Airers Guide

What is a clothes airer?

Ideally, we'd hang our clothes outside, but due to the weather or perhaps restricted outdoor access, the best way to dry clothes indoors is by using a clothes airer (also known as a clothes rack). The indoor clothes airer is a stand or frame on which you can put clothes to help air dry. They come in various shapes and sizes, from smaller ones to larger ones that can fit masses of clothes and different colours; you're sure to find something to match your decor.

 How do you choose a clothes airer?

Letting your clothes dry naturally will have various benefits for your clothing. If you're looking to improve the way your clothes dry, choosing an airer is a great option. Find one that fits your space and your decor.

From an airer, you want something lightweight but is sturdy, folds flat and is easy to store to save space when laid flat or sideways. Larger ones have three tiers whilst others are smaller, which you can attach to a radiator for a faster drying process placed directly next to hot air.

Our clothes airers bad for your health?

Drying clothes indoors can cause mould to form as more moisture in the air needs somewhere to go. If you've got wet clothes, they won't just be heavier and cause more strain on the airer, but they'll add a lot more moisture to the air than if the clothes are spun dry a little and finished off on the airer.

Wall-mounted

Wall-mounted airers are great space savers. If you don't have the floor space, securing an airer to the wall offers an easy alternative. Being close to the wall can reduce airflow, meaning clothing may take longer than a traditional airer with multidirectional airflow.

Tiered Airers

Tiered airers offer great flexibility with a large amount of space. The most common is the three-tiered airer, with most holding around 10kg to 15kg of damp clothing, enabling you to dry clothes quicker, ready to dry the next load.

Wing

Wing airers resemble a table with a large surface on top and space to the sides of the base. These can be great for drying longer items like bedsheets and towels as they allow the material more room to spread out and dry quicker.

Ceiling airers

Like wall-mounted, ceiling aires are great for areas where space is at a premium. Perfect for dorms and small rooms, adding hanging space from above is ideal if you've not got too much space available.

Radiator Airer

Give your clothes drying a significant boost by getting a radiator airer. The high heat will dry clothes much quicker, and you'll save on floor space.

Rotary Airers

Also called umbrella airers, these indoor versions are easy to store away & offer fantastic coverage with up to 40m space. They are great for households where storage is an issue.

Heated

Heat airers can be great for getting smaller amounts of clothes dried quicker, but it's not a speed drying but faster than a regular airer.

What's the difference between drying clothes using a clothes airer VS drying clothes in a dryer?

Clothing made from delicate fabrics can be easily damaged during the washing cycle and whilst drying. The combined high heating and agitation in machine drying tends to shrink certain textile materials, leading to colour fading and helps to wear and tear, which compromises the fabric's durability over time.

Clothes airer

Air drying clothes can be better for the fabrics than using a dryer. They are kinder to the material and are allowed to dry naturally without exposing it to high heat levels for a prolonged period.

Tumble dryer

They are great for drying clothes fast if you've got the space for them. However, as the name suggests, there's a lot of tumbling, which means clothes rub against others or themselves; this creates friction, causing fabrics to fray and wear out faster. The main benefit to using the one is that it saves you time and gets you through loads of damp clothing fast.

Outside

Here in the UK, we don't have the option to hang out washing year-round, but this can be a great way to dry clothes effectively when the sun is out. The biggest downside is that the sun's UV rays could bleach the material of your clothing, and every so often, you could find a little bit (or a lot) of bird poo on your clothes.

This varies depending on how wet and how thick the material drying is. It can take between 4 – 12 hours, or up to 24 hours or even longer for thicker materials.

Weight of the clothes

The weight of the clothes has a significant effect on drying times. Heavy towels will take much longer than t-shirts to dry out.

How wet are they?

Wet washing will take longer to dry. Damp towels can take six hours to dry, whereas wet towels could take up to 24 hours to fully dry and may still feel wet when they are cold.

What's the internal temperature?

Clothes on the airer will dry significantly fast in a house that's 19 degrees rather than 10 degrees. Try to position the airer in a place with good air circulation.

Is it heated?

Generally speaking, heated airers will dry clothes up to four times faster than traditional airers. Whilst they will dry your clothes faster, it's not instant.

What about heating clothes airers?

Heated clothes airers can be a great option.

How long to dry clothes on a heated airer?

This is an interesting question, and the answer is quite varied. Electric airers are great; however, they do have their limitations. It can be hours if you're drying a few lightweight t-shirts, but drying heavier garments such as hoodies or oversized jumpers can take around 12 hours to get your clothes dry.

They don't make your clothes dry super quick; their main benefit is they do dry clothes quicker when compared to a standard airer.

Can a heated airer cause dampness?

There's water and heat; there's always the risk of condensation. If you're searching for a heated airer, you've probably heard about the risk of dampness. The wetter your clothes are, the more likely the chance of developing condensation in a room with poor airflow.

Over time this can cause severe issues of dampness, mould and more. Some people like to use a dehumidifier which helps takes moisture out of the atmosphere.

All clothing that has woven fabrics must be dried. The garments should be air-dried to ensure they don't get damaged; Wool and silk, in particular, should never be placed into a tumble dryer, as the fabrics will be shrunk and destroyed. 

The bottom of some airers is just the individual legs, whereas on others, they are horizontal and the width of the airer. If you're going to be dragging your clothes airer along the floor, the legs must be protected with caps. This will help to protect the floor from getting scratched or torn.

Cheaper airers use cheaper materials which might not last that long and could leave your clothes collapsed in a heap. Most airers are made from steel or aluminium. If you plan on using your airer inside and out, stainless steel would be best as it's rust-resistant. It's preferable to have a strong airer that won't break under the capacity of heavy clothing and towels.

• wood autoclave-treated

powder-coated steel is cheap and lightweight but won't last long

stainless steel is heavy and can be used outside

aluminium won't rust and lightweight, highly resistant

plastic usually combined with another material

Key features to look for

Capacity and strength: Inferior airers can collapse, leaving you to pick up your clothes off the floor.

 Anti-collapse system: Add stability and protect tiny inquisitive hands

Foldable: Perfect for storing in tighter spaces

Mobility: Some airers have wheels attached which makes moving around easy.

Attachments and extras: the most common extra are extendable handles that you can hang lightweight items like shirts on

Material

Wood is aesthetically beautiful and sustainable but prone to moulds and mildew. Clothes airers can also contain several material choices. Stainless steel and aluminium are the most durable.

Flexibility 

Is it easy to move around? Will it fit into multiple locations? Also, see if it offers extra accessories; for example, does it have hangers that you can hang work shirts or trousers on?

Sturdiness

Sturdiness is essential, especially when drying heavier items like towels or duvet covers. We suggest that you look for lock mechanisms that help keep things upright, preventing them from collapsing.

Capacity

You'll find airers that can store up to 10 meters squared of clothing whilst others hold 40 meters. Most clothes airers will have about one wash load's worth of clothes for a regular wash. If you're doing a lighter load than on the higher capacity airers, you might be able to get two wash loads in.

Covers

Some heated clothes airers come with a cover. This helps keep the heat focused around the clothes and allows for the moisture to escape.

 Size

It's not just how many clothes you can dry but also the size of airer when it's in use and collapsed. Some airers, when collapsed, can be around 30cm, whereas slimmer ones can squeeze down to about 15 to 20 cm.

Washing Lines

It is usually relatively simple to install (check the maximum weight limits) and fix the line from point A to point B, ensuring it's not likely someone will walk into it.

Rotary Airers

Rotary airers offer the best way to aid in the drying of clothes. The most significant benefits are a large capacity, and some models can spin around, helping to air dry your clothes in the breeze. You may find that you need a professional tradesperson to help install a rotary friendly socket in the garden where you can place it.

Are you tired of using expensive tumble dryers that shrink your clothes?

It is never a pleasant chore to wash and dry clothes, and finding the right clothes airer can help you ease the load. People are hesitant about buying airers because they are heavier, fragile and take longer to dry clothes than dryers.

However, using an airer can reduce energy bills – and don't forget that not all of the clothes in your home can go into the washer. 

How much to spend?

You can find some bargain airers for under £10; however, they will be using cheaper materials and won't last as long. With cheaper airers, you can find that even with a few damp towels, they can buckle under the weight, so in the long run, it's better to spend a little bit more for a high-quality airer that will last you for the long haul.

Look to spend between £20 to £40 for a reliable airer, but always be aware, any airer can become damaged if the weight capacities are exceeded.

What's an excellent alternative to a clothes airer?

When it comes to drying clothes indoors, we're pretty limited. The best alternative is to get a washing line installed somewhere you can leave your clothes to dry. If you've got no space, you could try going with a line in the kitchen. This has the added benefit that you'll be forced to remove them and fold them up so you can use your kitchen freely.

Can you leave a heated clothes airer on overnight?

Leaving any electrical equipment on for any prolonged period may pose risks. For example, most heated airers aren't using vast amounts of energy compared to a fan heater. Most heated air clothes airers plug into the wall and have the usual safety features you'd expect with any electrical item, but accidents can happen, so it's best not to leave it turned on unattended for more extended periods.

Are heated clothes airers cheap to run?

The average wattage of a heated airer is around 250-400w, whereas, for a tumble dryer, you're looking at about 2500W. Running a heated airer per minute is cheaper in the short run; however, for larger, heavier loads, it could be more efficient to use a tumble dryer if you need your clothes to dry quicker.

A heated dryer may be cheaper at one hour but can dry a load of laundry within two hours, whereas it will take significantly longer to dry on a heated airer, especially if the temperature is cold.