This heated clothes airer was a sell-out last year - should you get ahead and invest now?

The Dry:Soon Heated Clothes Airer Drying Pod has disrupted the heated airer market, with its nifty design and super speedy work. I put it to the test on shirts, tops, and linens. To find out whether it's the cheapest, quickest way to dry your clothes.

Traditionally, the best heated clothes airers are winged and tiered models, but with Dry:Soon's innovative design, I sense the seeds of change. The much-loved Lakeland brand, has released a Drying Pod which compacts down to nothing, and then expands into a large pod.

Last year, the Dry:Soon Heated Clothes Airer Drying Pod sold out months before winter properly hit, because it's a good way to save money compared to tumble drying. This year, I wanted to beat the surge, so I've been testing the Dry:Soon Pod for months. I can confirm that the Pod will dry your clothes in 1-3 hours and it won't take up much space. However, it might not suit everyone.

Specifications

Unboxing

The Dry:Soon Heated Clothes Airer Drying Pod comes in a box that reflects how compact it will be. It's small and chunky, rather than large and slim, which makes it a lot easier to take up and down the stairs. 

The Dry:Soon Heated Clothes Airer Drying Pod comes in parts. You will have some legs that need to be pushed into place and two poles that also need to be slotted in and screwed on the top, as well as a cover, to speed up the clothes drying process.

Assembling the Pod for the first time takes a little bit of patience - I had some trouble slotting one of the legs into place - but once you've got the knack of securing the legs, you'll enjoy how compact this is.

Who would it suit?

The Dry:Soon Heated Clothes Airer Drying Pod isn't one that comes with incredible capacity. You can dry 12 pieces of clothing (although I fitted 15) and they'll need to be items that can be hung off a hanger. For that reason, this is perfect for working professionals or people who wear delicate fabrics, such as linens and cotton. You can literally transfer your wet clothes onto a hanger, let them dry without creases and then put them straight into the cupboard. It's quick, efficient, and effective. Whilst I know my partner and I really benefitted from this, if you're more of a hoodies and jumpers family, the crease-free drying might not have the same appeal.

Whilst the design takes a little longer to set up, it does compact down to a really small footprint. There are more parts that will need to be managed, but it's a lot easier than finding somewhere for a tiered airer to live. The design is also really well suited to damp homes. It blows hot air out of the base and into the cover, meaning that you don't get any damp hanging around in the air.

Bigger families probably won't suit this quite as well as couples, not only because of the limited capacity, but also because this can get hot and it is quite noisy too.

How easy is it to use?

Setting up the Dry:Soon Heated Clothes Airer Drying Pod was my least favourite part of this whole process. Most other reviewers said that it was simple - and it is - but it takes a little more effort to set up than tiered airers. 

Dry:Soon sends instructions on what to do. You slot three legs into the base (mine were a little stiff, but you need to be firm with them), and then you screw together the remaining two poles, which fit on the other side of the base. The cover will fit over the top of the airer when it's opened out too.

Once you have the airer set up, Dry:Soon recommends adding up to twelve items to the hanging tines. You have to have clothes hangers for this and Dry:Soon says that these can be any materials: plastic, metal, or wooden.

Neatly spreading your clothes onto each hanger takes a little more time, but it's actually really effective, Your clothes are drying, crease-free, ready to hang up, and they've got lots of contact with the air. 

I have been washing 10kg loads of shirts, jumpers, and tops for months. Each time, after hanging the clothes up, I zip the pod cover over the top of my Dry:Soon Heated Clothes Airer Drying Pod.

Once all that is set up, all you have to do is twist the base dial to set it running. The maximum timer available is three hours, which sounds short compared to the 5+ run times of bigger models, but when you think about it, you're only drying 12 items of clothing and they've got hot air running over them. 

In the summer months, I found my linen shirts and cotton dresses dried in an hour. However, as I tested heavier items of clothing, they started to take up to 3 hours. Every load was cupboard dry before the 3 hour timer was up.

This is much quicker than all the other heated airers that I've tested, because it actually blows hot air around inside the pod. Whilst that is wonderful news, it does mean that this costs a little more to run and it also makes more noise whilst doing so. I've tested winged airers that cost 7p per hour, but this will cost up to 30p according to the site. Whilst it's cheaper and more gentle on your clothes than a tumble drier, if you don't need the immense speed of the Pod, it's worth looking at other options.

The other downside of the Pod's speedy system is that it blows hot air around, as if it was a hair dryer, which means that it sounds like one too. It doesn't make an excessive amount of noise, but you still know it's there. Imagine someone had their hairdryer running on a low setting and you'll get a good idea of what this is like to have around.

Having lived with it for a while, I've found that I don't use it for all my washing. Shirts, tops, dresses, and gym clothes go straight on the Dry:Soon Heated Clothes Airer Drying Pod. However, when it comes to towels and bedding, it's too heavy for the Pod to hold up. Plus, smaller pieces of washing, such as socks and headbands can't dry on it either.it's a complement to your other dryers, not a supplement.

What is it like to store?

The Dry:Soon Heated Clothes Airer Drying Pod is very small. It's easy to compact down and take apart, but I'd recommend finding a small bag to keep everything in. It's a bit like a tent you wouldn't just leave your tent poles lose with the pegs and the cover,, you always have a bag and some ties to keep everything together. I think you could easily make space in a cupboard or a drawer for this and it's worth it too.

How does it compare?

There isn't really anything quite like the Dry:Soon Heated Clothes Airer Drying Pod, but Dunelm does have a similar model that is half the price. The Dunelm Clothes Dryer Pod is brand new to the market this year, but it looks well-designed. There are neat grooves for your clothes hangers, for example.

Compared to the Dry:Soon Heated Clothes Airer Drying Pod, this costs almost the same amount to run and it will dry your clothes in the same space of time. This is so new to the market that it's hard to tell whether it's worth opting for the cheaper model, because there aren't many reviews. If you're really tight for cash, it might be worth giving the Dunelm model a spin. I'll test it for you as soon as I can, so watch this space. 

The downside of both pods is that they can't dry towels and big loads of washing. If you're a busy, family home, it's worth considering some other options from the Dry:Soon range. I recently tested the Dry:Soon 3-Tier Heated Airer and it's a great piece of kit. You can dry another 5kg of clothing, which makes a big difference when you've got a lot of washing to work through.

Should you buy it?

The Dry:Soon Heated Clothes Airer Drying Pod has very specific appeal. It's perfect if you want to dry shirts and dresses without any creases. It's speedy and compact too, but it won't be able to work with a family-sized load of washing or heavy shheets and towels. This is more of a complimentary dryer to use alongside your tumble dryer, heated towel rail, and washing line.

How we test

At woman&home, we have a standard process for how we test heated clothes airers. I've spent months drying sheets, jumpers, tops, and more on the best heated airers on the market. 

Before a review comes to you like this, I'll have used it in my own home. I unbox it, making notes on the packaging, parts, and assembly. Then, I'll put different loads of washing, from jeans to cottons, and woolly knits, timing how long it takes to get each garment to cupboard dry.

Once I'm satisfied that I've got a good idea of how long the heated airer takes to dry clothes, I'll move on to storage. I test out different storage spaces around my home so that you get a good idea of where you can put your heated airer. 

After that, I'll do a comparison between the heated airer that I've tested and similar models on the market. I often look for a more expensive and a less expensive model, so that you know whether you're getting good value for money.

After that, I'll give you a judgement on whether this heated airer is worth buying. I'll say who it suits and who it doesn't. I'll always aim to cover all bases because I want you to be able to make an investment that you consider money well-spent.