Dehumidifier vs Tumble Dryer

paperclap

Hello,

Hope everyone has had a fantastic Christmas!

So, of course it is that time of the year again. Winter, window condensation and a hard time drying clothes.

We own an old washing machine, with a max spin of 1000 rpm.

We also have a smidge of condensation on our windows on the coldest of days (once it gets to around 8 degrees or lower).

Feels like our washing machine may be on its way out… which sparked me to look at buying either a new washing machine, or a washer dryer. We don’t have the space to have two separate appliances.

However, instead of a washer dryer, would it be worth buying a decent dehumidifier instead? My thinking is that it is much cheaper to run, portable, decent ones has laundry settings, and generally less humid air in the house. Two birds with one stone, so to speak.

I’ve had a brief look at the eBac 3850e. It’s a whopping £300… but seems to be a highly rated dehumidifier.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

Thanks!

royalbloodline

I have a blyss dehumidifier from Screwfix.  It was £130 and is brilliant for drying washing in my tiny utility (small room size is key). 

I also have a heat pump tumble drier which I use for towels bedding and kids underwear.  I don’t tumble clothing as it shrinks them but having both options is great as i do a lot of washing 

The dehumidifier is great for when the bathroom is excessively steamy and more effective than the extractor.  I alternate it around other rooms in the house too depending on condensation as it’s an old property 

Sorry that I’ve not directly answered the question but wanted to share the pros and cons from my viewpoint for both 

GaleSF63

You might be interested in this recent thread: Efficiently drying clothes — MoneySavingExpert Forum

arciere

I have a dehumidifier. I would suggest:

- Don't buy cheap, they will be totally useless. I paid around £200 for mine and it's great, it can absorb up to 10 litres of moisture per day, which is a lot.

- They work well around 25C. If the room is really cold they will struggle

-They will need to run for much longer, not just a couple of hours, but they are much cheaper (mine is 300W).

andre_xs

We had a similar problem. We also have a dehumidifier and I can echo what has been said above, you need a 'proper' one (I think ours was around £150). Pay attention to tank size, otherwise you need to constantly empty.

What we also have is a dedicated spin dryer. Takes much less space than a tumbler and gets a surprising additional amount of water still out of the washed clothes although our washing machine tumbles up to 1400rpm. They are roughly £150-£180.

With this combination (first thoroughly spin drying, then hanging washing up next to the dehumidifier) it's dry within 24 hours (which mean we can wash a full load once a day and dry it, without getting condensation in the house; The dehumidifier doesn't run the whole time, roughly half a day or a bit more).
 

another_casualty

I have an ebac dehumidifier which was around the £300 mark from what I remember. It’s great at what it does . ‘Smart’ which means for me I just leave it do it’s thing . It dries clothes as well . 

Being home alone and Macaulay culkin I have a washer dryer, which to me makes sense . 

I’ve not used the drying function on the ebac, but maybe others can comment on that . 

It’s true as mentioned above, try and avoid the cheaper models . The ebac isn’t the cheapest but it is an attractive unit and not an eyesore..

biscan25

I have a relatively small Meaco (12l), which if in the smallest room in the house can dry a load of washing in 6-8 hours (I was very pleasantly surprised). 
We went for this over a washer/dryer because I remembered how much tumble driers wrecked my clothes at uni.

cajef

If you are using a dehumidifier in a room with low temperatures such as a conservatory in colder weather, look for a desiccant model they work at low temperatures while compressor units are best at higher temperatures'

What is the difference between a compressor and a desiccant dehumidifier?

Desiccant dehumidifiers tend to be smaller, lighter and can be quieter than compressor units. Whilst compressor dehumidifiers only work really well in warmer temperatures (over 20 degrees Celsius) desiccant units extract the same amount of moisture in any temperature between one degree and 20 degrees Celsius.

bbat

I have a Blyss £130 from screwfix and jts been great. I generally direct the air which is blows out at thr washing. Its dries efficiently. My flat is damp if it rains (single skin building and bad guttering!). I think it does a great job despite being at the lower end of prices.

paperclap

Thanks everyone!

Purchased the Blyss 16L from Screwfix a couple of days ago. Was 10% off, so got it for £119 – even better!

So far so good. And even better that it has a 3 year warranty (compared to most others that seem to have a 1 or 2 year).

Shocked at the amount of water that we’ve been able to pull out. A good 100-200ml per hour in some cases!

monaymadlol

I bought a litre version on Amazon recently that does the trick, it was called pro-breeze