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Ideal Home has featured a drying cupboard designed by London homeowner Hatty Parker, combining pull-out rails, a dehumidifier, ventilation grilles and a low-wattage heating element. The setup is intended to keep laundry out of the way and help it dry more efficiently, but the report provides no measured drying times, energy costs or independent performance data.
Ideal Home has reported on a built-in laundry cupboard designed by London homeowner Hatty Parker, which combines pull-out clothes rails with a dehumidifier, ventilation grilles and a low-wattage heating element. The design aims to keep drying laundry out of sight while helping it dry more efficiently during colder weather, though the report does not include measured results or energy-use figures.
Parker, a web designer renovating a Victorian terraced house, created the drying cupboard as part of a small laundry room beside her bathroom. She said the household had previously used a dehumidifier alongside a heated clothes airer and found the combination worked well for drying clothes. The cupboard adapts that approach into a permanent space rather than leaving a drying rack in the room.
The cupboard sits beside a stacked washing machine and tumble dryer. Parker said its design includes pull-out rails for hanging clothes, a dehumidifier plumbed into the machines’ waste, and a low-wattage heating element. Ventilation grilles in the doors are intended to allow air to circulate. The report does not specify the equipment’s power rating, the cupboard’s dimensions or how the plumbing was installed.
Ideal Home senior digital editor Jenny McFarlane recommended leaving enough ventilation and clearance for a compact dehumidifier to work efficiently. The article also suggests allowing space for a dehumidifier or small radiator at the bottom of the cupboard. These are design suggestions, not results from a controlled test of Parker’s setup.
The design addresses two common household problems at once: laundry can take longer to dry in cold weather, and drying racks can occupy valuable floor space. A dedicated cupboard offers an enclosed place to hang clothes and may make a laundry area look less cluttered, while the dehumidifier and heat are intended to support drying.
For readers considering a similar setup, the practical trade-offs are not quantified in the report. A cupboard needs space for rails and equipment, and the approach relies on suitable airflow and a way to manage the dehumidifier’s water. No cost comparison or energy-use data is given, so the article does not establish whether the arrangement is cheaper to run than other drying methods.
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How Parker Adapted an Airing Cupboard
Parker said the laundry room was created after the family reconfigured its bathroom and an adjoining box bedroom, giving up a fifth bedroom to make space for the room. Its position near the bathroom and bedrooms was intended to make laundry routines more convenient. The drying cupboard itself was inspired by an example she found on Pinterest, according to her account in Ideal Home.
The idea draws on the familiar airing cupboard but adds dedicated drying rails and a dehumidifier. Parker’s account describes how her household moved from using a dehumidifier and heated airer to incorporating similar equipment into built-in storage. The supplied report presents this as one homeowner’s project, rather than a tested product or a standard installation guide.
“The idea for the drying cupboard … 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 and web designer, as quoted by Ideal Home
Drying Times and Running Costs
The report does not give before-and-after drying times, energy consumption, running costs or humidity measurements for Parker’s cupboard. It also does not state the dehumidifier model, the heating element’s wattage, the cupboard’s size or how much laundry it can hold. Parker’s description of the system working well reflects her experience, not independently verified performance data.
It is also unclear whether the dehumidifier’s connection to the washing machine and tumble dryer waste can be replicated in every home, or what installation work is required. The article does not provide detailed specifications, building or electrical guidance, or a comparison with a standard heated airer.
Check Space and Ventilation First
Anyone considering the idea would need to plan for rail placement, equipment clearance, ventilation and a suitable way to handle water from the dehumidifier. Parker’s project shows one configuration, but the report does not set out a tested specification for other homes. Readers should check equipment instructions and get qualified help where plumbing or electrical work is needed.
No follow-up testing or further project details are announced in the supplied report. Its key practical takeaway is to treat the cupboard as a design example: the combination of hidden rails, airflow and drying equipment may suit some homes, but performance and cost will depend on the setup and have not been established by the article.
Key Questions
What is the laundry cupboard hack?
It is a built-in cupboard with pull-out clothes rails, a dehumidifier, ventilation grilles and a low-wattage heating element, designed to keep laundry contained while it dries.
Who designed the featured drying cupboard?
Hatty Parker, a web designer renovating a Victorian terraced house in London, created the cupboard for a small laundry room beside her bathroom.
Does the report prove that this method dries clothes faster?
No. Parker said her household found a dehumidifier and heated airer worked well, but the report provides no measured drying times or independent test results for the cupboard.
What should a similar cupboard include?
The reported design uses hanging rails, a dehumidifier, a low-wattage heating element and ventilation grilles. Ideal Home’s advice also stresses allowing enough space and airflow around the equipment.
Are the cupboard’s running costs known?
No. The report provides no figures for energy use, equipment costs or savings compared with other ways of drying laundry.
Source: idealhome.co.uk
