Disclaimer: Morus sent this product to us for free for a review. That does not affect our opinion about the product. In this article, we list both what we like and dislike. Read more about this here.
Why Get a Morus Portable Clothes Dryer?
Laundry is something everyone has to deal with, eventually. Even RVers and campers need to do a few loads from time to time.
In our RV we’ve always used a hand crank Laundry Alternative Wonder Wash (click to view on Amazon) and a Laundry Alternative Spin Dryer (click to view on Amazon).
The mini washing machine works great and doesn’t take a lot of time to use, although I do want to get a small electric one in the future.
The spin dryer doesn’t use a lot of power, around 41Wh for one load. It dries laundry by spinning really fast, about twice as fast as a normal washing machine.
Clothes come out damp, but not totally dry. So I still need to hang them to finish the job.
During the wintertime, which is when we head south to chase warmer weather, I can’t always hang laundry outside because it’s often windy, or in the case of last winter, very humid.
When we camped near the humid Texas coast for a winter, our laundry took forever to line dry, and our clothes never really felt like they were getting as clean as they should.
I actually ended up going to a laundry mat most of the time, which is expensive and requires time and travel.
A mini electric clothes dryer like the Morus Zero really would have come in handy.
See Also: How To Do Laundry Efficiently When Boondocking Or RV Camping
I’m glad that we get one to try out now, because I for one am tired of hanging up bed sheets inside the RV, and having to wait for laundry to dry on cloudy days.
So why get a Morus Zero dryer?
It means fewer trips to the laundry mat. I can dry laundry within a few hours, and everything comes out sanitized and smelling fantastic.
Morus Zero Portable Dryer
Coupon: Use the code campingnerd to get $30 off at Morus.com!
Morus Zero Features
- Portable Design
- Stainless Steel Drum
- 8 Drying Programs – Smart, Quick, Shirt, Silk, Warm, Refresh, Shoe, & Sanitize.
- LCD Screen
- Time Estimation
- High Temperature Drying
- Easy Set Up – Ready to go out of the box.
- UV Light – for sanitizing
- Gets hot enough to kill mites.
- Drip Tray
- Removable Lint Filter
- Included Shoe Drying Rack
- 29 lbs
- 21 x 16 1/4 x 19 1/4 inches (LxWxH)
- 1,000-1,300 watt power rating
- 3 lbs laundry capacity
Steel Drum
The Morus portable dryer is small, but it’s very well made. The drum inside is stainless steel, just like a regular dryer.
It moves clothes according to the drying mode. So it doesn’t just spin the same the entire time.
It changes direction and speed periodically to stop laundry from getting balled up and to help everything dry evenly.
There’s even a shoe dryer mode I’ll talk about later that stops the drum from spinning.
Lint Filter
Every dryer needs to have a lint filter, and the Morus is no different. In the very back of the dryer drum there’s a large lint filter that’s magnetically attached.
To remove it, just pull it out. The mesh filter is really fine, and it catches a lot more lint than the filters on most dryers.
Once the lint has been removed, the filter snaps back into place magnetically.
Drip Tray
The water in wet laundry needs to go somewhere and since this is a portable dryer that doesn’t have any pipes or vents attached to it, the Morus uses a tray to catch dispelled water.
To empty the tray, take it out, and dump out the water.
It doesn’t fill up quick, and most of the water comes out in the air that comes out of the back of the Morus, but it’s nice to have for some of the water that leaks out the drum.
See Also: RV Condensation And 14 Ways To Prevent Mold In Your Trailer
LCD Screen
On top of the Morus there’s an LCD display and a control buttons. The screen shows the mode and estimated drying time.
The buttons are for choosing the dryer mode, changing the drying time, turning on the safety screen lock, and power.
Above it there’s some information on what each dryer setting does, which I appreciate because it’s not always easy to remember what all the symbols mean.
The screen is easy to see, even outside, and the settings are simple to use and understand.
Dryer Door
The dryer door is made of thick clear plastic. It fogs up a little sometimes during drying cycles, but it’s easy to see through most of the time.
It opens easily and closes tightly. I’m actually pretty impressed by how nice it feels. Usually mini dryers have flimsy doors that aren’t very nice.
But the door on the Morus is comparable to one on a standard home dryer.
See Also: SetPower RV45D Pro Portable Fridge Freezer Review
UV Light
UV lights have been used by hospitals for years to sterilize air and surfaces. Over the past few years, UV lights have showed up in all sorts of home appliances.
Morus dryers have a built in UV light that shines during all drying cycles.
The UV light is there to help kill bacteria and even kill mites. It’s also advertised to help reduce allergens and eliminate odors.
Shoe Drying Rack
Included with the Morus portable dryer is a wire rack that’s used for drying shoes.
The shoe drying aspect is one of my favorite features of the Morus dryer. It’s really easy to set up, and it works better than regular shoe dryers.
It’s great for camping, because our shoes get wet all the time from walking around during the morning hours or crossing streams on hikes.
A shoe dryer is a great thing to have in the RV and even at home.
Using the Morus mini dryer for shoes will keep them nice and get rid of any odors. It’s also healthier for your feet when shoes are dry and bacteria free.
The rack sits on two of the drum baffles (the plastic fin things).
Use the shoe drying mode, otherwise the drum will turn and the rack and shoes will be knocked down.
See Also: What Is The Best Vacuum Cleaner For RVs & Campers?
Other Features
On the back of the Morus, there’s another on/off switch and the outlet for the removable power cord.
The back vent has a removable cover for cleaning or replacing.
Morus Zero Portable Dryer Testing
Drying Ability
There’s no doubt that this portable mini dryer can get very hot inside. It got my laundry very dry and hot.
My first drying test was a pair of jeans and a thick hoodie using the smart mode.
It estimated a 90 minute drying time. It ended up taking 98 minutes before it shut off.
The jeans and hoodie were super hot when it was finally done. I think I could have stopped the dryer after 80 minutes and they would have been dry.
I also tried trying a small throw blanket to see if it performed better when everything inside was the same type of material.
It took about an hour to get it totally dry, and once again, by the time it stopped on its own, the blanket was really hot, but it was dry and felt really clean.
See Also: The Best Camping Gas Generators That Will Run Your RV AC
The second the dryer turned off, I opened it up and took the temperature of the stainless steel wall drum. It was around 167°F, which is even hotter than most dryers get.
The temperature of the blanket was 82°F, which was maybe a little too hot, but at least I know the dryer part of the Morus Zero really works.
Power Usage
Morus has never advertised this portable dryer as a good appliance for boondockers and off grid living.
It’s a small dryer that’s good for small living spaces like apartments, dorms, tiny homes, and RVs with hookups.
The Morus dryer uses a lot of electricity. It’s most likely not the right appliance for those of us who mostly use solar power and camp without electrical hookups.
It could still be used if you have a large generator that can handle a 1,400 watt output, but you are going to need to run the generator for at least an hour for just one load.
The onboard generator on our motorhome has a 2,000 watt power output. It’s large enough to run the air conditioner. The Morus dryer was no problem for it.
See Also: Best Portable Power Station/Solar Generator For Camping
I could also power the Morus using a BougeRV portable power station (click to view on Amazon). Its inverter rating is 1,200 watts, but the peak is 2,000 watts.
A dryer like the Morus is certainly pushing it to the edge of its capabilities, and I don’t think it’s something I’ll use all the time.
Using the BougeRV power station shows that a large power station can power this portable dryer.
For campers who are connected to power, like at an RV park, the Morus Zero is a fantastic little dryer that doesn’t take up nearly as much space as a regular dryer.
The Morus dryer plugs it into a regular 15 amp outlet, so you won’t need to install anything to use it.
Power Rating
The info sticker on the bottom of the Morus portable dryer states that the power rating is 1000-1,300 watts.
My watt-o-meter showed the power usage bumping up to as high as 1,377 watts.
If you are using an inverter, portable power station, or generator, make sure you have something that can handle at least 1,500 watts.
It only got that high for a few seconds at a time. It mostly bounced between 1,000 and 70 watts.
I think the fan runs most of the time at 70 watts. When the heating elements kicks in every now and again, the power spikes for a little while then goes back down.
Watts Per Load
For the 90 minute hoodie and jeans load, the Morus mini dryer used 620 watt hours.
When it dried the blanket, it used 520 watt hours.
If you compare that to my simple spin dryer, that’s 15 times more power used for less laundry.
But when compared to a regular home dryer, it’s actually not that bad. The average home dryer will use around 3,000 watt hours per hour.
Yes, the home dryer can fit a lot more laundry, but you could do over 6 loads of laundry in the Morus and use the same amount of power as the regular sized dryer.
So when compared to a regular dryer, the Morus maybe even uses a little less power.
For one or two people who don’t make a lot of dirty laundry, the Morus portable dryer pared with a small washing machine like the Black+Decker (click to view on Amazon) could be a better option than a full sized washer and dryer.
You can do laundry more often, it’s easier to sort colors when you’re only doing small loads, and you don’t have to wait more than a week to build up enough dirty clothes build up a full load of laundry.
Moisture Output
Before I get into my thoughts about the Morus portable dryer, I wanted to mention one major thing you need to expect with this type of dryer.
Since this is a portable dryer, there are no vent pipes that lead outside. That means all the moist air coming out of the back of the dryer stays in the room.
There is a small drip tray underneath the dryer that catches some of the moisture, but it doesn’t get everything.
I have a little wind meter that also tests temperature and humidity.
I tested the air coming out of the Morus about 30 minutes into a drying program.
The air was so moist the humidity percentage went past 99% and just said “Hi”.
It’s so moist that the floor behind the dryer was wet after drying a load of laundry.
This isn’t unusual for this type of dryer, and it’s something you should expect whenever you use a non-vented appliance like this.
I suggest using it in front of an open window, in the bathroom with the fan on (if your bathroom has a fan), or even outside.
Otherwise the room it’s in will get very humid and there’s a risk for mold growth.
See Also: RV Life Hack: Stop Moisture & Mold Growth Under RV Mattress
Morus Portable Dryer Review
First, I want to say that this dryer works really well.
I think the fast 15 minute dry time they advertise is for small articles of clothing like a few shirts, but for regular loads of laundry expect it to take 60-90 minutes.
I’m someone who doesn’t like to use a dryer for most of my clothes because I don’t like them to get too hot and shrink.
But I love being able to dry things like towels, bed sheets, and blankets, so they’re soft and sanitized.
The Morus dryer is perfect for things like that, and for shoes, it’s fantastic.
Compared to other mini dyers, the Morus is pretty small and easy to move around. It should be easy to find a good spot to store it in a small home or large RV.
See Also: 7 Must Haves For Organizing Small RV Kitchens & Cabinets
The design is unique as well. It looks good sitting on a counter.
It fits on the dinette table in our small RV, but I’ve started to use it in the bathtub.
I know that sounds crazy at first but it fits in there perfectly. The shower walls catch a lot of moisture and the bathroom fan gets rid of the rest.
The main complaint I’ve seen about this dryer is the moist air that comes out of the back. It’s an issue if you don’t have any ventilation, but you can get creative and find solutions.
If you really have no good ventilation options, you could get a dryer vent pipe to move the air somewhere else.
Overall, I think this is a fantastic little portable dryer.
It gets very hot, doesn’t use more electricity than a regular dryer, and it’s an excellent solution for small living spaces like RVs or apartments.
Morus Zero Portable Dryer
Coupon: Use the code campingnerd to get $30 off at Morus.com!
Have questions about the Morus Zero Portable Clothes Dryer? Leave a comment below.
