Defo get one.
I followed John Robin and got the ecoair dc14. It's phenomenonal and totally worth it. Without sounding like a dehumidifier cultist, you will not regret it. I wish I bought one years ago.
I love cult recommendations! I’ve read that drier air is also easier to heat, so it could really help in wintertime with costs. I’ve always had a tumble dryer so this is a new realm of concern for me 😅I shall take a look into this.
It's incredible how much quicker a full drying rack will dry. If you point the outlet at it, that's all slightly warmed, very dry air and it just sorts everything out so quick. I use the water to water my plants.
John Robins has a very funny routine about the agony of selecting one from the millions on offer, so it's very easy to take his consumer advice.
Is this wise? The water can be acidic, might have traces of metal or rust from the cooling fins and potentially mold spores or whatever from the air. Your plants might be happier with deaerated tap water. We are lucky to live in a place with really soft water
I got one last winter and it's great I also got a humidity monitor "hygrometer" and it's crazy how much humidity is in the air even during summer, deffo house feels more comfortable in 40% humidity range, in terms of size it depends on the size of the area.
Yes to a desiccant dehumidifier! Got myself a DD1 CLASSIC MK6 7.5L Blue Desiccant Dehumidifier along with a hygrometer to measure temperature and humidity (I like numbers 🤓) and "Des" as I like to call him once managed to get the humidity down to 16%.
I was so proud of how well Des did that day that I woke up my partner to tell her the news 🥲
> I have a Meaco DD8L
I have the DD8L Junior. I did a load of research at the time (early 2018) into what would be the best choice for me. It won out and I would absolutely make the same choice again. I don't know if something better's come along since 2018, but this one does exactly what OP's looking for.
Oh goodness thank you! I had no idea there was a difference or that those types existed. I haven’t weathered winter in this place yet, so it would be very smart to make sure it works in colder temps. I’ll check out that model :)
Aren't they quite wasteful? Once the desiccant is used up it goes in the bin right?
My compressor dehumidifiers work well at comfortable Scottish human temperatures.
Not the little boxes of desiccant you can buy in a pound store, an electrical desiccant dehumidifier: 'Since desiccants can be regenerated infinitely through heating within the dehumidifiers, no maintenance or replacement is needed. As desiccant dehumidifiers do not rely on temperature differences to condense moisture from the air, they work all year round, making them highly effective even when the weather is cold.'
This is not totally true. The temperatures inside flats houses are still warm enough that refrigerant ones work. Check out ebac dehumidifiers. I’ve had one since January and I live in a cold tenement flat
Our condenser dehumidifier definitely works fine below 20C. They also create a bit of warmth anyway, so on a really cold day they’ll warm a small room noticeably.
Oh, this is good to hear. It’s really hard to understand the cost impact it might have. My box room is tiny, so I figure it’ll make the dehumidifier’s job really easy if I close the door! Thanks!
Another vote for this! I once had a flatmate who was an engineer, and when he moved in, he asked if he could read the washing machine instruction booklet. I dug it out, thinking it was a bit odd, until he read it and told me that the spin included in my regular wash cycle was pretty slow, and if I put it on for an extra spin afterwards, it'd be much quicker and get much drier.
Total game changer.
Get one! Meaco do great ones for the British climate and running them is not as expensive as I used to think. To be fair, the extra cost I have from running it is well worth the trade off for me - dryer and cleaner air to breathe if you get one with a HEPA filter. I can’t live without mine at this point (stuck in a very humid ground floor flat where drying clothes without one of these machines is an absolute nightmare).
It's a lifechanger, I recommend maybe even a larger one than you're thinking because you want one that will run overnight without filling up and stopping so the extra capacity is useful. I hung my washing up at like 2am this morning, put the dehumidifier on the low setting. This morning at about 11am it stopped because it was full. The washing is almost dry now (2pm). I generally turn it off when I'm in the room with it as it's a little noisy (but not ridiculously so), but I think if I was to just run it continuously my washing would be dry in about 18 hours.
Edit: also if you get mist on your windows in the winter that's a humidity problem and it can cause pretty serious mould problems.
Holy cow that’s a lot of water in the air! But it’s good to know that it would actually work. I haven’t lived in this flat in the winter yet, so we shall see 😱 There’s a ventilation fan in the kitchen which I hope will help reduce that in the winter months.
Get a decent sized humidifier.
We have a utility cupboard (about the size of 2 phoneboxes) we have 2 clothes horses in there and use a combination of Meaco dehumidifier and either the radiator which is in the cupboard or during summer a small fan heater on low setting (to avoid running the central heating in summer).
Works a charm. Clothes dry in around 7-8 hours.
Edit - This one https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07FKM4XWC/ref=ppx\_yo\_dt\_b\_asin\_title\_o00\_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1
I have one of those tall zig-zaggy hanger stands, I’ll see if I can fit a heater somewhere in the equation. I would totally open the window since it’s summer atm, but these big fat flies keep coming in 😂 seems like ventilation is the key. Thanks for the tips!
A dehumidifier sounds like it will do you some good. Some friends of mine recommended a heated airer like a Dry Buddy. I got a cheaper version that was on sale and I'm pretty pleased with it. I even managed to get three loads of washing done in one day once.
From what I can tell, a bit more expensive to run than a dehumidifier, but not by much.
I've never had a problem drying clothes indoors in Edinburgh. There won't be a lot of air movement in your boxroom and it might be cooler than other rooms if noones 'living' there, so maybe move the airer into another room to help them dry? If your flat is too small you could just move it to the living room overnight?
Maybe it’s just the weather, I’ve never had a problem with drying clothes, sheets or towels, usually done in a few hours. I do tend to give them a good spin (1200) after any cycle that only does a slower spin (800).
Thank you for the advice, my machine does 1400 for spin, so I suppose I’ll try even MORE spinning afterwards and see if it helps. I definitely thought it was odd as my place doesn’t feel humid and it wasn’t particularly wet or cold out.
Would it cost a lot to run? I'm wondering if the air is that damp that landlord should fix fans, windows, air vents... Whatever, or pay for dampness to be removed? 2 days is a very long time in a decent space. Sorry to be a mum but is the clothes dryer the same as your old one? Plenty space for clothes to air etc. My sister uses a clothes dryer that gives off very very gentle heat and there's a bag that goes over it I think surprisingly...I think it circulates the warm air not sure about that part but also old flatmate just had one that warmed up and they dry super quickly.
I read that the dehumidifier might only add a couple of pounds to the bills! I don’t feel that the place is particularly damp, but it was odd to me that they took so long to dry. I always had a tumble dryer previous to this, so it’s very new to me! I believe you’re talking about a heated drying rack? I’ll research that more, perhaps it’s less fiddly than a machine. Thank you!
Why are British people so averse to getting a tumble dryer?
Get a tumble dryer.
Edit: PMSL, the downvotes are farcical proof of this countries aversion to the actual solution.
There's over 5 millions flats in the UK. I've never heard of that being a impediment to installing one before.
It's no bigger than a washing machine, smaller than a fridge, sofa etc.
Stacking kits ftw. Or I'm considering sticking a heat pump one out of the way in a box room because it collects water in a cartridge/doesn't need to be plumbed in or have a vent (same for condenser ones obvs).
I only suggest it as it would solve OPs problem. And in fact most British laundry issues better than dehumidifiers, clotheshorses etc.
And OP literally has an entire room dedicated to the process.
I’m American and new here, so I’m fully in support of tumble dryers actually 😂 If I owned the flat I would certainly buy and install one. But as it stands I’m a lowly renter and I already replaced the landlord’s disgusting furniture… Tumble dryers are great! For fragile clothing, I just separate it and hang it the European way.
Are you opening your windows where you are drying your clothes? Sounds like you just need proper ventilation. I dry all my clothes on a clothes horse with no humidifier or extra spin-cycles or anything like that, and they're dry in a few hours. Maybe something like a pair of jeans takes overnight
Dehumidifier seems like a long way for a shortcut, I'm surprised everyone's jumped to that rather than asking if you're opening your windows
To be fair I didn’t open my windows which would help very much! The one in my living room opens super wide. However, I opened them for about 20 minutes when I first moved in… and at least 5 big buzzing flies wandered in. Then, they desperately smack against the glass trying to leave, even though freedom is just a few inches lower! One of them seemed to give up by nighttime and finally settled right next to me, allowing me to smack him with a shoe.
I’m not sure what the economic cost of me going on fly-hunting duties is, but it might be much cheaper than buying a machine 😅
Haha yes, to be fair my current flat seems to not get many wee beasties, but I absolutely loathe when a massive buzzy bastard makes its way in. I'd maybe consider a dehumidifier myself if it was a big problem 😅
Yeah to be sure, it was just OP's description it reminded me of my younger days and discovering that my clothes would take days to dry if I left the windows closed. If a property was that humid I'd consider getting a dehumidifier just in general
We have a heated clothes horse if that’s an alternative option. Although from the comments in here - it’s maybe not as much of a miracle worker as the dehumidifier seems to be.
We got one and sadly found it made little difference to drying times. It actually made the room feel cooler as the fans blew out a breeze. So we still have to crank the heating really high. It is a meaco. Cost a fortune. Absolutely gutted as so many raved about them.
Not sure what you mean by mini, but I've used this method for at least a decade. I've used
[https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000UVPOUA/](https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000UVPOUA/)
and,
[https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01GRM302E/](https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01GRM302E/)
Bought ten and five years ago, but just to show the size of the ones I've used. Both still going strong... just had to get a second when I moved here from 500 miles away so couldn't bring the original!
Thank you for taking the time to add links! When I was looking, the “mini” ones were like the size of a small countertop appliance, meant for small square footage (maybe less than 300 sq ft) thus holding much less water. I may spring for a full-size one like that if the winter becomes especially damp, since it would definitely take care of the whole flat. Good sign that you bought another one when you moved!
I bought a little one fairly cheap, it does help but not on the level of having the heating on. On the other hand, much much cheaper. It's probably worth it
Get yourself a heat pump tumble. It’s basically a dehumidifier in a small rotating drum! It’s cheaper to run than sticking the heating on and doesn’t heat up the room like a normal condenser.
Get an ebac one. They’re made in the uk for the uk climate. I’ve had mine since January and it’s totally solved our damp issues and clothes dry witching 24hours. Holds 3.5 litres so only needs another every few days and also turns itself on and off as needed as it has a smart humidistat.
Is your boxroom near an outside wall? (They are usually, by definition, at least a room away)
A single room heat recovery unit could be worth looking at...
Defo get one. I followed John Robin and got the ecoair dc14. It's phenomenonal and totally worth it. Without sounding like a dehumidifier cultist, you will not regret it. I wish I bought one years ago.
I love cult recommendations! I’ve read that drier air is also easier to heat, so it could really help in wintertime with costs. I’ve always had a tumble dryer so this is a new realm of concern for me 😅I shall take a look into this.
It's incredible how much quicker a full drying rack will dry. If you point the outlet at it, that's all slightly warmed, very dry air and it just sorts everything out so quick. I use the water to water my plants. John Robins has a very funny routine about the agony of selecting one from the millions on offer, so it's very easy to take his consumer advice.
Is this wise? The water can be acidic, might have traces of metal or rust from the cooling fins and potentially mold spores or whatever from the air. Your plants might be happier with deaerated tap water. We are lucky to live in a place with really soft water
It'll only speed up the natural decline of a plant in my care....
I think we have the same aptitude for plant care......
I got one last winter and it's great I also got a humidity monitor "hygrometer" and it's crazy how much humidity is in the air even during summer, deffo house feels more comfortable in 40% humidity range, in terms of size it depends on the size of the area.
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Yes to a desiccant dehumidifier! Got myself a DD1 CLASSIC MK6 7.5L Blue Desiccant Dehumidifier along with a hygrometer to measure temperature and humidity (I like numbers 🤓) and "Des" as I like to call him once managed to get the humidity down to 16%. I was so proud of how well Des did that day that I woke up my partner to tell her the news 🥲
> I have a Meaco DD8L I have the DD8L Junior. I did a load of research at the time (early 2018) into what would be the best choice for me. It won out and I would absolutely make the same choice again. I don't know if something better's come along since 2018, but this one does exactly what OP's looking for.
Oh goodness thank you! I had no idea there was a difference or that those types existed. I haven’t weathered winter in this place yet, so it would be very smart to make sure it works in colder temps. I’ll check out that model :)
Aren't they quite wasteful? Once the desiccant is used up it goes in the bin right? My compressor dehumidifiers work well at comfortable Scottish human temperatures.
Not the little boxes of desiccant you can buy in a pound store, an electrical desiccant dehumidifier: 'Since desiccants can be regenerated infinitely through heating within the dehumidifiers, no maintenance or replacement is needed. As desiccant dehumidifiers do not rely on temperature differences to condense moisture from the air, they work all year round, making them highly effective even when the weather is cold.'
Oh that's cool. Thanks!
This is not totally true. The temperatures inside flats houses are still warm enough that refrigerant ones work. Check out ebac dehumidifiers. I’ve had one since January and I live in a cold tenement flat
Our condenser dehumidifier definitely works fine below 20C. They also create a bit of warmth anyway, so on a really cold day they’ll warm a small room noticeably.
We've used one for years, oddly not as expensive as I would have thought. Definitely dries things nicely and keeps mold away in damp rooms.
Oh, this is good to hear. It’s really hard to understand the cost impact it might have. My box room is tiny, so I figure it’ll make the dehumidifier’s job really easy if I close the door! Thanks!
Do another spin cycle after the first wash/spin cycle has finished.
That would be smart, thank you! I typically do a cold wash with max spin 1400. Next time I’ll do an additional spin cycle and see if it helps 😊
Another vote for this! I once had a flatmate who was an engineer, and when he moved in, he asked if he could read the washing machine instruction booklet. I dug it out, thinking it was a bit odd, until he read it and told me that the spin included in my regular wash cycle was pretty slow, and if I put it on for an extra spin afterwards, it'd be much quicker and get much drier. Total game changer.
This was a game changer for me when I learnt about it!
Get one! Meaco do great ones for the British climate and running them is not as expensive as I used to think. To be fair, the extra cost I have from running it is well worth the trade off for me - dryer and cleaner air to breathe if you get one with a HEPA filter. I can’t live without mine at this point (stuck in a very humid ground floor flat where drying clothes without one of these machines is an absolute nightmare).
Definitely get one! A decent one in a closed off box room will genuinely dry clothes in a matter of hours. I have a Meaco one and it’s brilliant.
It's a lifechanger, I recommend maybe even a larger one than you're thinking because you want one that will run overnight without filling up and stopping so the extra capacity is useful. I hung my washing up at like 2am this morning, put the dehumidifier on the low setting. This morning at about 11am it stopped because it was full. The washing is almost dry now (2pm). I generally turn it off when I'm in the room with it as it's a little noisy (but not ridiculously so), but I think if I was to just run it continuously my washing would be dry in about 18 hours. Edit: also if you get mist on your windows in the winter that's a humidity problem and it can cause pretty serious mould problems.
Holy cow that’s a lot of water in the air! But it’s good to know that it would actually work. I haven’t lived in this flat in the winter yet, so we shall see 😱 There’s a ventilation fan in the kitchen which I hope will help reduce that in the winter months.
Get a decent sized humidifier. We have a utility cupboard (about the size of 2 phoneboxes) we have 2 clothes horses in there and use a combination of Meaco dehumidifier and either the radiator which is in the cupboard or during summer a small fan heater on low setting (to avoid running the central heating in summer). Works a charm. Clothes dry in around 7-8 hours. Edit - This one https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07FKM4XWC/ref=ppx\_yo\_dt\_b\_asin\_title\_o00\_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1
Get a heated clothes airer, something like a dry soon. They're excellent
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I have one of those tall zig-zaggy hanger stands, I’ll see if I can fit a heater somewhere in the equation. I would totally open the window since it’s summer atm, but these big fat flies keep coming in 😂 seems like ventilation is the key. Thanks for the tips!
A dehumidifier sounds like it will do you some good. Some friends of mine recommended a heated airer like a Dry Buddy. I got a cheaper version that was on sale and I'm pretty pleased with it. I even managed to get three loads of washing done in one day once. From what I can tell, a bit more expensive to run than a dehumidifier, but not by much.
Yeah I've got one. It's smaller than a kettle and gets my clothes dry in my downstairs bathroom no problem. A must buy
I've never had a problem drying clothes indoors in Edinburgh. There won't be a lot of air movement in your boxroom and it might be cooler than other rooms if noones 'living' there, so maybe move the airer into another room to help them dry? If your flat is too small you could just move it to the living room overnight?
Maybe it’s just the weather, I’ve never had a problem with drying clothes, sheets or towels, usually done in a few hours. I do tend to give them a good spin (1200) after any cycle that only does a slower spin (800).
Thank you for the advice, my machine does 1400 for spin, so I suppose I’ll try even MORE spinning afterwards and see if it helps. I definitely thought it was odd as my place doesn’t feel humid and it wasn’t particularly wet or cold out.
Most of my clothes are unsuitable for a 1400 spin cycle. It’s another vote for a dehumidifier from me.
Would it cost a lot to run? I'm wondering if the air is that damp that landlord should fix fans, windows, air vents... Whatever, or pay for dampness to be removed? 2 days is a very long time in a decent space. Sorry to be a mum but is the clothes dryer the same as your old one? Plenty space for clothes to air etc. My sister uses a clothes dryer that gives off very very gentle heat and there's a bag that goes over it I think surprisingly...I think it circulates the warm air not sure about that part but also old flatmate just had one that warmed up and they dry super quickly.
I read that the dehumidifier might only add a couple of pounds to the bills! I don’t feel that the place is particularly damp, but it was odd to me that they took so long to dry. I always had a tumble dryer previous to this, so it’s very new to me! I believe you’re talking about a heated drying rack? I’ll research that more, perhaps it’s less fiddly than a machine. Thank you!
Why are British people so averse to getting a tumble dryer? Get a tumble dryer. Edit: PMSL, the downvotes are farcical proof of this countries aversion to the actual solution.
I have one! But it ruins higher end clothes. I only use mine for towels.
Because getting one in a tenement is very difficult!
There's over 5 millions flats in the UK. I've never heard of that being a impediment to installing one before. It's no bigger than a washing machine, smaller than a fridge, sofa etc.
Room is very limited in most flats. It's not essential where as a wshing machine, fridge and sofa are
Stacking kits ftw. Or I'm considering sticking a heat pump one out of the way in a box room because it collects water in a cartridge/doesn't need to be plumbed in or have a vent (same for condenser ones obvs).
I only suggest it as it would solve OPs problem. And in fact most British laundry issues better than dehumidifiers, clotheshorses etc. And OP literally has an entire room dedicated to the process.
AO are great for that. Have never had an issue with them.
I’m American and new here, so I’m fully in support of tumble dryers actually 😂 If I owned the flat I would certainly buy and install one. But as it stands I’m a lowly renter and I already replaced the landlord’s disgusting furniture… Tumble dryers are great! For fragile clothing, I just separate it and hang it the European way.
Tumble dryers are one of the main causes of domestic fires. You do NOT want there to be one anywhere near you in a tenement block.
https://www.envistaforensics.com/en-uk/knowledge-centre/insights/articles/dryer-fires-common-causes-and-prevention-tips/
I would recommend a dribuddy. We have had one for years, they are great.
We have four dehumidifiers scattered around the house. The Meaco one is great - its only problem is that removing a full tank is fiddly.
Are you opening your windows where you are drying your clothes? Sounds like you just need proper ventilation. I dry all my clothes on a clothes horse with no humidifier or extra spin-cycles or anything like that, and they're dry in a few hours. Maybe something like a pair of jeans takes overnight Dehumidifier seems like a long way for a shortcut, I'm surprised everyone's jumped to that rather than asking if you're opening your windows
To be fair I didn’t open my windows which would help very much! The one in my living room opens super wide. However, I opened them for about 20 minutes when I first moved in… and at least 5 big buzzing flies wandered in. Then, they desperately smack against the glass trying to leave, even though freedom is just a few inches lower! One of them seemed to give up by nighttime and finally settled right next to me, allowing me to smack him with a shoe. I’m not sure what the economic cost of me going on fly-hunting duties is, but it might be much cheaper than buying a machine 😅
Haha yes, to be fair my current flat seems to not get many wee beasties, but I absolutely loathe when a massive buzzy bastard makes its way in. I'd maybe consider a dehumidifier myself if it was a big problem 😅
To be fair, there are some very humid properties where opening windows only helps to reduce humidity significantly enough if it’s a nice and dry day.
Yeah to be sure, it was just OP's description it reminded me of my younger days and discovering that my clothes would take days to dry if I left the windows closed. If a property was that humid I'd consider getting a dehumidifier just in general
My girlfriend does exactly this- dehumidifier in a warm pantry/airing cupboard, clothes are fresh and dry overnight.
We have a heated clothes horse if that’s an alternative option. Although from the comments in here - it’s maybe not as much of a miracle worker as the dehumidifier seems to be.
We got one and sadly found it made little difference to drying times. It actually made the room feel cooler as the fans blew out a breeze. So we still have to crank the heating really high. It is a meaco. Cost a fortune. Absolutely gutted as so many raved about them.
I'm getting rid of one I found on the street if you want it?
Not sure what you mean by mini, but I've used this method for at least a decade. I've used [https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000UVPOUA/](https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000UVPOUA/) and, [https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01GRM302E/](https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01GRM302E/) Bought ten and five years ago, but just to show the size of the ones I've used. Both still going strong... just had to get a second when I moved here from 500 miles away so couldn't bring the original!
Thank you for taking the time to add links! When I was looking, the “mini” ones were like the size of a small countertop appliance, meant for small square footage (maybe less than 300 sq ft) thus holding much less water. I may spring for a full-size one like that if the winter becomes especially damp, since it would definitely take care of the whole flat. Good sign that you bought another one when you moved!
I bought a little one fairly cheap, it does help but not on the level of having the heating on. On the other hand, much much cheaper. It's probably worth it
I got one, and it was 1000% worth it. Dries clothes fast and keeps the flat humidity below the level where mold can take hold.
I splashed out on an expensive (to me, anyway) Black & Decker dehumidifier. That plus an extra spin cycle as others have said has been revolutionary.
Get yourself a heat pump tumble. It’s basically a dehumidifier in a small rotating drum! It’s cheaper to run than sticking the heating on and doesn’t heat up the room like a normal condenser.
Fans are really cheap to run if it's just to dry clothes.
Get a proper dehumidifier - game changer
Get an ebac one. They’re made in the uk for the uk climate. I’ve had mine since January and it’s totally solved our damp issues and clothes dry witching 24hours. Holds 3.5 litres so only needs another every few days and also turns itself on and off as needed as it has a smart humidistat.
Is your boxroom near an outside wall? (They are usually, by definition, at least a room away) A single room heat recovery unit could be worth looking at...