Money-saving guru Martin Lewis has suggested a clever hack for drying clothes indoors during the colder months, without resorting to the costly 'demon appliance' - the tumble dryer. As winter approaches and outdoor drying becomes less feasible, many households struggle with indoor laundry drying, which can lead to issues such as mould, condensation, mildew, and stale-smelling clothes.
However, the founder of Money Saving Expert warns against relying on tumble dryers if you're mindful of your energy bills, as these appliances can be quite expensive to run. Instead, Martin recommends using dehumidifiers, which are significantly cheaper and can quickly dry your clothes while preventing dampness and condensation.
On an episode of The Martin Lewis Podcast available on BBC Sounds, Spotify, and Apple Music, he listed several 'demon appliances' that consumers should avoid, including tumble dryers, which can cost up to £1 per hour to operate. He suggested switching to a dehumidifier instead, stating: "Many dehumidifiers have different wattages – the one I checked out was 200W."
He added: "Once we know it's 200W and we know a kilowatt is 1,000W, which is how electricity tends to be priced, we know this is a fifth of a kilowatt."
"And you pay roughly 34p per kilowatt per hour. A fifth is 7p, so you're going to pay roughly 7p per hour to run a dehumidifier at 200W, assuming it uses full power the whole time."
Energy costs have slightly decreased since those calculations were made, meaning it will now only cost about 5.5p an hour based on 26p unit prices this winter. In comparison, energy supplier Utilita estimates that a tumble dryer costs as much as 53p to £1 an hour to run, which is ten to 20 times the amount.
The multi purpose machines are also great for allergy sufferers, and have the added benefit of of neutralising harmful bacteria in your home. The appliances can be bought online and come in a variety of sizes and prices.
It's just one of many hints and tips the Good Morning Britain star has given the public in bids to save money in challenging times. The star started his hit podcast in 2022 and his hints and hacks helped him regularly hit the Apple top 50 UK podcast charts. In 2023, after years of being an expert on ITV daytime show Good Morning Britain, Martin bagged a spot as a regular presenter. He is also resident expert on ITV's This Morning.
