Air drying clothes is the free way of getting your clothes dry. And we’ve all seen the pictures of country homes with the lines of clothes blowing gently in the wind or the clotheslines hanging between buildings in old pictures of New York City. However, most of us have an in-home dryer, usually part of a matching set with our washing machine. But like with all technology break downs happen, parts like heating elements and control boards eventually break and need replacing, and then eventually the dryer gets so old it needs to be wholly replaced.

Compared to the technology of the 18th and 19th-century ventilators, which basically was a barrel with holes drilled in them that was spun via a hand crank over an open fire, we have it made. In 1892 George T. Sampson refined the ventilator technology to have a rack that was suspended above an indoor stove and used the heat of the stove to dry the clothes. This technology was used up through the 1950’s even though an electric dryer was designed in 1938 by J. Ross Moore. This was due mainly to the price of the dryer being about $230 in 1955 (adjusted for inflation that would be about $2600 in 2022)

In the 30 plus years after World War II, many design changes happened to the clothes dryer, including exhaust ports for the moist air, timers, cool-down cycles, temperature controls, and in the 1970’s microelectronics were put on dryers to better control the timed drying cycles.

Many of these features still exist on dryers today.  However, with the advent of smart technology, home WiFi, and Bluetooth technologies you can more easily control how and when your clothes dry, even if you’re not at home. But today’s market is so packed with options for dryers that it’s tough to know which one is your best option. Because let’s admit it no one wants to buy a dryer that’s a piece of junk from a company that has terrible customer service and just leaves its consumers hanging out to dry (Pun Intended). So we’ve looked at a lot of options for dryers, such as top load and front load, steaming cycles for wrinkle removal, energy efficiency, and yes of course WiFi / Bluetooth capabilities. Take a look at our individual review and comparisons articles to get you moving in the right direction as you shop for dryers.

Because of the vast amount of brands and models TekEons hasn’t reviewed each and every one of them. If you would like to share your input or experiences with a particular brand or model please fill out the form at the bottom of the page. We welcome all types of feedback.