Tumbling demand! Brits turn their back on traditional dryers and send sales of dehumidifiers soaring

Sales of tumble dryers are decreasing as Brits turn to cheaper ways of drying their clothes such as dehumidifiers.

A study by Lakeland and Toolstation found that dehumidifier sales are rocketing, which implies Brits are looking for a cost-effective way of drying their clothes.

Just over half of the UK's 28million households own a tumble dryer but with running costs averaging £200-a-year, cash-strapped Brits are looking to make savings.

One of the most popular ways of drying clothes - apart from simply hanging them out to dry - is to put them by a humidifier, many of which have a 'laundry setting'.

The setting allows the dehumidifier - which pulls moisture out of the air - to run for a certain time at a certain temperature, before switching itself off when the clothes are dry.

It costs around 5p-an-hour, compared to around 85p-an-hour for a tumble dryer, making it 17 times cheaper to run.

Mum-of-three Carly Bunton, 43, of Stoke, said she had seen her energy bills plummet since ditching her tumble dryer for a dehumidifier last year.

She said: 'I got a smart meter installed last year and could see the difference as soon as I stopped using the tumble dryer.

'Sometimes I have very, very heavy loads of washing as my children are all teenagers, so it was costing a pretty penny to use the tumble dryer, which I've not used now for over a year.

'I've probably saved myself a few hundred quid - and I only paid £180 for the dehumidifier, so it's paid for itself already.'

Toolstation said it had seen sales of dehumidifiers - which also help homes get rid of mould as well as reduce dust in the air - triple in the past year.

A spokesman for the retailer said: 'They [dehumidifiers] are quickly becoming a must-have during the winter months.

'Many have a laundry function to help indoor drying of clothes, which has no doubt contributed to an increase in demand, and a subsequent drop in the number of people using tumble dryers.'

Homewares firm Lakeland also revealed that sales of heated airers had shot up by 51 per cent in the past year.

A Lakeland spokesperson said: 'Heated airers and dryers have become part of many people's routine.'