I was looking at this product:
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11510001&search=laundry&Mo=27&cm_re=1_en-_-Top_Left_Nav-_-Top_search&lang=en-US&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&Sp=S&N=5000043&whse=BC&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntk=Text_Search&Dr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ne=4000000&D=laundry&Ntt=laundry&No=10&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nty=1&topnav=&s=1#BVRRWidgetID
It's a laundry drying rack with six rods that hang from the ceiling and can be lowered using a pulley system. I think this would be a good solution for my small laundry room that has almost no floor space, but a high ceiling. Has anyone had a positive or negative experience with a similar piece of equipment? I don't want to spend $57 on the product and more for my handyman to hang it up, and then discover that it is inconvenient to use, or that there is a better product out there.
Thanks!
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Posted 7 months ago #
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what Lucy said - I've never lived with one, but I saw them in dorms in Scotland and they do seem like a good idea.
Posted 7 months ago # -
If you live close to an Ikea they have cheaper options. Like this one http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/40176078/ or a wall mounted one like this one http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/10177178/ :) I have a standing laundry rack from ikea and I'm very happy with it. (and yes, I am aware what a stereotype I am... A Swede recommending Ikea. Lol)
Posted 7 months ago # -
I have 2 clotheslines installed in DH's basement shop, which is right next to my tiny laundry room. These get used a lot inn the winter, and to hang wet outer clothing allyear (summer laundry goes on outdoor line). I don't think I'd use rhe ceiling mounted rack due to th raising/lowering, and being i the way when in use. Besides with only two of us I'm a once or twice a few-loads-at-a-time person vs a small-load-each-day person. :)
Posted 7 months ago # -
Swede, speaking of stereotypes, I can't find either of those laundry racks on the Ikea US website. They must assume that everyone in the USA likes to use their dryers! I might check the store, but it's about an hour away.
Pkilmain, I like the idea of the pulleys because I could lower the racks to load them up, then raise them up out of my way while the laundry dries. And I'm trying to be more of a load-a-day laundrywoman, because the big piles intimidate me. I'm also trying to keep the air-drying items out of the bathrooms, where they get in people's way and annoy my husband.Posted 7 months ago # -
i know all of the mentioned alternatives except the first one from costco (it looks a bit complicated) and they work. once upon a time when i was a young student i lived in a apartment-sharing community in a house with extremely high ceilings and we had some of the regular standing laundry racks that were "hacked" to be pulled up to the ceiling. quite funny if you sit on the couch and suddely a sock or a bra is falling down, LOL.
now i don´t use them, i just fixed a clothes line in my tiny laundry room, as high as possible/ reachable. that seems to be the easiest way, simple, cheap and effective.
Posted 7 months ago # -
LOL my laundry room and bathroom are the same size, one in the basement, the other right over it on the main floor! :) No room for a standing drying rack in either. I hang my bras on a rod under the shelf in the laundry room (along with other small items, but not socks which seem to fall behind the washer too easily). I usually hang all the larger items and those that shouldn't go in the dryer, then do one dryer load of socks and wee sma's (love this term!), etc.
Posted 7 months ago # -
My laundry room is so small that it is literally just a wide, deep closet with folding doors that open off our hallway. It barely holds a standard size washer and dryer side by side, and some shelving above for rags and soap and such. I mounted one of these from one side of the wall to another and pull it out only when I have items to air dry. It works great and has held up for several years so far. It gives about six feet of drying line space, so sometimes I supplement by hanging items on plastic (non-rust or warp) hangars and then hanging those on the line. I usually leave the folding doors open while drying items but should we have an unexpected guest it's easy to just shut the mess in for a few hours then open it again later so things continue to air properly.
http://www.urbanclotheslines.com/whitney-retractable-clothes-dryer-clothesline-hotel-style
the same site (I did not purchase from this site, just using it as an example) seems to have lots of other interesting dryer line/rack solutions too
Posted 7 months ago # -
I know someone who fixed a normal outdoor washing line (that folds down when not in use) in his laundry. He has a window, so he could open the window, and the stuff would dry (in Sydney). Like this: http://www.bunnings.com.au/resources.ashx/Products/4748.800.800.0.0.90/MainImage/A50B86E09A37FD464B45EDBF0FFFDD3D/4510772_Daytek_Compact_MiniFoldDwn.jpg
It certainly fits a load or more (it's what we have outdoors at our house). But it'd only work if you haven't wall mounted your dryer or other shelves etc
Posted 7 months ago # -
STLmom, that reminds me - I have an Ikea product that I think is meant for hanging lingerie? It's a plastic octopus with 2 clips on each arm. It hangs in my kitchen and dries plastic baggies, mittens, swim suits, t-shirts, herbs, whatever. It's nice because the kitchen's warm all the time so stuff dries fast.
Posted 7 months ago # -
I can't see the link but I have one like this
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B000WP202E/ref=redir_mdp_mobile
except it was cheaper! I love it and use it all winter when drying outside is not an option, or during wet weather spells. We have it mounted at the top of the stairs where it is basically at the top of the house, it gets in the way if dh wants to go up to the loft and I'm putting washing out but it's out of the way nicely the rest of the time. Just untie the rope, let it come down, pile the washing on and pull it up out of the way and forget about it till next load. Before this we had a fold out airer which would take up valuable floor space, lots of wet washing littering the radiators, a disaster. You can get different lengths and widths but it pays to get a robust version, it holds a lot of weight. I can put one load on and quite often 2 loads, by also using one of those clippy octopus hangers for socks and undies as mentioned. And dh's shirts I will put on hangers and hang them on the airer as they are. It's a great solution as long as you have a nice, high ceiling. My friend has one hanging above her cooker in her kitchen, she has a high ceiling so it's not in the way. I have also seen people put them in corridors etc, anywhere with decent head height and a longish space.Posted 7 months ago # -
That's awesome! I live in the US and now that I'm in hardcore budget crunch mode, I'd really like to chop 10-15% (my guess) off my electric bill by using a dryer rack. It seems silly to pay to cool my apartment, only to pay more to heat it back up with a dryer... and destroying my clothes in the process!
Posted 7 months ago # -
We had these when I was a child (in Scotland), high ceilings are needed or a room that gets little through traffic. Also a location that is either fairly warm or gets a reasonable amount of ventilation otherwise things can stay damp for days and start getting a bit smelly.
Posted 7 months ago # -
One thing: for the wooden ones it was expensive getting longer wooden laths shipped (though I went for standard length in the end due to space restrictions), but they sell a kit like this and you can have wooden laths cut to your exact requirements by a handyman:
http://item.mobileweb.ebay.com/viewitem?itemId=200586454750&index=0&nav=SEARCH&nid=87484908492
Shipping is expensive from the UK but if you want a solid airer which will last forever it's the business!
Oh, link to octopus type thingy
http://item.mobileweb.ebay.com/viewitem?itemId=190590887345&index=8&nav=SEARCH&nid=09334627296
But mine is bigger and rectangular, a godsend for drying socks and small items, I assume you can get them in dryer-centric US? I've never had a dryer, I thought about it when I had ds2 and had to dry nappies as well as clothes for everyone, but having this airer solved that problem. I prefer to dry outside as the smell is scrumptious, but from now till March it's difficult to get clothes dry outdoors completely, I often half dry outdoors if the weather is ok and then bring them in to finish. The start of spring when I can line dry clothes is always a source of celebration for me!!Posted 7 months ago # -
I put a wooden closet rod above my washer & dryer and I hang up laundry to dry as needed. I can hang a whole load up if I want - it's 8 feet long at least. Super easy to do. I used the L shaped metal brackets from Lowe's
http://bit.ly/rCyU9M and gained an additional bonus shelf of storage too... three of my cat carriers live up there. Those are something I need to keep, but not something I need to use very often. Doing that freed up a huge amount of space in my master bedroom closet, where they used to be stacked in a corner.I have a folding laundry rack that stands on the floor stashed beside the washer & dryer for drying things that won't fit on hangars easily, like socks.
Posted 7 months ago # -
What d you do with sheets and towels? I have two 8 ft lines in m DH's shop and I can hang a load of clothing fine - with small things on a wooden rack - but sheets and towels, which I usually wash together, require careful space planning to fit them all on the lines. Because we heat mainly with wood, using the dryer smokes up the house unless we open a door or have a roaring fire (with our normal slow-burning fire, the intake from the dryer overpowers the stove vent and instead of going up the stovepipe the smoke gets pulled out around the closed door of the stove into the house).
Posted 7 months ago # -
Pkilmain: Sheets, towels and duvet covers I usually wash in the evening in winter, hang over the banisters before bed and they're dry by morning, then put away first thing. I can put them on the airer but this way is really easy for me, they're not making the house look messy because we are all asleep, and my linen cupboard is right next to the banister so even I find it hard to procrastinate over putting something away a metre from its home :) We have one long banister and a long handrail up one staircase which is the perfect length for sheets.
Posted 7 months ago # -
our washer is wedged between the shower stall and the wall, under the wall-mounted boiler in the bathroom, and we use the top for a tray containing all our toiletries, all hidden behind a shower curtain. On the other side of the shower stall is also a gap, in which the drying rack fits perfectly. So it is out of the way, holds a load of laundry, and then I have a small lingerie rack hooked over the wall of the shower. I hang extra trouser hangers and large moulded hangers for shirts (minimizing wrinkling or marks from the wood hangers) there. That is where I hang my "Socktopus", as I call the Ikea sock hanger.
I never thought of using one in the kitchen, but what a great idea, Rosa! It does take the wet gloves and toques in the winter too though.
for duvet covers, towels and sheets, we use a couple of pairs of trouser hangers to clamp to edges. I have several over-the-door hooks from which I hang the hangers. Very long things get hung on the kitchen curtain rod.
There is a rug-beating stand in the apartment courtyard which I will use in the summer as things dry so fast in the heat. In the winter, the indoor air is so dry that things dry quickly inside if they are hung properly.
Posted 7 months ago # -
socktopus! hahaha, can´t stop laughing, this is so funny that i NEEEEEED one just because of the name... :)
Posted 7 months ago #
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