When was the clothes dryer invented?

You might not think it, but the first clothes dryer appeared not much later than the first washing machine. The first washing machines were introduced at the end of the 17th century. At first, an electric washing machine was still quite a hassle, the laundry had to be boiled out first, then wrung out and rinsed.

The invention of the clothes dryer was commercially around 1800, conceived by a Frenchman, M. Porchon. The dryer was first sold in France and England. At the time, it was a metal drum that was rotated by hand over a fire, similar to a simple centrifuge. Later versions had a glowing heating element. Henry W. Altorfer developed the first electric clothes dryer around 1937.

Since when does the heat pump dryer exist?

The first heat pump dryer came on the market in the early 20th century. At first, there wasn’t much interest in heat pump dryers because they were more expensive to buy, and people weren’t paying much in energy costs anyway. At the end of the 20th century, energy supplies became scarce, so power costs rose. In addition, the use of more economical and environmentally friendly alternatives to household appliances was recommended so as not to affect the environment too much. Because the energy consumption of a heat pump dryer is a lot lower than that of a condenser or airflow dryer, many people preferred this type of dryer.

Heat pump dryers use less electricity per drying cycle than other types of clothes dryers because instead of an electric heating element, they use a heat pump and a refrigerant during drying. As a result, a heat pump dryer dries at a low temperature and uses less electricity, but also doesn’t expose your laundry to high temperatures. This makes your clothes, bedding, towels and other laundry last longer.

Today, the heat pump dryer is still the most widely sold. That’s why most of the dryers you see in stores or online are heat pump dryers. In second place is the condensing dryer, which is heated with an electric heating element and therefore has a higher energy consumption