How long does a dehumidifier take to dry clothes? The exact amount of time will vary a lot, depending on factors like how wet your clothes are and how well ventilated the room is. But a rule of thumb, you should expect clothes to dry in around 4-5 hours.
This is where dehumidifiers come to the rescue. A dehumidifier works by pulling moisture from the air, reducing humidity levels in the room. This process helps your clothes dry faster without leaving the room feeling damp and stuffy.
Use a clothes airer and place the dehumidifier near the clothes, around 4-6 feet away. This is close enough, yet enough space for effective circulation. Spread clothes out to improve airflow.
If you use what are described as "low power/eco" dehumidifiers (often around 40 Watts, using a technology called "Peltier") you will find these dehumidifiers simply won't cope with the amount of water laundry can hold and you will just cause damp issues in the room or home.
How Long Does It Take for a Dehumidifier to Dry Out a Room? The size of the room, the humidity level, and the extent of the water damage are some of the variables that affect how long a dehumidifier takes to dry out a room. A dehumidifier typically needs between 24 and 72 hours to completely dry out a room.
Cons of Dehumidifiers
Dehumidifiers collect water meaning they need to be regularly emptied. They also need to be regularly cleaned otherwise black mould can start to grow on the machine , which can induce a wide range of health problems including allergic reactions, lung problems and irritation.
Should a Dehumidifier Run Constantly? No, your dehumidifier should not have to run constantly to regulate the air humidity. An optimal humidity level to shoot for is between 30 and 50 percent. Your dehumidifier should reach this in 8 to 12 hours.
Keep Your Dehumidifier Away from the Walls
It's easy to assume the best place to put your dehumidifier is against the wall. But it's not! Dehumidifiers suck in and expel air using vents. Blocking any of these vents can reduce your dehumidifier's effectiveness.
So, do dehumidifiers use a lot of energy? The average range of energy usage for a desiccant dehumidifier is quite low, usually between 240 to 480 watts.
Depending on the model's extracting power and wattage, a dehumidifier can cost anything from just 10p to 30p an hour to run, making them cheaper to use, compared with a tumble drier.
How much does a dehumidifier cost to run? Look for one which draws less than 360 Watts and you will never spend more than 10p per hour*. It's often much less on lower power settings. Dehumidifiers are generally cheap to run.
In summary, dry mode lowers the fan speed to remove humidity instead. In moderate climates with low humidity, it can be an effective alternative to cooling mode. However, it's not a replacement for a dehumidifier and is not effective in very hot, muggy climates.
It is always recommended to place the dehumidifier closer to the moisture source for it to work efficiently. Here, placing a dehumidifier next to wet clothes will help them dry faster by reducing the surrounding moisture.
Make sure that the windows and doors are closed while the dehumidifier is operating. If you are operating the dehumidifier in a particularly large space, it should be placed in close proximity to the moisture source to maximise the potential of the unit.
Use desiccants
Without the facilitation of an electrical appliance, desiccants such as silica gel, charcoal, and rock salt can still adsorb some moisture from the air at a slower rate, due to their hygroscopic nature. You can put a basket of charcoal in the room and replace the charcoal once it gets damp.
Mold stays “dormant” in the air or on surfaces even when there's no excess moisture to help it grow. If the humidity in a room increases, mold will start growing in patches on walls, clothes, and more. So, to answer your question, dehumidifiers do NOT kill mold, but they do prevent it by reducing humidity.
So there you have it – it's absolutely safe to leave a dehumidifier on overnight. Sara Hesikova has been a Content Editor at Ideal Home since June 2024, starting at the title as a News Writer in July 2023.
During the summer months, many homeowners rely on their air conditioning (AC) system to cool down the home and remove the humidity from the air. While for many homes, the AC will be sufficient, for those in hot and humid climates, a dehumidifier can help carry some of the workload.
As long as you leave all of the internal doors open a correctly sized dehumidifier will prevent condensation and mould from appearing around the whole house.
The time it takes for a dehumidifier to work effectively varies based on factors like unit size, humidity levels, and room dimensions. Usually, you'll see noticeable results within a few hours of continuous use. For best results, let it run for at least 24 hours to significantly reduce moisture.
When the temperature in the space where you run your dehumidifier starts getting down around 65° F, it's time to think of unplugging your unit and stowing it away for the winter. The lifetime of dehumidifiers usually ranges from five to 10 years. To maximize the lifetime, it's important to care for your dehumidifier.
A dehumidifier should collect a certain amount of water each day - generally, around 10-20 pints of water per 24-hour period. This should require you to empty most dehumidifiers daily or bi-daily when in operation.
The water is drained by gravity alone so for effective continuous drainage the dehumidifier needs to be raised a foot or two above the floor and the hose run to a floor level drain.