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A laundry cupboard featured by Ideal Home puts pull-out clothes rails and a dehumidifier inside a ventilated cabinet, keeping wet laundry out of the room while helping it dry. Homeowner Hatty Parker says the setup adapts a dehumidifier and heated-airer combination her household already used; drying times and energy costs were not reported.
Ideal Home has featured a built-in laundry cupboard in the London home of Hatty Parker, combining pull-out hanging rails, ventilation and a dehumidifier to dry clothes while keeping them out of sight. Parker’s account describes the setup in the context of indoor laundry drying in colder weather; the report gives no measured drying times or energy-use figures.
Parker’s cupboard sits beside a stacked washing machine and tumble dryer in a small laundry room created during renovations to her Victorian terraced house. The room was made by reconfiguring a family bathroom and an adjoining box bedroom, according to her account in the Ideal Home report.
The cupboard includes pull-out rails for hanging clothes, a dehumidifier connected to the washing machine and tumble dryer waste, and a low-wattage heating element. Ventilation grilles cut into the doors allow air to circulate. Parker said the design was inspired by a drying cupboard she found on Pinterest.
Before building the cupboard, Parker’s household had used a dehumidifier alongside a heated clothes airer. She said that combination worked well for drying laundry, prompting her to incorporate the approach into a more permanent solution. Ideal Home senior digital editor Jenny McFarlane also advised allowing enough ventilation and clearance for a dehumidifier to operate.
Parker’s account describes clothes taking longer to dry indoors in cold weather and a drying rack cluttering the room. Her cupboard keeps the hanging rails behind doors, while its ventilation grilles allow air to circulate and it includes a dehumidifier.
For readers considering a similar setup, the practical point is that a cupboard alone does not make clothes dry faster. Parker’s design includes ventilation grilles and a dehumidifier, as well as a low-wattage heating element. The report does not provide measured drying times or an energy comparison with other methods.
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How Parker Designed the Cupboard
Parker said the laundry room was created by reconfiguring a family bathroom and an adjoining box bedroom in her London home. She described the cupboard as a cross between an airing cupboard and a dedicated drying space, with the aim of keeping clothes accessible but concealed.
The published account describes Parker’s household setup and includes advice from Ideal Home senior digital editor Jenny McFarlane. McFarlane recommends a compact SmartAir dehumidifier and stresses the need for adequate ventilation and clearance. The report mentions several dehumidifier models but provides no comparative test results for the cupboard.
“The idea for the drying cupboard, which sits to the right of the stacked washing machine and tumble dryer, came from wanting a cross between a traditional airing cupboard and a dedicated space where clothes could dry efficiently, but remain neatly out of sight.”
— Hatty Parker, homeowner
Drying Results Are Not Measured
The report does not state how many hours clothes take to dry in Parker’s cupboard, how much electricity the dehumidifier and heating element use, or how the setup compares with a heated airer or tumble dryer. It provides no cost analysis.
Details such as cupboard dimensions, the exact dehumidifier model installed and the household’s laundry volume are not provided. The report does not specify drying times or energy use for Parker’s cupboard.
What to Check Before Building
The report describes Parker’s cupboard and notes that its dehumidifier is connected to the washing machine and tumble dryer waste. It does not announce a forthcoming test or follow-up. McFarlane advises allowing ventilation and clearance for a dehumidifier to work efficiently.
The report does not provide measured drying times or running costs for the cupboard. Those figures would help readers assess its performance.
Key Questions
How does the laundry cupboard work?
It combines pull-out hanging rails with a dehumidifier, ventilation grilles and a low-wattage heating element. Parker said the dehumidifier is connected to the washing machine and tumble dryer waste.
Does the report prove the cupboard dries clothes faster?
No. Parker said her earlier dehumidifier-and-heated-airer combination worked well, but the report provides no measured drying times or controlled comparison for the built-in cupboard.
Why does the cupboard need ventilation?
The design includes grilles so air can circulate. Ideal Home’s Jenny McFarlane also advised leaving enough ventilation and clearance for the dehumidifier to work efficiently.
Can any dehumidifier be used in a laundry cupboard?
The report recommends choosing a model that fits the space and has sufficient clearance, but it does not test every appliance. Check the manufacturer’s requirements for ventilation, drainage and operating space before installing one.
Does the cupboard save energy compared with a tumble dryer?
The report gives no energy-use or cost comparison with a tumble dryer or other drying methods, so it does not establish whether the cupboard saves money or electricity.
Source: idealhome.co.uk
