Air dry washingFrom TipThePlanetAir drying your washing instead of putting it in the dryer is a great way to save energy. It uses no electricity or fuel, and requires little if any equipment. Drying racks and clotheslines exist in every shape, size and type--you can buy something matched to your needs, or you use something as simple as a rope or a shower-curtain rod. There are smaller freestanding foldable and wall-mounted racks for use inside, and larger freestanding and wall mounted ones for use in a yard or on a balcony. There are even racks designed to fit over a bath tub or in a shower! This begins with a selection of pictures showing the many types of airers, dryers and clotheslines, and then lists all major manufacturers and most of the largest retailers. There is also a list of links with information on line-drying techniques, and line drying activism activities (yes, there is a non-profit devoted to promoting laundry lines!) The best way to use this site is to find the name of the product you want, and to then search Google to find the retailer in your country with the cheapest price and shipping costs. Also please note that all prices are in US$ and are approximate. Finally, many of these racks are listed on a GreenHome.huddler.com, a new green living site that contains a product reviews and other content. It has a great interface and is very easy to use. Check out the listings for drying racks (and review any racks you might have!) here: http://greenhome.huddler.com/products/category/clotheslines-drying-racks Happy hanging!
[edit] Question 1: Indoor or outdoor line/rack?One big question is whether to place air drying racks or lines indoors or outdoors. It is generally best to keep laundry out of the direct sun (which can bleach some dyes), so thus an indoor location or shaded outdoor location is preferable. It is important that indoor laundry-drying areas be well ventilated so that the washing doesn't become moldy as it dries. Washing put to dry outdoors also usually requires clothes pins in order to keep clothing from blowing off. Though generally not a big problem, clothes pins can create "dents" in fabric that may be noticeable when clothing is worn. However, if clothespins are placed in inconspicuous spots (in the underarm area of shirts, for example), this shouldn't be a problem. [edit] Question 2: Which type of drying line/rack should I set up?[edit] Indoor Window Mountable Drying RackThis type of laundry rack mounts to windows or other non-porous surfaces using industrial suction cups. This allows for highly portable laundry drying without a permanent mounting.
Example of a window mountable rack by the company WindowDry A new startup from Seattle WA.
[edit] Simple Clotheslines & PulleysThis is just your basic laundry line! The simplest solution is to use a simple rope. You can also purchase a retractable laundry line that mounts to a wall. These lines come with a hook on the end of the line that must be attached to an opposite wall, or a piece that you mount on an opposite wall that the end of the line attaches to. Example of a retractable clothesline: Clotheslines can also be set up with a pulley system to make hanging clothes easier (you stay in one spot while the clothesline and clothes move). The Clotheslines Shop carries all sorts of pulley kits: A Canadian Company, Wright Aluminum makes all sort of clothes pulleys and pulley elevators.
An Austrailian company called EzyLine has also come up with a "pegless" laundry line: There is also a product called the Tibbeline that lets you hang clothes on hangers and thus take up less space: An amusing product called the Cord-O-Clip that automatically clips your washing onto the line:[1] Finally, if you don't care much about "dimples" on your dried clothing, barbed wire lines are a cheap, easy, and pegless alternative to a normal line that ensures your clothes won't blow away. (Barbed wire lines are used in many developing countries). [edit] Multiple Line Retractable Lines
[edit] Clip Racks for Socks and Underwear
[edit] Ceiling-mounted (indoor) laundry racksCeiling mounted racks are attached to a pulley that allow one to lower the rack for hanging laundry, and then raise it out of the way to dry.
Note that dowels are not included to reduce shipping costs.
[edit] Foldable Freestanding racks[edit] Parallel Line RacksParallel line racks come in various sizes, shapes and quality. They generally offer more feet of drying space than other types of freestanding racks.
[edit] Tower RacksOne of the advantages of tower racks is that they can be unfolded and used in a shower!
Not available in the U.S. as far as I can tell.
[edit] Butterfly RacksAll sorts of butterfly racks are available from the sites listed at the bottom of this page that sell cheaper racks. An example is shown below: The general design doesn't seem to be terribly sturdy or space efficient.
[edit] Winged Racks
[edit] X-Frame RacksThese are the racks most commonly available in American stores. They are a poor choice, however, for anyone serious about line drying their clothes as they offer few feet of actual drying space and are awkward to hang clothes on, especially since the rods are placed vertically one on top of another and thus clothes overlap and dry more slowly. Whitney Design makes a number of these in metal, plastic, and wood that are available through Target and Amazon. A number of the smaller sites also make hand-crafted wooden x-frame racks. A variation on the typical x-frame racks above is the Polder Deluxe 2-Tier Dryer (available from Target and elsewhere; there is also a 3-tier version):
[edit] Double X-Frame RacksLots of these are out there, especially from the "earth centric" websites.
[edit] Other Free Standing Racks
[edit] Wall mounted racks[edit] Large (Usually Outdoor) Wall Mounted RacksThere are four main companies that make these:
Some of their other models: Available at Quality clotheslines Austral Addaline 35 – 7.87ft (W’) x 4.92’ (D)– 105 feet – US$399.00 Austral Unitline 15 – 4.2’ (W) x 2.82’ (D) – 45 feet – US$267.00 Austral Standard 28 – 7.87’ (W) x 4.92’ (D)– 84 feet – US$293.00 Austral Compact 28 – 7’11” (W) x 3’2” (D) – 84 feet – US$279.00 Austral Slenderline 15 – 7.87’ (W) x 1.64’ (D) – ?? feet - US$285.00 Austral Slenderline 20 – 9.9’ (W) x 1.5’ (D) – 60 feet – US$309.50 Compare Fold downs, Austral, Hills and Daytek. Compare clotheslines
Models: (Prices given are the cheapest found AVAILABLE IN THE US. Website is the retailer with that price) Hills Paraline Duo Plus - 7'3" (W) x 5'2" (D) - 70 feet - US$149 Hills (Paraline) Mono - 7'4" (W) x 5'5" (D) - 70 feet - US$90 Hills Supa Fold 70 - 4' (W) x 2' 5" (D) - 23 feet - US$108 Hills Supa Fold 120 - 7'4" (W) x 2' 5" (D) - 39 feet - US$120 Hills Supa Fold 190 - 11' (W) x 2.6' (D) - 62 feet - US$148 Hills Supa Fold 210 - 7'4" (W) x 5'6" (D) - 68+ feet - US$144 Hills Supa Fold 230 Advantage - 7.2' (L) x 5' (W)- 75 feet - US$206 Compare Fold downs, Austral, Hills and Daytek. Compare clotheslines
Models: City Living Flat Line - 6.9' (W) x 30", 36", 48", 60" (depending on model) - 61ft, 67.5ft, 81ft, 96ft (depending on model; all #s assume attachment included) - $298/$248 with extra space attachment
Daytek is an Austrialian company that makes drying racks and wheelbarrows. Currently have distributors in Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and Singapore. Unknown whether they ship to the U.S. Product info is available on the Daytek website. Models: Twin Fold Down Clothesline - 7.22' (L) x 3.95' (D) - 66 feet - US$?? (two separately foldable frames) Single Fold Down Clothesline (shown below) - 7.22' (L) x 3.95' (D) - 66 feet - US$?? (one frame) Slim Fold Down Clothesline - 7.22' (L) x 2.22' (D) - ?? feet - US$?? Mini Fold Down Clothesline - 4.9' (L) x 2.22' (D) - ?? feet - US$?? Compare Fold downs, Austral, Hills and Daytek. Compare clotheslines
[edit] Small (Indoor) Telescoping, Accordion, Fan, and Fold Out Wall Mounted RacksThere are lots of these on the market. A sampling:
or in the US from the Green Breeze, inc.
[edit] Free standing and wall-mounted outdoor racksFree standing outdoor racks must be anchored in the ground in order to stay up. A few models are listed below. [edit] T-post Racks
[edit] Rotary Racks/ Umbrella Racks/ Parallel Racks
[edit] Folding Frame RacksThese racks are great for folks with empty exterior walls. There are THREE MAIN BRANDS, Austral, Hills (Hoist) and Versaline. The Austral and Hills racks can be folded flat against the wall when not in use. The Versaline racks can be removed when not in use. Many models can be free standing below or wall-mounted. These racks come in lots of shapes (normal or long and skinny) and sizes (sized for person up to a whole family) to meet your needs. Pictures of a Versaline racks can be seen in an earlier section. Austral and Hills racks shown below. Finally note that while Austral racks tend to be on this expensive side, they are made in Australia and thus purchasing them supports the Australian economy.
[edit] Off-the-Balcony and Out-the-Window RacksThese are very popular in Europe, but are hard to find in the U.S. In fact, they're built into many balcony railings in Italy, where almost no one owns a tumble drier!
[edit] A-Frame Over Bathtub Racks
[edit] Racks Designed for Clothes Hangers
Image:Hang n' Hide Folding Laundry Rack.jpg [edit] Build Your Own Rack
[edit] Drying Rack CoversFor keeping laundry out of the rain and preventing bleaching by the sun!
[edit] Kid-sized Drying Racks
[edit] Question 3: Where to buy drying lines/racks?[edit] Durable, high quality drying lines and racks(where they ship to) [edit] Manufacturers; can purchase products on the website
[edit] Manufacturers; CAN NOT purchase products on the website(good for browsing and finding a list of distributors)
[edit] Retailers
[edit] Cheaper, less durable racks(where they ship to) [edit] Manufacturers: can buy products on website
[edit] Manufacturers: CAN NOT buy products on website(but can browse; search the web to find retailers)
[edit] Retailers
[edit] Quality Wooden Racks (manufacturers and retailers)
[edit] Other[edit] Wholesalers/Importers[edit] Question 4: What Additional Laundry Line Wisdom Is There On the Web?[edit] On Line Drying In General
[edit] On How to Get the Best Results When Line-Drying Your Clothes
[edit] On Green Laundry Practices in General[edit] Question 5: What are all the different names for drying racks/lines etc??(Useful to know when searching the web for options)
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