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Dehumidifier for drying clothes

Updated: 21 October 2026

The airer is in the spare room and the windows have steamed over. A dehumidifier for drying clothes can catch the water that wash puts into the room. It does not turn a 300 ml mini into a dryer, and it does not make indoor drying risk-free. NICE guidance still says to avoid air-drying inside when you can. This page is only the laundry job for the machines in the [dehumidifier comparison](/hub/cooling/dehumidifier). Peter F. used Which?, energy.org.uk and the listings on 20 October 2026. The pence figures are not a meter reading on a named ASIN. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The airer is in the spare room and the windows have steamed over. A dehumidifier for drying clothes can catch the water that wash puts into the room.

Our top picks

Pro Breeze Pro Breeze 12L/day

Best overall

Pro Breeze Pro Breeze 12L/day
8.8/10about £134.99
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ARIBIO ARIBIO 12L/day

Best value

ARIBIO ARIBIO 12L/day
8.0/10about £129.99
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Bosch Bosch Dry 1000

Rank 3

Bosch Bosch Dry 1000
7.3/10about £159
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On this page
  1. 1.What changes when washing is in the room
  2. 2.Laundry mode versus any compressor
  3. 3.Cost, with the assumptions attached
  4. 4.How to dry one load

What changes when washing is in the room

Wet clothes are moisture you added, and the glass is where you see it. Which? reported a trial in which a dehumidifier almost halved drying time and collected about two litres. That is Which?’s trial, not a Pro Breeze or Bosch result. Two litres is about one tank on the Pro Breeze (1.8 litres), the Devola (1.7 litres) or the ARIBIO (2 litres). A dehumidifier beside an airer does the extraction only if it is in the litre class and the room is shut. NICE NG149 still prefers drying outdoors when you can.

Laundry mode versus any compressor

The Bosch Dry 1000 has a Laundry mode, and UK reviews describe winter drying with less fuss than a tumble dryer. The ARIBIO has one too, though one user saw no difference. The Pro Breeze title includes laundry drying, with continuous as the practical setting. The Devola lists laundry mode, while the title says 8 litres a day and another field says 12. Which? has described laundry mode as often a high fan speed, not a different cycle. Minis here claim about 250–800 ml a day, often at 30°C, already less than Which?’s two litres. Nameplate watts run from 160 W to 210 W and are not a running-cost quote. Do not use the EasyAcc table’s 790 W. It conflicts with a bullet about 0.79 kW over 24 hours.
Pro Breeze Pro Breeze 12L/day

Testsieger

Pro Breeze Pro Breeze 12L/day
8.8/10about £134.99
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Cost, with the assumptions attached

Which? states about 6p an hour for the dehumidifier Best Buys in its indoor-drying test, from about 2p to 13p. Those pence are not the Pro Breeze, Bosch, ARIBIO or Devola. The Pro Breeze listing says as low as 7p per hour (October 2024). energy.org.uk, updated 3 October 2026, gives about 44p for a dehumidifier and airer against about 66p for an example tumble dryer, under the Ofgem cap for 1 October to 31 December 2026. Those appliances are not these ASINs.

How to dry one load

Spin the wash, then put the airer in a room you can shut, clear of the inlet. Close the windows while it runs. Set about 50% if you have a humidistat, or use laundry or continuous if you are there to empty the tank. Placement in general is on the how to use a dehumidifier page. Expect at least one empty of a 1.7–2.5 litre tank unless a hose is fitted. The ARIBIO, Pro Breeze and Devola can drain if the hose falls. The Bosch listing does not state a hose. Four to eight hours is the usual range. When the fabric is dry, switch the machine off unless the manufacturer says it can run unattended.

Common questions

Will a dehumidifier dry clothes?
It dries the air around the clothes, so the fabric gives up water faster than it would in a shut steamy room. Which? saw drying time almost halved in one trial, with about two litres collected. That is their test, not a promise for every load. A compressor in the 8–12 litre class can do that job in a closed room. A mini claiming 250–400 ml a day cannot pull a family wash in an evening.
Do you need a laundry mode?
You need extraction and a shut room more than you need the word laundry on the panel. The Bosch and the Devola name a laundry mode, and the ARIBIO does too, though one ARIBIO reviewer saw no difference when they used it. The Pro Breeze names laundry drying and offers a continuous setting. Which? has described laundry mode as often a high fan speed. Use it if you have it, and do not reject a compressor that only offers continuous.
Is it cheaper than a tumble dryer?
It can be, under someone else’s assumptions. energy.org.uk’s October to December 2026 example is about 44p for a dehumidifier and airer against about 66p for an example dryer. Which? also says a dehumidifier can cost more per load than an efficient heat-pump dryer, and it quotes about 6p an hour for its own Best Buys. None of those figures is a meter on the Bosch or the Pro Breeze. Your unit rate and the hours you run decide the bill.
Can a mini dehumidifier dry a load?
Not a normal mixed load. The minis in this set claim about 250–800 ml a day at a warm test point, often 30°C and 80% relative humidity. Which?’s laundry trial collected about two litres. A mini may help a cupboard or a single item. It will not replace the 160–210 W compressors beside an airer, even if the mini’s title mentions drying clothes.
Is indoor drying still a damp risk?
Yes, if you do it often in a room that already grows mould, even with a dehumidifier running. NICE NG149 says to avoid air-drying indoors when you can. The machine reduces the moisture the wash adds. It does not remove a building fault, and it does not make a cold room safe for a compressor. If the windows pour every morning before any washing is hung, the condensation problem is wider than laundry day.

Related pages

Best dehumidifier

Dehumidifier

Dehumidifier buying guide: litres, tank, temperature

Dehumidifier for condensation: what it can and cannot do

How to use a dehumidifier: shut room, setpoint, tank

Sources

Public UK sources named below. amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts on these listings were read on 19 October 2026. Page updated 20 October 2026.

  1. GOV.UK damp and mould guidance (1 April 2026) (retrieved 2026-10-20)
  2. GOV.UK Awaab’s Law tenant guide (retrieved 2026-10-20)
  3. NHS inform (retrieved 2026-10-20)
  4. NICE NG (retrieved 2026-10-20)
  5. Electrical Safety First (retrieved 2026-10-20)
  6. Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations (retrieved 2026-10-20)
  7. Which? indoor clothes drying (retrieved 2026-10-20)
  8. energy.org.uk (3 October 2026) (retrieved 2026-10-20)