Dry:Soon Drying Pod heated airer review

Price on writing: £100 | Buy now from Amazon

Overall rating: 4/5

What we like

Dries items within 2-3 hours
Great for delicates
Helps to reduce creases
Doesn’t take up as much space as a winged airer
Cover retains moisture to prevent damp
Handy timer feature

What we don’t like

Fiddly to move around and take apart
Sounds like an electric heater when in use
Items need to be hung on rails
Recommended for 12 items max (although i squeezed more on)

Our verdict

A popular alternative to winged and tiered heated airers, this upright drying pod is part of Lakeland’s much-loved Dry:Soon range and regularly sells out each winter for good reason.

Featuring an electric heater at the base of the unit (that circulates hot air around the pod), it can dry clothes in around two to three hours, allowing you to wash, dry and put away items within a day. It’s a brilliant way to keep on top of your laundry basket and it can reduce the ironing pile too as items are hung on hangers which helps to smooth out creases.

It’s perfect for delicates that you can’t put in a tumble dryer but it’s worth noting that it’s better suited to shirts, tees, jumpers and trousers rather than towels and smaller items like baby clothes and underwear.

It’s a little fiddly to set up and take apart and it sounds like an electric heater when in use but it’s a speedy way to dry clothes, is cheaper to run than a tumble dryer and takes up far less space than a winged or large tiered airer. A win-win-win that lightens your laundry load at home.

Buy now from Lakeland

Buy now from Amazon

What Mumsnet users say

“Love my Pod! Everything dries nicely on hangers. Use laundry bags for socks. I would not be without it!” - Nohomemadecandles

Key specs

What’s the Dry:Soon Drying Pod like to set up?

Rather than unfolding the airer and plugging it in (as is the case with winged and tiered airers), the Dry:Soon Pod comes in parts and needs to be assembled. It’s pretty straightforward though and the instructions are simple to follow. You’re essentially building a central unit that looks a bit like a coat stand. Legs slot into the hot air fan at the base and there are poles that screw together providing space for a top rack that holds your laundry on hangers. The cover fits around the unit when ready to dry.

What’s the Dry:Soon Drying Pod like to use day-to-day?

Dry: Soon drying pod heated airer upright

The main difference between the drying pod set up and a traditional heated airer is that you dry items on hangers and let hot air circulate around the pod rather than drape clothes on heated rails. It’s a much quicker way to dry laundry - I found that clothes were dry in around two to three hours vs 10+ hours or overnight on a winged or tiered unit.

I also liked the fact that I could put items on hangers, switch the timer on and then move clothes straight to the wardrobe when done. It felt like a really efficient way of working through the laundry pile within a day. I found it particularly good at speed-drying pieces that I wanted to wear that evening and for giving school polo shirts and PE tees a quick blast. I never iron my son’s school uniform except for the first day of term/school photo day (sorry Stan!) but I found hang-drying items in the pod meant that he headed into school looking far smarter than normal.

It’s ideal for delicate clothes - silk shirts, gym clothes, embellished pieces - that can’t be put in a tumble dryer but it’s not recommended for heavy items like towels and bedding. You’ll need to ensure that you have enough hangers to arrange clothes on the rack (I had to scrabble around for spares). It’s recommended for drying 12 items at a time but I squeezed a few more on and also draped underwear and flannels on the rails.

We have a washer-dryer at home with a 7kg capacity and found the Dry:Soon Drying Pod better suited to a laundry loads of mainly adult clothes rather than smaller kids’ pieces and underwear. The pod works well in addition to a washer-dryer/tumble dryer rather than serving as a replacement. I still used our dryer for small items and towels/bedding.

Does the Dry:Soon Drying Pod have any special features?

The pod’s hot air fan has an on/off switch and also features a timer that can be set to run for up to three hours. I found this feature really useful when the unit was stashed away in our spare room and meant that I didn’t have to panic about leaving it on for too long.

It’s essential to use the pod with the cover in place so that hot air circulates around your clothes rather than escaping. The tent-like cover also means that moisture is contained so the room doesn’t feel damp - something that can be a problem when using a winged or tiered airer.

How much does the Dry:Soon Drying Pod cost to run?

The Dry:Soon Drying Pod costs around 30p per hour to run (or 29p according to our smart meter). It’s more expensive to operate than a winged or tiered airer which typically costs between 6p to 10p per hour. But it’s cheaper to run than a tumble dryer (around £1.50-£1.70 per cycle).

Does the Dry:Soon Drying Pod offer value for money?

At £100, it’s cheaper than many of the popular large tiered airers we've reviewed like the Dry:Soon 3 Tier Heated Airer and the Black + Decker 3-Tier Heated Airer, but it’s more expensive than winged designs including the Minky 12M Electric Heated Airer and the Dunelm Heated Airer With Wings.

While it’s obviously cheaper than investing in a tumble dryer, it can't really serve as a full replacement as you’re limited in terms of what you can hang on it and how many items you can dry at a time.

It comes with Lakeland’s impressive 3-year guarantee though so if it’s faulty or you’re not completely sure about it, you can return it for a replacement or a refund.

Related: The best steam generator irons for effortless ironing

How easy is it to move around and store?

We don’t have a utility room or space to keep the drying pod up permanently so I found it a little cumbersome to assemble and take apart each time. It doesn’t fold flat so can’t be stashed like a traditional airer. It’s definitely worth holding onto the original box to keep the parts in.

Once set up though, I found it much easier to place in our house than a winged airer which can take up a lot of space. Due to its upright design, it sits neatly in the corner of a room without blocking routes around it.

It feels tricky to move around once set up. It’s best to build it exactly where you’re going to plug it in. And you definitely don’t want to attempt to move it once items are in the pod and the cover is around it - it’s nigh on impossible.

Note that you’ll need to let it cool down before removing the base legs as the fan heats up to around 70°C.

How we tested

Reviewer Rachel Erdos lives in south London with her husband and two kids, aged six and three.

The Dry:Soon Drying Pod was put through its paces thanks to the family's never-ending laundry pile and it was used to dry a variety of items made from fabrics including cotton, polyester, wool and denim. With a footy-mad schoolboy and active toddler at home, the drying pod has been in constant use, particularly on rainy days.

It was tested on its ability to dry clothes quickly. It was also assessed in terms of its energy efficiency, how easy it was to use, take apart and store.

About the author

Rachel Erdos is an Editor at Mumsnet where she commissions, edits and writes content with a focus on product reviews, homeware roundups and family travel.

She’s written buyer’s guides for publications including Expert Reviews and Coach as well as reviews and features for the Guardian, TripSavvy and Visit London.

As a mum of two, she’s always on the lookout for products that make life easier at home and loves putting appliances and gadgets to the test to highlight best buys for families.

About Mumsnet Reviews

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