Air dry washing
From TipThePlanet
Air drying your washing instead of putting it in the dryer is a great way to save energy. It uses no electricity or fuel, and can require nothing more than a laundry line. Many people, however, will find that a drying rack is a better option that a simple laundry line due to their location, space constraints, weather, time constraints, quantity of laundry or other factors.
Drying racks and clotheslines exist in every shape, size and type; you can buy a specialty rack or line system or 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, wall mounted, and ground-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 bulk of this page describes the many types of clotheslines and drying racks (airers)and includes pictures, cost, and capacity (feed of drying space) for a large selection of products. The remainder of the page contains lists all major manufacturers and most of the large retailers of laundry lines, drying racks, and accessories. Finally, there is 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 or uses the resources listed at the bottom of the page to find the retailer in your country with the cheapest price and shipping costs.
All prices are in US$ and are approximate.
Happy hanging!
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), 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. Another benefit of drying laundry indoors, especially in the winter, is that the moisture from the clothes can increase the indoor humidity. Finally, another benefit of drying clothes outside is that any breezes can help take wrinkles out of clothes.
Question 2: Which type of drying line/rack should I set up?
Simple Clotheslines & Pulleys
This 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.
Pulley systems are particularly useful if you access the line from a balcony.
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).
Multiline Retractable Lines
- lots of these available on the sites listed below
- Manufacturers include Austral, Artweger, Daytek, Hills, Home Laundry Company, Moerman, Stewi, and Whitney Design
- e.g. Artweger Rolldry (69 feet of drying space) from Airers4you.co.uk (£29.00)
- e.g. Austral Retractaway 40 - $280 - 164 feet or 131 feet depending on model
- e.g. Whitney Design Retractable 5-Line Mini Dryer - $10 - ?? feet
Foldable Freestanding Racks
Foldable Freestanding Racks - Classic Parallel Line type
Parallel line racks come in various sizes, shapes and quality. They generally offer more feet of drying space than other types of freestanding racks.
- Hills Indoor Clothesline ($43, 26 feet) Available from BreezeDryer.com
- Polder Argento Deluxe Freestanding Dryer ($20 or $25 / 29 feet) Despite the fact that this rack looks cheap, a friend told me hers has held up well. It is actually made all of metal. Available from Target and possibly elsewhere.
- Ikea Jall Floor Drying Rack ($6.99 / 20 feet)
- Leifheit 81500 Pegasus 100 (33 feet). Available from various websites listed below.
- Mrs. Pegg's Handy Line (35/45 feet, $174, $189 for small/large)
- Stewi Combi Maxi Dryer (~$95/ 47 feet) available from various retailers listed below.
- Stewi Libelle Universal Dryer (~$140 / 50 feet)
- Drymate Laundry Rack]] (€ 59.95 / 59 feet) from . This is an interesting pegless drying rack made by a Dutch company. They claim that using their rack you can hang a load to dry in a third the time it would take using a standard rack. Unclear whether they ship to the US or not. They also have two balcony versions.
- Leifheit 81100 Pegasus Easyhang/ Leifheit 81100 Pegasus Genius Dryer (goes by two names / $67/ 47 feet drying space / 46""W x 35.5" H x 26"D)
Foldable Freestanding Racks - Winged type
- Hills Expandable Indoor Clothesline (49 feet, US$53) from Breezedryer.com
- Home Laundry Company Easi Flex Clothes Airer/Dryer - £29.00 - 59 feet - Unique design has additional lines that slide out from the main frame.
- Eagle Drying Rack (US$60, 65 feet) from Clothes-drying-rack.com and elsewhere
- Leifheit 81520 Pegasus 200 (65 feet / footprint: 68.5" x 26") Not available in the US as of June 2008.
- Leifheit 81530 Pegasus 200 Deluxe (65 feet / footprint: 68.5" x 26" / same as above except comes with accessories)
- Leifheit 81510 Pegasus 180 (59 feet / smaller version of Pegasus 200)
- Artweger Top Dry Maxi (57 feet / 23" W x 42" H x 74" L) Available from airers4you.co.uk in the UK. Not available in the US as of June 2008
- Artweger Top Dry Mini (34 feet / £48.00) fits in your bathtub!!! Available from airers4you.co.uk in the UK; not available in the U.S.
Foldable Freestanding Racks - Butterfly type
All sorts of butterfly racks are available from the sites listed at the bottom of this page that sell cheaper racks. The general design doesn't seem to be terribly sturdy or space efficient.
e.g. Home Laundry Company Cross Wing Clothes Airer - £24.00 - 42.5 feet
Foldable Freestanding Racks - Tripod type
- e.g. Mini Fold Up Dryer ($60) model from Taylor Gifts and elsewhere.
- e.g. Whitmor 3-Arm Aluminum Outdoor Drying Rack ($50) from SpaceSavers.com and elsewhere. Very similar to picture shown above
- e.g. Whitney Design Freestanding Tripod Dryer (64 feet, $45). Available at various retailers listed below.
- The kid-sized drying racks listed below are also this type.
Foldable Freestanding Racks - X-Frame type
These 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):
Foldable Freestanding Racks - Double X-Frame type
Lots of these are out there, especially from the "earth centric" websites.
Foldable Freestanding Racks - Tower type
One of the advantages of tower racks is that they can be unfolded and used in a shower!
- Leifheit Pegasus Tower 190 ($60 / 62.3 feet / base: 1.65 x 2.1 feet)
- Leifheit Dryer Tower 300 Deluxe
Not available in the U.S. as far as I can tell.
- Hills Mobile Indoor Clothesline - $90 - 42.7 feet
- Castello Dryer ($60/$75 for small/large / ??? feet) from Stacks and Stacks and elsewhere. Reviews say the rack is not very sturdy. I've also seen the large rack under the name Aliseo Dryer.
Foldable Freestanding Racks - Other types
- Magnetic Accordion Dryer (?? feet, $70) available from Taylor Gifts and elsewhere.
- Stable Clothes Drying Rack with lockable castors (£ 169, 88 feet) Available from ProIdee.co.uk Folds flat. Stable, weatherproof and easily moved on its 4 easy-glide castors.
- Casamania Alberto Clotheshorse (15 feet) See, for example InteriorDesign.net listing. I'm not at all sure that this is still available, and it has only a paltry 15 feet of line space, but it sure is cool looking!
Wall-mounted Racks (outdoor or indoor)
Wall-mounted Racks- Large Folding Frame type (usually outdoor)
These racks are great for folks with empty exterior walls, big garages, or large basements. All of the racks (with the exception of the Versaline racks) fold flat against a wall when not in use. Most models can be also be mounted freestanding (using a ground-support system) in addition to being wall-mounted. The racks come in lots of shapes (squarish frame or long and skinny frame) and sizes (sized for person up to a whole family) to meet your needs.
The four main brands are Austral, City Living, Daytek, Hills (Hoist) and Versaline:
Austral Fold Downs These come in lots of different shapes and sizes. They can be wall mounted or freestanding. Racks are pricy, but high-quality, Australian-made, and come with a 10-year guarantee. They hang from 45 to 105 feet of laundry depending on the model.
- 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
City Living
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 Models
Daytek is an Austrialian company that currently has distributors in Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and Singapore. Unknown whether they ship to the U.S. All racks come with a 10 year guarantee.
- Single Fold Down Clothesline - 72 feet, 7.22' (L) x 3.95' (D)
- Twin Fold Down Clothesline - 70.5 feet - 7.22' (L) x 3.95' (D). This model has an inner and an outer frame that can be folded up or down separately.
- Slim Fold Down Clothesline - 36 feet - 7.22' (L) x 2.22' (D)
- Mini Fold Down Clothesline - 24.5 feet - 4.9' (L) x 2.22' (D)
Hills Models
These also come in lots of shapes and sizes. They are a bit pricey, but all Hills drying racks come with a 10 year guarantee.
(Prices given are the cheapest found AVAILABLE IN THE US.)
- 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
- Hills Duo Plus Washing Line ($330 / 70 feet)
Versaline Washing Lines These come in multiple shapes (slim and not).
Eco Washing Lines (£105.50)
Wall-mounted racks - Upside Down Umbrella type
- Whitney Design Wall Mounted Dryer (57 feet, $60)
- Brabantia WallFix ($230/ 82 feet). Available in the US from Gaiam
- Home Laundry Company Wall Mounted Clothes Dryer] - 59 feet - £19.00
Wall-mounted racks - Smaller Telescoping, Accordion, Fan, and Fold Out types (usually indoor)
There are lots of these on the market. A sampling:
- Lehmans Accordian Wall Dryer from Lehmans
- Leifheit Telegant 100 ($40/ 26 feet)
- Leifheit Telegant 70 ($28/ 11.5 feet / smaller version of Telegant 100)
- City Living Studio-line ($293 / 40 feet) (available from Urban Clothes Lines)
- Ikea Tvatta Drying Rack ($30, 37.5 feet) from Ikea Folds down.
- Ikea Antonius Drying Rack ($17/ 20 feet) It is easy to mount several of these racks on top of each other as sort of shown on the right (just imagine the shelves being replaced with drying racks). The rack itself as pictured below is actually on $13, but you'll need two wall uprights] ($2 each) to mount the rack onto.
- Madison Wall-Mounted Laundry Drying Rack ($200) from Home Decorators.com and perhaps elsewhere.
- Polder Wall Mount Accordion Clothes Dryer ($30, 12 feet) from
- Stewi Stewimat 5 Clothes Dryer ($33, 49 feet), e.g. from Stenic Products, Canada
or in the US from the Green Breeze, inc.
- Ballard Designs Beadboard Drying Rack ($85/$130 for small/large) from Ballard Designs
- Empire Clothes Dryer ($45) from Antique Hardware
- Sun Maid clothes airer (£54.90 from Eco Washing Lines
Ceiling-mounted Racks (usually indoor)
Ceiling 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.
- Deluxe Kitchen Maid Ceiling Mounted Airer from Urban Clothes Lines ($214)
- Stewi Lift Ceiling Dryer (60 feet) from [2] in Switzerland or in the US from the Green Breeze, inc.
- Laundry Lift ($85 from LaundryLift.com
- High & Dry ($59) from RoughOutBowls.com
- 1898 House Laundry Airer ($60) available from The 1898 House
Note that dowels are not included to reduce shipping costs.
- ANTONIUS Height adjustable clothes dryer from Ikea ($15 / 39 feet)
Ground-mounted racks (usually outdoor)
Free standing outdoor racks must be anchored in the ground in order to stay up. A few types and models are listed below.
T-post Racks
- Available from many of the websites listed below
- e.g. T-post clothesline from The Clothesline Shop
Rotary Racks / Umbrella Racks / Parallel Racks
- lots of models available from many of the websites listed below
- manufacturers include Austral, Breezecatcher, Hills, Home Laundry Company, Stewi
- some of these fold down (like an umbrella) for storage, while others don't
- need to be anchored (using an umbrella base, hole in the ground etc.)
- hold more laundry than almost all other deisngs
- there area also racks of this type that are free-standing and foldable; see above for details.
- e.g. Stewi First Lady Rotary Dryer (250 feet, $200)
- e.g. http://www.breezecatcher.com Breezecatcher Rotary Clothesline 3 Arms - 140 feet - $150
Off-the-Balcony/Radiator and Out-the-Window Racks
These 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 gas or electric tumble drier!
- Pictures of laundry lines around the world: Flickr Clothes Line Group
- Caravan/RV Rack; similar models available from many Caravan/Camper/RV suppliers
- Home Laundry Company Radiator/Balcony Airer - £8.00 (pack of two) - 10 feet each
- Leifheit Quartet ($20 / 7.3 feet)
- Drymate Balcony Rack ($??, 29.5 feet). This rack is from Drymate, a European company. Prices aren't listed on the website and it's not clear that you can purchase directly from them. However, this rack also doesn't seem to be available elsewhere on the internet. The balcony rack is also available in a size twice the size of the one pictured below. Anyhow, cool idea!
- This rack, apparently called The Breeze is featured on the SavvyMom website, yet the site they say sells it no longer does, and I wasn't able to find any other sellers. Seems like a great product though!
Window-Mountable Racks (usually indoor)
This 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. The only model currently on the market that I am aware of is the WindowDry rack ($35, ?? feet) made by a new startup of the same name based out of Seattle, WA. The main drawback to this design is that it does not offer as much space as many other models.
A-Frame Over Bathtub Racks
- Over-tub rack (36 feet, $34) from [http://www.organizeit.com/poovertubrack.asp OrganizeIt.com)
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- Leifheit Pegasus V ($32) - looks very similar to rack shown above
- Moerman Overbath Airer - $22 - 30 feet
Clip Racks for Socks and Underwear
- Whitmor 6171-844 Clip and Dry Hanger ($6.50, 26 clips, available lots of places)
- Whitney Design and some other brands make similar products. A nice selection is available from Organize.com
Racks Designed for Clothes Hangers
- QVC Hangaway Collapsible Drying Rack($22.50) Similar models are available elsewhere as well.
- Chrome Over Door Hanger With Nine Holes ($9) from from Stacks and Stacks and elsewhere
- Hang n' Hide Folding Laundry Rack ($30) from Stacks and Stacks and elsewhere.
Build Your Own Rack
- Instructions on HandmanWire.com explain how to build this wooden rack:
- If you're handy, you may also be able to make a replicate of an antique drying rack. Check out The Rack Collector for inspiration.
Drying Rack Covers
For keeping laundry out of the rain and preventing bleaching by the sun!
- The Mull Dryer (£100) from Isle of Mull... Apparently holds four loads of laundry!
- Rotaire Dryline from Rotaire.com Offer various sized covers that can fit most rotary racks/dryers
- Umbrella Style Cover ($150) from Urban Clothes Lines, Aussie Shade Cover Clothesline Cover and probably elsewhere
- Shade Cover designed by an Australian company: Rotary Hoist Clothesline Shade Covers
- Folding Frame Clothesline Waterproof Cover available from Life Style Clotheslines and ClevaCover
Kid-sized Drying Racks
- Peg N Play Clothesline ($25+) from LivingPlaying.com and elsewhere
- Fold N Play Clothesline ($50) from American Educational Products and elsewhere
Question 3: Where to buy drying lines/racks?
Where to Buy Durable, High-Quality Drying Racks and Lines
(Countries they ship to and brands the carry listed in parenthesis)
Manufacturers; CAN purchase products on the website
- Breezecatcher Clothes Dryers (ship to Europe, US, Canada; rotary racks only)
- Minky (based in UK, products only available in UK)
- Hills Branded Products Laundrylines (AU)
- Hills USA Site (US)
- Rotaire Dryline (UK, rotary rack covers)
- SunShine Dryer (US) umbrella rack only
- Laundry Lift (US)
- Versaline (Aust, retailers in Europe and North America)
- City Living Clothes LIne (AU, distributors worldwide)
- Wright Aluminum Ltd. (Canada) Manufacture clothesline pulleys and elevators
- The Home Laundry Company (UK, Ireland, Europe) Rotary airers, multi-line retractable, freestanding classic racks
Manufacturers; CAN NOT purchase products on the website
(good for browsing and finding a list of distributors)
- Brabantia based in Netherlands, distributors in Europe and North America
- Stewi Company (Switzerland) distributors in Europe, Canada and the US
- Leifheit based in Germany, distributers in Europe and North America
- Artweger (Austria, distributors worldwide)
- Drymate based in the Netherlands
- Austral (Australia)
- Solar Drying Systems (Canada)
Retailers
- AirerShop.co.uk (based in UK, ship to Europe) Leifheit, Brabantia
- Airers 4 You (UK) Artweger
- AustWest Clothes Lines (AU) Austral, Hills, Versaline
- Breeze Dryer (US, Canada) Hills
- Bright Green Ideas (US) umbrella and rotary racks
- CSN Stores Leifheit, Polder
- Eco Washing Lines (UK) Austral, Hills, City Living, GNU, Breezecatcher, Versaline
- Gaiam US) BreezeCatcher, rotary racks, wooden racks
- LifeStyle Clotheslines (based in Aust, have UK warehouse, will ship to US) Hills, Austral, City Living, Ezyline, covers
- LouisTools (France, Germany, UK) Leifheit
- Quality Clothes Lines (Austraila-based, ship anywhere) Austral: folding frame, retractable, folding rotary and fixed rotary
- Real Green Goods (US) most Stewi products, wood racks
- Stenic Products (Canada) Stewi
- Sydney Clothes Lines (Aust) Hills
- The Clothesline Shop (US) Cord-o-clip, umbrella dryers, Breezecatcher, Stewi, Versaline, pulleys, other
- The Clothesline Shop II
- The Consumer Link (US) Leifheit
- The Cozy Pineapple (US) Leifheit
- The Green Breeze, Inc. (US) Stewi products, umbrella dryers, wall racks, self standing racks, ceiling racks, etc.
- Urban Clothes Lines (US) Austral, Hills, Versaline, Breezecatcher
Cheaper, less durable racks
Manufacturers: CAN purchase products on website
- Ikea (International)
- Eagle Clothes Drying Rack (US) Eagle Clothes rack only
Manufacturers: CAN NOT purchase products on website
(but can browse; search the web to find retailers)
- Polder
- Whitney Design indoor racks, outdoor dryers and lines most of these products are available from Target and Amazon
- Whitmor
Retailers
- Stacks and Stacks
- Organize.com
- OrganizeIt.com Leifheit Telegant racks
- Target (US)
- Tesco (UK)
- Taylor Gifts (US)
- eClothesDryers.com (US)
Quality Wooden Racks (manufacturers and retailers)
- Ballard Designs make classy wall-mounted wooden racks
- Lehmans (US)
- Amish Home Place
- Madison Mills (US)
- GNU Airers wooden ceiling-mounted racks only, UK only
- Best of New England (wooden racks)
- Abundant Earth
- Joyful Spin Cycle
- [3]
Other
Wholesalers/Importers
Question 4: What Additional Laundry Line Wisdom Is There On the Web?
On Line Drying In General
- Clothes line blog news and info
- Project Laundry List
- On outdoor drying racks
- The Environmental Case for Choosing Energy Free Drying
- Clothesline and Washing Line review website Read product reviews and submit your own for all types of clothes drying products
- Blog for Clothesline and Laundry Industry news
- LineDry.com - Photo Art & Ideas To Inspire Hanging It Out
On How to Get the Best Results When Line-Drying Your Clothes
- Washing Lines and Clothes Pegs (from the BBC)
- Stitched in Holland Blog: How to Line Dry
- Lazy Line Dry tips from Instructables.com
On Green Laundry Practices in General
Question 5: What are all the different names for drying racks/lines etc??
(Useful to know when searching the web for options)
- names for laundry: clotheslines, laundry, washing, wash, clothes, clothing
- (clothing, clothes, laundry) hoist
- (clothing, clothes, laundry) airer
- clothesline, clothes line, laundry line
- (clothing, clothes, laundry) drying rack
- dryer
- clotheshorse, clothes horse
- whirly gig, whirlygig (UK name for outdoor dryer)
- Drying cabinet
- Drying rack
