Hot new way to cut laundry costs? An air dryer

FORGET air fryers… the new musthave is an ‘air dryer’, an alternative to a tumbler dryer that costs a fraction to run. But you might get a bit hot under the collar trying to find one.

They are now so popular that one store sold its stock – which would normally last six months – in just weeks.

Until last year the gadgets, which look like normal clothes racks but have heated rails, had a small loyal following. But soaring energy bills and rave reviews on money-saving sites have changed that. Top seller is the Dry:Soon 3-Tier Heated Airer, pictured left, priced at £199.99. It costs about 15p an hour to run at today’s electricity prices, and users can dry up to 15kg of washing, with a load costing about 45p. A tumble dryer costs about £2 to dry a load.

A smaller version of the Dry:Soon 3-Tier Heated Airer costs £129.99.

High Street kitchenware store Lakeland previously sold a few thousand every few months but, as power prices surged, sold its entire winter stock in a few weeks. Owing to production delays in the factories where they are made in the Far East, it wasn’t able to get new stock until this year.

It is now receiving several hundred a week but sells out within days.

Such is the buzz about them that air dryer fans these days take to social media to share information about when they are back in stock.