Lidl’s heated airer will dry your clothes for just 7p an hour

This winter, we’re all doubling up on jumpers and switching off everything we can just to shave a few quid off the electricity bill. And the latest appliance to come under scrutiny for its power-hungry nature is the humble tumble dryer.

But if we’re trying to avoid tumble drying our clothes, then how do we stop them wetly festooning every surface in our homes and making our air swampy? The answer could be a heated clothes airer.

Ever quick to jump on a good thing, Lidl is offering a solid deal on one of these. The Addis Heated Wing Clothes Airer will be available in Lidl shops from 23 October – until stock runs out. We have heard mixed reviews of its quality, however, so bear that in mind if you’re considering it.

It’s priced at £44.99 and Lidl reckons it costs just 7p an hour to run – that’s 78p an hour LESS than a tumble dryer. But bear in mind that you’ll need to have it on for much longer to dry the same volume of clothes. You’ll also need to shift your clothes around during use so that they dry evenly, otherwise you’ll end up with damp lines and a lot more ironing to do.

The clothes airer is made of aluminium, measures 91 x 55 x 146cm and weighs 4kg. It has 12 metres of rack space for drying clothes and can hold 10kg of laundry. When you’ve finished using it, you can fold it flat for easy storage.

You can find out more at Lidl and buy it from this Sunday. You’ll also get a one-year warranty from the retailer.

Alternatives in the US and the UK

But if you can’t get out this weekend, or if Lidl sells out before you can get your hands on one, you can get a nearly identical product from Argos. The deal isn’t quite as good though – it’ll cost you over a tenner more, at £55.

And, if you’re in the US and you realise that this is just the thing you’ve been looking for, you can buy one from Amazon for $108.39. It’s also aluminium and measures 147 x 94 x 54cm.

If you have worries about your electricity bills this winter, we’ll show you how to find out what your appliances cost to run and explain why longer cycles are key to saving money on your dishwasher and washing machine.