Air dry clothes
Air drying your clothing 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 for drying your clothes, 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 for airdrying 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] 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).
[edit] Multiple Line Retractable Lines
- lots of these available on the sites listed above
- Rolldry - 70 feet of drying space at http://www.airers4you.co.uk
- e.g. Austral Retractaway 40 from Urban Clothes Lines ($280)and Quality clotheslines ($185au)
- e.g. Whitney Design Retractable 5-Line Mini Dryer ($10)
[edit] 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
[edit] Ceiling-mounted (indoor) laundry racks
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 Stewi
- 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)
[edit] Foldable Freestanding racks
[edit] Parallel Line Racks
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 ($40, 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.
- Ikea Jall Floor Drying Rack ($6.99 / 20 feet)
- Leifheit 81500 Pegasus 100 (33 feet)
- Mrs. Pegg's Handy Line (35/45 feet, $xx, $150 for small/large)
- Stewi Combi Maxi Dryer ($155/ 47 feet)
- Stewi Libelle Universal Dryer ($150 / 65 feet)
- Drymate laundry Rack ($??/ 59 feet) from Drymate. This is an interesting pegless drying rack made in Europe. It looks like the company is just getting off the ground though. 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)
[edit] Tower Racks
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.
- 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.
[edit] Butterfly Racks
All 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
- Hills Expandable Indoor Clothesline (49 feet, US$50) from Breezedryer.com
- 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.
[edit] X-Frame Racks
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):
[edit] Double X-Frame Racks
Lots of these are out there, especially from the "earth centric" websites.
[edit] Other Free Standing Racks
- Magnetic Accordion Dryer ($70) available from Taylor Gifts and elsewhere.
- 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!
- 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.
[edit] Wall mounted racks
[edit] Large (Usually Outdoor) Wall Mounted Racks
There are four main companies that make these:
- Austral Fold downs These come in lots of different shapes and sizes! One smaller model is shown below. They can be wall mounted or freestanding. Pricey but well-made. Racks are high-quality, Australian-made, and come with a 10-year guarantee. They hang from 45 to 105 feet of laundry depending on the model.
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
- Versaline Washing Lines These come in multiple shapes (slim and not). Example: Eco Washing Lines (£105.50)
- Hills Drying Racks 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! Also, Hills came out with a new model, the Supa Fold, in 2008 which is much more affordably priced than their old models.
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
- City Living racks:
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/$248 with extra space attachment
- Daytek Racks.
Daytek is an Austrialian company that makes drying racks and wheelbarrows. Currently have distributors in Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and Singapore. Unknown whether they ship to the U.S. Product info is available on the Daytek website.
Models:
Twin Fold Down Clothesline - 7.22' (L) x 3.95' (D) - 66 feet - US$?? (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
- Brabantia WallFix ($230/ 82 feet). Available in the US from Gaiam
[edit] Small (Indoor) Telescoping, Accordion, Fan, and Fold Out Wall Mounted Racks
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
- 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
[edit] Free standing and wall-mounted outdoor racks
Free standing outdoor racks must be anchored in the ground in order to stay up. A few models are listed below.
[edit] T-post Racks
- available from many of the websites listed above
- e.g. T-post clothesline from The Clothesline Shop
[edit] Rotary Racks/ Umbrella Racks/ Parallel Racks
- lots of models available from many of the websites listed above
- 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.)
- e.g. First Lady Rotary Dryer from Bright Green Ideas
- Also models from Austral, Breezecatcher and Hills, available at Austral Urban Clothes Lines and elsewhere
- Mini Fold Up Dryer ($60) model from Taylor Gifts and elsewhere (pictured below). Whitmor 3-Arm Aluminum Outdoor Drying Rack ($50) from SpaceSavers.com is very similar.
[edit] Folding Frame Racks
These 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.
- Austral Compact 28 ( $164/ 93 feet) -- Just one of many Austral models -- Available on many websites
- Hills Duo Plus Washing Line in image below($330 / 70 feet) -- Just one of MANY Hills Models -- Available on many websites
[edit] Off-the-Balcony 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 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
- 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!
[edit] 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
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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!
- 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
- Rotaire Dryline from Rotaire.com
[edit] 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
[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
- The Clothesline Shop LLC
- Breezecatcher Clothes Dryers (ship to Europe, US, Canada) rotary racks only
- Minky (based in UK, products only available in UK)
- The Clothesline Shop II
- Hills Branded Products Laundrylines
- SunShine Dryer (US) umbrella rack only
- Laundry Lift (US)
- Versaline (Aust, retailers in Europe and North America)
- City Living Clothes LIne (Austrailia, distributors worldwide)
- Wright Aluminum (Canada) Manufacture clothesline pulleys and elevators
[edit] 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 Swiss Made
- Leifheit based in Germany, distributers in Europe and North America
- Artweger (Austria, distributors worldwide)
- Drymate based in the Netherlands
- Austral (Australia)
[edit] Retailers
- Project Laundry List (US) Leifheit, Hills, Stewi, wooden racks
- Eco Washing Lines (UK) Austral, Hills, City Living, GNU, Breezecatcher, Versaline
- Urban Clothes Lines (US) Austral, Hills, Versaline, Breezecatcher
- The Clothesline Shop (US) Cord-o-clip, umbrella dryers, Breezecatcher, Stewi, Versaline, pulleys, other
- Breeze Dryer (US, Canada) Hills
- Lifestyle Clothes Lines (based in Aust, have UK warehouse, will ship to US) Hills, Austral, City Living, Ezyline, covers
- Airers 4 You (UK) Artweger
- Sydney Clothes Lines (Aust) Hills
- Outdoor & Indoor ClotheslinesUSA
- AustWest Clothes Lines (Aust) Austral, Hills, Versaline
- Quality Clothes Lines (Austraila-based, ship anywhere) Austral: folding frame, retractable, folding rotary and fixed rotary
- Stenic Products (US, Canada) Stewi
- Bright Green Ideas (US) umbrella and rotary racks
- Real Green Goods (US) most Stewi products, wood racks
- Gaiam US) BreezeCatcher, rotary racks, wooden racks
- The Cozy Pineapple (US) Leifheit
- LouisTools (France, Germany, UK) Leifheit
- AirerShop.co.uk (based in UK, ship to Europe) Leifheit, Brabantia
- The Consumer Link (US) Leifheit
- CSN Stores Leifheit, Polder
[edit] Cheaper, less durable racks
(where they ship to)
[edit] Manufacturers: can buy products on website
- Ikea
- Eagle Clothes Drying Rack (XXX rack only)
[edit] Manufacturers: CAN NOT buy 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
[edit] Retailers
- Stacks and Stacks
- Organize.com
- OrganizeIt.com Leifheit Telegant racks
- Target (US)
- Tesco (UK)
- Taylor Gifts (US)
- eClothesDryers.com (US)
[edit] 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
[edit] Other
[edit] Wholesalers/Importers
[edit] Question 4: What Additional Laundry Line Wisdom Is There On the Web?
[edit] On Line Drying In General
- Compare Austral Addaline 35 with Hills and Daytek
- Compare Austral Standard 28 with Hills and Daytek
- Compare Austral Compact 28 with Hills and Daytek
- Compare Austral Slenderline 14 with Hills and Daytek
- Compare Austral Retractaway 40 with Hills and Daytek
- 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
[edit] 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
[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)
- names for laundry: Austral 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
