dryer

Dryers that sense when clothes are done

Put the clothes in the dryer, crank the timer to how long you think the load might take to dry, and press 'Start.' Come back to a load of clothes that are either so dry that they're baked or a load that's still soggy.

Does that sound familiar? That might be because we've all grown up with dryers that rely on timed cycles as basically the only control--sure some machines offer the option of selecting a heat level for a cycle, but beyond that, there's just not many knobs on the front of a dryer. Unfortunately, … Read more

A secret to drying clothes? Liquid

Clothes dryers are the second biggest hog of household energy, according to the Department of Energy. Most are so similar in terms of power hunger that the Energy Star label of efficient appliances doesn't even mark dryers.

By this fall, however, consumers could enjoy faster, greener, and safer clothes dryers that draw half the power of conventional models, according to Hydromatic Technologies Corporation.

Its Dryer Miser technology would dry garments 41 percent more quickly without shrinking as much or stinking them up with the odor of burnt lint, said Michael Brown, the inventor and company president.

He plans to … Read more

'DrIron' makes wrinkles tremble in fear

Despite its name, which sounds like something out of a Dickens or Shelley novel, Fagor is a U.K. company that has some cutting-edge technology for household appliances. And despite the decidedly Ronco-esque name of its latest clothes dryer--"DrIron"--it makes some bold claims.

Unlike competing products that promise to dewrinkle clothes but still require ironing, this one supposedly takes the process a crucial step further. "The dryer and iron combo works so cleverly that when clothes and laundry are removed from the machine they have no wrinkles or creases," according to Appliancist.

There'… Read more

Electric foot-stank busters

I want to go to Japan. However, my feet stink so bad that I'm reluctant to go anywhere where taking off your shoes is customary.

Step one in achieving my travel dreams might be picking up the Eco Shoes Dryer, which will conceivably blow the stank right out my shoes. You charge them up with the flip-out plugs, stick them in your shoes, and take a foot bath while the dryers work their silica-gel magic on your various shoe aromas.

One dryer costs $27, and according to a team of analysts at CNET Mathematics Labs, that comes out to $… Read more

A slob's dream: The ironing clothes dryer

This sounds too good to be true, but we're putting our faith in it anyway because we love the idea so much.

Electrolux, which has already invented the washing machine from the future (ultraviolet light), has outdone itself with the ultimate in next-generation dryers: one that helps with the ironing. The "Iron Aid" steam dryer doesn't exactly iron the clothes, according to Appliancist, but it does have "dewrinkling" feature that adds a steam phase at the end of the regular drying cycle. The 20-minute shvitz is enough to treat five shirts.

The U.K.… Read more

Battle of the high-tech hand dryers

Believe it or not, one of the most popular items ever featured on Crave was a hand dryer. Not just any old washroom appliance, mind you, but the Dyson Airblade--a supposedly state-of-the-art contraption from the U.K. that "strips water droplets off your mitts in 6 to 12 seconds" with air traveling at 400 miles per hour. (See NYC Craver Rich DeMuro test it out in this video and judge for yourself.)

But barely three months later, it already has competition from another European company that makes the "Veltia," a self-proclaimed "new generation hand … Read more