The Aldi Ambiano Heated Airer is famously cheap - I used it for months and I'm sold

It’s no longer news that Aldi makes one of the best budget heated clothes airers on the market. Every year, hoards of people await the release of the Ambiano, laundry liquid in one hand, with the other ready to snatch at the deal.

I’ve always seen the Aldi Ambiano Heated Clothes Airer for what it is: a brilliant budget option. Whilst I know for a fact that their cast iron pots are exceptional, I was always a little bit sceptical about how this could measure up against the best heated clothes airers on offer from the likes of Dry:Soon and Beldray.

So, I did what any good journalist does and I watched the news for when the Ambiano launched this year and tested it out to find out whether it really is a good way to save money on clothes drying . I used it in my home for weeks in the place of my model which is six times the price. Here’s how it went.

Specifications

Unboxing

Aldi sends the Ambiano in a big, but slim box. It’s not particularly heavy, even if it does take some manoeuvring to get around tight corners. For the most part, the packaging can be recycled. There are some soft plastics that take a little more effort to dispose of sustainably (you can recycle these at big supermarkets), but it’s all very simple.

You’ll have the frame and legs of the Ambiano separately assembled, so these do need to be clicked into place. Aldi has a diagram and some helpful stickers, but, even so, it took me a few minutes to get orientated. I’d recommend keeping the legs attached once they’re fixed on. Whilst you can clip these off, they’re better off staying fixed to the Ambiano. They fold down so that the whole thing is flat and you’ll have to get something weight and strength behind you to fix them in place initially. I wouldn’t want to go through it every time.

Who would it suit?

First of all, the Ambiano is a winged heated airer. This means that it’s great for small spaces, smaller loads, and for drying items that might need to be draped wide, such as sheets. If you’re a home of two to three people, this is perfect.

Of course, it’s a budget choice, but I wouldn’t say that this is a limiting feature of the Ambiano. Yes, it’s cheap, but it’s just as good as more expensive winged airers that I’ve tested. Actually, it’s one of my favourites.

You’ll get some nice extras thrown in too, including the winged airer cover. Other brands, including Beldray and Dunelm make you buy these separately, but Aldi will lob them all into one. It’s a great, simple set-up.

How easy is it to use?

As I mentioned, the set-up takes a little time. You’ll need to read the instructions carefully to put the legs in the right place and don’t be afraid to put some welly behind you when you’re fixing them in. Once all that’s sorted, you can get to work.

The Aldi controls are very simple. You just flip a switch and it’ll start heating up. There isn’t an auto-shut-off, which is something to keep in mind. Nonetheless, this is speedy and efficient. I felt that the tines were warm enough for clothes within five minutes. I have a series of different tests that I run on every heated airer: a light load, a medium load, and a heavy load.

• Small load (4kg): 6 hours
• Medium load (8kg): 7-8 hours
• Large load (15kg): 9+ hours

Aldi recommends filling from the centre outwards to keep the Ambiano balanced. So, for my light load of cottons, that’s exactly what I did. I left one bar between each bar of washing to get more air running past my clothes and popped the cover over the top. After six hours, my sports clothes and cotton tops were cupboard dry? Which is a good result.

My medium load had some heavier pieces of clothing: hoodies and jumpers, but these were still quite light. I could leave some space between them and I was pleased with how robust the wings felt. I started drying them in the morning and by mid-afternoon they were almost dry. I would say they needed about 7-8 hours in total before I was happy that they were well dried, which is a great effort from the Ambiano.

The heavy load, full of wet towels and woolen knits put a bit more strain on the Ambiano. It worked best when I lay one or two heavy items over the main body of the Ambiano, which is fine if you’re hand washing. However, if you’re doing a full load of towels, you’ll need to space these out carefully.

What is it like to store?

For such a wide, spacious heated airer, this really compacts down. I had mine flat and stashed next to my washing machine really effortlessly. It’s light and easy to move around too, so I have no complaints for this part of the Ambiano experience. It was a dream.

How does it compare?

I’ve tested plenty of other winged clothes airers and they all seem to fall around the same price point. You can see in the picture above that I’ve stood the Aldi next to its Beldray competitor.

The Aldi model feels more robust and it comes with a cover included. The frying times are relatively similar and you can see that there’s very little aesthetic difference. So, if you’re after a budget heated airer, there really isn’t any question over the Ambiano.

If you want the other side of the argument, the cover isn’t something that every home wants. It’s difficult to store and I’m not actually a big fan of them. I’d rather open a window and let the clothes have a bit of a breeze. The Beldray’s controls are more nuanced and you get an auto-shut-off timer too, which is essential if you’re anywhere near as forgetful as I am.

Should you buy it?

If you’re shopping on a budget and living in a small space, you can’t go wrong with Aldi’s Ambiano Heated Clothes Airer. It’s surprisingly robust, generous with the extras, and brilliant value. There’s a reason products like this go viral.

How we test

At woman&home, we have a thorough process for how we test heated airers. I make sure that all the modes we review go through identical processes, so that we can directly compare each model.

I will do a light, medium, and heavy load of washing and then time how long they take to dry. I also comment on what it’s like to hang up the clothes, whether the airer feels robust, and how quickly it gets warm. Aside from that, there will be extra features, packaging, and warranties to discuss too. I like to think that I give you the full picture for whether a heated airer is good value for money, whilst also letting you know about relevant competitors too.

Where to buy it

The Ambiano is currently out of stock. I'll update you when Aldi brings it back. For now, here are some other brilliant budget options: