I tested the most popular heated airer on the market - is Dry:Soon 3-Tier Heated Airer worth it?

If you've looked into the best heated airers on the market, you'll have seen that Dry:Soon dominates the market. Their 3-Tier model is the best of the best, but is it worth the hefty price tag?

Last year, I reached the end of my tether with slowly air-drying my clothes at home, especially over the winter. So, I decided to make some changes at home. After scrolling through endless lists of the best heated clothes airers on the market, it seemed like the Dry:Soon 3-Tier Heated Airer was the best investment out of everything on offer. One year on, I am pleased to say that it is still money well spent.

I use this on a weekly basis, so I wanted to give it a formal review of what this is like at home. I timed it on a range of different loads, assessed all the features, worked out whether heated clothes airers are a good way to save money, and compared the Dry:Soon 3-Tier Heated Airer to the other models we've tested. Here's everything you need to know.

Specifications

Unboxing

Three-tier clothes airers are some of the biggest models on the market, so I wasn't surprised that the box for this was nearly bigger than me (I'm only just over 5 ft tall). Aside from the dimensions, this is actually pretty easy to move around (both in and out of its box). It's surprisingly light, without feeling cheap and flimsy.

All of the packaging that it comes with is cardboard, which makes this easy to recycle (big tick). It also comes pre-assembled, so you won't need a screwdriver or any of your biggest muscles, you'll just need to open out the lines and lock some of the parts into place. It's easy.

Who would it suit?

This is one of the most premium and one of the biggest heated airers on the market. You can opt for a fourth tier with some airers, but this does a good enough job of speeding through bigger loads of washing. I can wash and dry a week's worth of clothing (I'm a home of two) within a few hours using the Dry:Soon 3-Tier Heated Airer, so it's a good, reliable option for family homes.

You'd be forgiven for thinking that this isn't suitable for smaller homes, but I live in an urban flat and I still don't find this to be too much of a burden. I tuck it in behind my clothing in my wardrobe and hardly notice it. There are smaller options out there, but you obviously lose capacity.

If you have any little feet or furry friends around the house, you're probably now asking 'is the Dry:Soon 3-tier safe to use around children and pets?' My short answer is yes. Not only is the frame really sturdy, but the bars don't get too hot either. I can wrap my whole hand around them without any concern. I wouldn't give it to a pet or child as a plaything, but you don't need to worry if you're all in the same room.

How easy is it to use?

Setting up the Dry:Soon 3-Tier Heated Airer is easy. It comes pre-assembled, so all you have to do is fold out the tines and lock them into place on the hooks. You can open as many as you want, so sometimes I just use the tier and hang jeans down across where the other tiers should be, but other times I open all six tiers.

As I said before, I've been using this for over a year, so I've dried everything you can think of on it: towels, sheets, jeans, cotton, and sportswear. The speed and efficiency obviously depends on how fully you've loaded the heated airer.

I've done some official timings more recently on how long it takes to dry different laundry loads, so that you can get a concrete idea of what to expect.

I class a small load as 5kg. I ran a mix of towels, cotton t-shirts, socks, and sportswear through the washing machine and it took, on average, 2.5 hours to dry. Obviously, the towels and cottons take longer than sportswear, but everything is normally cupboard dry by three hours time, especially if I have the cover (which is an extra accessory) on.

The next stage up is a standard load, which weighs around 8kg. I put the same fabrics in these loads, towels, jeans, cotton tops, socks, and jumpers and it'll take about four hours to dry.

I've dried loads in just under three hours, but some take longer too. On one specific occassion, I needed some heavy hoodies dried before a holiday, so I lay them on the top tier of the heated airer, and then I put a space heater underneath. It was perfectly dry within an hour. That's better than my tumble drier.

The final test for the Dry:Soon Deluxe 3-Tier Heated Airer is what I call a 'large load'. This can weigh up to 16kg and it's towels, jeans, and jumpers. It's all the heavy stuff, loaded all over the heated airer. This normally takes over five hours to dry, but it'll still be done within a day. The trick for drying clothes really efficiently is to have the window open in the summer, letting the breeze do its job for drying clothes. I often don't even need the heating element if there's a breeze on a summer's day. Alternatively, if it's cold and wintery outside, you can zip the cover over and you'll get a good dry across all of your clothes too.

What is it like to store?

When the Dry:Soon Deluxe 3-tier is fully assembled, it's wide and not very easy to move around. You'd be forgiven for thinking that it'd be tricky to store. However, when you fold away all the tiers and tines, and twist around the plug and plug holder, you'll find that this is only 8cm thick. With the cover on, it can sit at the back of cupboards or out of the way really easily.

If you don't like the idea of lugging this around the house, you can even buy detachable castors that let you wheel it. Given how expensive this is, it might be nice to have the castors included, but £10 isn't a disastrous amount extra to demand.

What accessories can you buy and are they worth it?

The Dry:Soon Deluxe 3-Tier Heated Airer comes with a range of accessories. None of them are included when you buy it, but you can choose to pick them up separately. The one accessory that I wouldn't be without is the cover. It's good for storing the heated airer, but I also notice a big difference in how it affects the drying time of my clothes. Anecdotally, my clothes dry at least 25% quicker when the cover is on.

The castors could be really useful, if you're someone who doesn't like lifting and moving your heated airer around the room. You can also buy a peg hanger and flat mesh shelves, both of which are useful for socks and delicates, but they're not essential.

How does it compare?

There are plenty of other 3-tier heated airers on the market, but none are as sturdy or reliable as the Dry:Soon Deluxe 3-Tier Heated Airer. I'm currently testing the Dunelm 3-Tier Heated Airer, which is half of the price, but with the same capacity.

If you're looking for a budget option, the Dunelm isn't a bad alternative. It's certainly not as sturdy and it doesn't feel as robust or well-built as the Dry:Soon, but if I hadn't already used the Dry:Soon, I'm not sure I would feel that the Dunelm model misses anything.

The Dry:Soon is better suited to homes with small children and pets, since it's harder to knock over, quicker, and more reliable. However, the Dunelm still isn't a bad option for shoppers looking to save a little.

Other shoppers might want to think about different styles. I've also been testing a range of Dry:Soon's offering and the Dry:Soon Pod Airer really stands out as a compact option that's useful for drying shirts and jumpers. Essentially, it exapnds into an exaggerated coat hanger and you hook your hangers over it, put a cover on, and your shirts can dry without any creases. It's neat and completely different to the tiered set up, but it's worth considering.

Should you buy it?

Whilst this is one of the more expensive heated airers on the market, I think it's worth the investment. Dry:Soon's reputation precedes them; I've read reviews of people who have had their heated airers for nearly ten years, so if that's anything to go by, the price is easy to justify.

This is cheap to run, sturdy, and offers plenty of space. I'd choose it over a tumble dryer, I use it in my flat, and I have recommended it to tonnes of people too.

How we test

At woman&home, we pride ourselves on our testing process. I wrote this review, not only because I'm reviewing all the best heated airers at the moment, but because I've been using this product for well over a year now. Given the number of hours that I've had this up in my flat, I'm well qualified to point out any niggles, regrets, or useful features that are integrated into the design.

Our formal testing process starts with research. We look online at all the latest and greatest releases in the heated clothes airer space. Then, once we see one that we think you'll like, we call it in and give it a thorough test.

I like to use these for a little while before I review them, so that I can dry sheets, shirts, hoodies, towels, jeans, sportswear, cottons, and every other textile that you can think of. I note the weight and time taken to dry each load so that you know what from whatever you laden your heated airer with.

I'll also talk about storage, so you can decide whether you've got space for it in your home or whther you're willing to make space for it too. Next, I'll cover other models on the market, so that you know what you could get for a little more or a little less money, because it's nice to know that what you're investing in is actually good value.

After all that, I'll come to a conclusion on who it suits and whether I think you should buy it. I add every detail that I think you need to know, so that you don't get any buyers remorse, just perfectly dried clothes.