Drying a futon without breaking the bank
December 17, 2019 8:15 AM Subscribe
My partner and I have a traditional-style Japanese futon (a shikibuton with cotton filling). We're in the market for a futon dryer, but all the ones we're finding online require an expensive voltage adapter to use in North America. Is there a more affordable solution we're overlooking? What do Japanese emigrants do? (Aside from sleeping on western-style beds.)
There are several futon dryers online for about $100-$150. But they're designed for use with Japanese voltage (100 V). Then it's another $100 for a voltage adapter to use it in North America (120 V). That's a lot to spend on an adapter we'd only use for one appliance.
As I understand it, we'd need a high-amperage (i.e., expensive) voltage adapter because the futon dryer draws a high load. The dryer draws 540 amps, so we're looking at a 2,000 amp voltage adapter. (The manufacturer of the voltage adapter recommends an amperage of four times the load.)
But are there solutions that don't involve buying a voltage adapter at all? A futon dryer that accepts North American voltages? Or a way to effectively dry the futon with stuff that's commonly available here?
Hanging the futon up to dry is a no-go, because we live in a small house in a very wet climate.
Our current solution is to perilously balance it between furniture and put a fan underneath. So maybe what we need is a laundry rack that can support a 25 lb futon. Any recommendations there?
There are several futon dryers online for about $100-$150. But they're designed for use with Japanese voltage (100 V). Then it's another $100 for a voltage adapter to use it in North America (120 V). That's a lot to spend on an adapter we'd only use for one appliance.
As I understand it, we'd need a high-amperage (i.e., expensive) voltage adapter because the futon dryer draws a high load. The dryer draws 540 amps, so we're looking at a 2,000 amp voltage adapter. (The manufacturer of the voltage adapter recommends an amperage of four times the load.)
But are there solutions that don't involve buying a voltage adapter at all? A futon dryer that accepts North American voltages? Or a way to effectively dry the futon with stuff that's commonly available here?
Hanging the futon up to dry is a no-go, because we live in a small house in a very wet climate.
Our current solution is to perilously balance it between furniture and put a fan underneath. So maybe what we need is a laundry rack that can support a 25 lb futon. Any recommendations there?
Response by poster: Oops, yes. 540 watts, not amps.
posted by Banknote of the year at 9:06 AM on December 17, 2019
posted by Banknote of the year at 9:06 AM on December 17, 2019
I'm trying and failing to think of something that you could safely jerry-rig to blow hot air (about 140 F) into a flexible hose for a couple of hours, which is (I'm given to understand) what a futon dryer does. A hair dryer could conceivably work, but they're generally not designed to run continuously for that long. Automatic hot-air hand dryers have the same problem. There are also forced-air space heaters which might work, but the fan outlet is larger, and if you impede the flow it might overheat. If you don't already have the hose & bag for the dryer, then this might not be a great idea.
You could also build or buy a low slatted frame (akin to the western-style "futon frame") and use a conventional fan or a carpet blower to circulate air under it, which would at least get rid of the need to precariously balance the futon on furniture. Is a traditional Japanese futon too thin to be able to sleep on such a frame in comfort?
posted by Johnny Assay at 9:25 AM on December 17, 2019
You could also build or buy a low slatted frame (akin to the western-style "futon frame") and use a conventional fan or a carpet blower to circulate air under it, which would at least get rid of the need to precariously balance the futon on furniture. Is a traditional Japanese futon too thin to be able to sleep on such a frame in comfort?
posted by Johnny Assay at 9:25 AM on December 17, 2019
So maybe what we need is a laundry rack that can support a 25 lb futon. Any recommendations there?
I have an enormous Amish drying rack the same as or similar to this one, although I find it hard to imagine I paid $250 for it. I think it could hold a 25 lb. wet futon with ease. You would probably need two people to spread it out effectively/safely, since it would need to span both of the top rails evenly.
posted by slenderloris at 9:33 AM on December 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
I have an enormous Amish drying rack the same as or similar to this one, although I find it hard to imagine I paid $250 for it. I think it could hold a 25 lb. wet futon with ease. You would probably need two people to spread it out effectively/safely, since it would need to span both of the top rails evenly.
posted by slenderloris at 9:33 AM on December 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
How often do you need to dry it? Can you just take it to a commercial laundromat and stick in one of their huge dryers for 15 minutes? It will cost you maybe a dollar or two.
posted by JackFlash at 10:00 AM on December 17, 2019
posted by JackFlash at 10:00 AM on December 17, 2019
Doesn't directly answer your question, but could a waterproof mattress cover be an inexpensive alternative?
posted by wile e at 10:02 AM on December 17, 2019
posted by wile e at 10:02 AM on December 17, 2019
Sorry if I am missing something, but why do you need to wash and dry the futon? I agree that a waterproof mattress cover is the way to protector your futon.
posted by radioamy at 10:32 AM on December 17, 2019
posted by radioamy at 10:32 AM on December 17, 2019
Get a fan, electric blanket, use a GFC plug. Hot electric blanket, plastic sheet/ tarp/ futon. Fan on high. In sunshine, ideally over a railing.
I wash wool rugs in the driveway. It's sloped, so water drains. On a sunny day, I keep moving the rug to a hot bit of asphalt to dry. I put stuff under it to let air in. When it's dry enough to lift, I put it over the deck railing. Must be fairly warm, pretty sunny. An electric blanket would speed the process.
posted by theora55 at 10:50 AM on December 17, 2019
I wash wool rugs in the driveway. It's sloped, so water drains. On a sunny day, I keep moving the rug to a hot bit of asphalt to dry. I put stuff under it to let air in. When it's dry enough to lift, I put it over the deck railing. Must be fairly warm, pretty sunny. An electric blanket would speed the process.
posted by theora55 at 10:50 AM on December 17, 2019
Pokemon Hitachi futon dryer CM japanese commercial. It's blowing some hot air under the comforter over the futon to remove some moisture. It's not throwing it in the dryer after washing it.
posted by zengargoyle at 10:52 AM on December 17, 2019
posted by zengargoyle at 10:52 AM on December 17, 2019
You don't wash a futon, but they can accumulate moisture internally by absorbing sweat, dampness in the air and so on. So traditionally you put them out in the sun to dry every so often, so they don't harbor too many mites or get moldy. Futon driers can substitute if you don't have time during the day to put them out in the sun.
posted by Umami Dearest at 10:53 AM on December 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Umami Dearest at 10:53 AM on December 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
I'm no expert when it comes to Japanese motors, but I'd guess there's a pretty good (>80%) chance plugging a 100 volt, 50 Hz heater and fan into a 120 volt, 60 Hz outlet will work just fine. (And there's a small but non-zero chance you'll destroy the fan.) Personally, I'd try it, if being out the cost of a dryer wasn't a huge hardship.
The cheap solution to the voltage difference is a rheostat. Versions with plugs and sockets are very commonly used for fans and power-tools and are thus pretty cheap. Anything rated over 5 amps is plenty. It's stupidly inefficient and you'll be wasting half as much power heating up your home by making the rheostat warm as you spend running the dryer. But, if you don't use it too often, that's not so bad. Finding one with a volt-meter, or buying a stand-alone volt meter, may cost a bit extra. Getting one without a volt meter and just turning the knob up until the thing works, with the knowledge that full-scale is close to 5/4 of what you want, could also work.
If the 50 Hz frequency is important to the motor timing - which is really unlikely but not entirely impossible - that's a much harder problem to solve and most commercial power adapters won't actually do it. A big DC power supply and an inverter is the only solution I know of that doesn't require lots of hands-on electronics fiddling and it will cost a lot.
posted by eotvos at 11:33 AM on December 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
The cheap solution to the voltage difference is a rheostat. Versions with plugs and sockets are very commonly used for fans and power-tools and are thus pretty cheap. Anything rated over 5 amps is plenty. It's stupidly inefficient and you'll be wasting half as much power heating up your home by making the rheostat warm as you spend running the dryer. But, if you don't use it too often, that's not so bad. Finding one with a volt-meter, or buying a stand-alone volt meter, may cost a bit extra. Getting one without a volt meter and just turning the knob up until the thing works, with the knowledge that full-scale is close to 5/4 of what you want, could also work.
If the 50 Hz frequency is important to the motor timing - which is really unlikely but not entirely impossible - that's a much harder problem to solve and most commercial power adapters won't actually do it. A big DC power supply and an inverter is the only solution I know of that doesn't require lots of hands-on electronics fiddling and it will cost a lot.
posted by eotvos at 11:33 AM on December 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
I'm no expert when it comes to Japanese motors, but I'd guess there's a pretty good (>80%) chance plugging a 100 volt, 50 Hz heater and fan into a 120 volt, 60 Hz outlet will work just fine. (And there's a small but non-zero chance you'll destroy the fan.) Personally, I'd try it, if being out the cost of a dryer wasn't a huge hardship.
Note that since the heater has a fixed resistance, it will be generating about 44% more heat ((120/100)2) than it would when plugged into a 100-V outlet. This might lead to things getting hotter than you expect, though if the heat level on the device is adjustable, you might be able to compensate for it.
posted by Johnny Assay at 2:00 PM on December 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
Note that since the heater has a fixed resistance, it will be generating about 44% more heat ((120/100)2) than it would when plugged into a 100-V outlet. This might lead to things getting hotter than you expect, though if the heat level on the device is adjustable, you might be able to compensate for it.
posted by Johnny Assay at 2:00 PM on December 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
Could you use the futon on slats (the old ikea Sultan Lade ones that were basically flat sticks stapled onto canvas ribbons) periodically, maybe for a few days at a time, to allow passive airflow underneath? I slept on a Western mattress on the floor for a few months, and used the slats underneath to keep the mattress passively aired out. Ikea doesn’t make the simple flat ones any more so I found two sets of them on Facebook Marketplace / Craigslist.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 2:52 PM on December 17, 2019
posted by nouvelle-personne at 2:52 PM on December 17, 2019
It looks to me like these are similar in function to a “bonnet hair dryer”. In that they blow some slightly heated air into a hose. There seems to be a lot of these on Amazon in about the watt rage (~500) The Japanese ones being discussed are in the $35 range.
The hold my beer and watch this version of this would involve diverting the vent from a clothes dryer into your futon and running it without a load.
posted by Short End Of A Wishbone at 3:01 PM on December 17, 2019
The hold my beer and watch this version of this would involve diverting the vent from a clothes dryer into your futon and running it without a load.
posted by Short End Of A Wishbone at 3:01 PM on December 17, 2019
A 500W Japanese voltage converter is only $40 on Amazon. A 1kW version is $65. Probably just buying one of those is the simplest, safest option.
Though if we're being honest, I'd be pretty tempted to buy the thing first and open it up, and see if it's possible to set it to some sort of low-power/low-heat setting permanently and run it on 120V. And then, I'd test it out for an extended time in the middle of an empty, tile-floored room or outside on a patch of gravel before bringing it into the house. If you are not into high-stakes amateur electrical engineering, you probably should not do this.
posted by Kadin2048 at 8:40 PM on December 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
Though if we're being honest, I'd be pretty tempted to buy the thing first and open it up, and see if it's possible to set it to some sort of low-power/low-heat setting permanently and run it on 120V. And then, I'd test it out for an extended time in the middle of an empty, tile-floored room or outside on a patch of gravel before bringing it into the house. If you are not into high-stakes amateur electrical engineering, you probably should not do this.
posted by Kadin2048 at 8:40 PM on December 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
Probably overkill, but something I'd attempt, as these units do dry carpets effectively. *Don't* ask me how I know.
posted by Armed Only With Hubris at 8:46 PM on December 17, 2019
posted by Armed Only With Hubris at 8:46 PM on December 17, 2019
Why do you need a special new appliance to dry a futon? You say you have a house which means you maybe also have a washer and dryer. So just use the clothes dryer. Put it on high heat and you kill dust mites at the same time.
If you don't have a clothes dryer at home, then take the futon to the laundromat when you do your other clothes.
posted by JackFlash at 8:53 PM on December 17, 2019
If you don't have a clothes dryer at home, then take the futon to the laundromat when you do your other clothes.
posted by JackFlash at 8:53 PM on December 17, 2019
Japan has two halves, one 50Hz and one 60Hz, because it’s weird. So the mains frequency is unlikely to break a Japan-intent fan, and the heater doesn’t care. That, at least, you can cross off the list of worries.
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 11:15 PM on December 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 11:15 PM on December 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
Also, possibly a knock off brand, but this seems to be the US version of a product that is marketed as a futon warmer in other ads, and it says nothing about voltage...
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 11:21 PM on December 17, 2019
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 11:21 PM on December 17, 2019
If it's not actually wet, an electric blanket underneath will drive of moisture. No need to food as much as I described initially
posted by theora55 at 5:17 AM on December 18, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by theora55 at 5:17 AM on December 18, 2019 [1 favorite]
Now I want one of these... 'blanket warmer'.
posted by Northbysomewhatcrazy at 1:47 PM on December 18, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Northbysomewhatcrazy at 1:47 PM on December 18, 2019 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Johnny Assay at 8:57 AM on December 17, 2019