Drying rack suitable for apartment [Archive]

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wallydraigle

2-24-11, 11:07pm

Hi all! Most of you probably don't remember me, but I was around a lot at the old forum. I moved right around the same time the forum switched over, and things have been CRAZY here for one reason or another ever since. It has not been a great time for frugality. :P

Anyway, our new apartment does not have an HE washer. *sob* I do SO MUCH laundry. It makes me cringe to thing of all the money that's going down the drain. Cloth diapering is still much more economical, but not like it was. Anyway, there's nothing I can do about that, but I CAN start air-drying clothes more. Problem is, there's no place for it in here. We can't put stuff on the walls that can't be patched up really easily (so, no hooks/lines heavy duty enough to bear weight), and with two toddlers, there isn't any space to put a drying rack unless I did ALL our laundry at night, which isn't possible.

So I'm looking for a high-capacity drying rack that can go over the backs of the laundry room doors, one that will fold up and won't hang out too far from the door, or it will bump into the appliances, and the door won't shut. It would also be great if the bars were thin enough that I could use clothespins. Any suggestions? I've only found one on Amazon that looks like it might work, but the photo is terrible. And since this is to SAVE money, I don't want to spend gobs of money on it. :)

Thanks!

Bootsie

2-25-11, 12:31am

I live in an apartment and I use the shower rod and hangers as a drying rack. Hang the wet clothes on hangers and then hang on the shower rod. I also have a pull-up bar in one doorway. If I have clothes hanging in the tub when I need to take a shower, I move the hangers to the pull-up bar. And, for many clothes, once the clothes are dry, I just transfer them to the closet. I can't do ALL my drying this way (and frankly, I fell out of the habit and should revive it), but I can do a big portion. If you really need a rack, keep it in the tub. Yes, you have to move it in and out to use the tub, but that's one of the joys of small housing....making everything multi-purpose.
Good luck.

Gina

2-25-11, 1:43am

What's a 'HE' washer?

I just did a google image search for 'clothes drying rack' and the variety is amazing. Perhaps you could do the same, and if you find any you like, click on the image and it will take you to the website. It's not always the case, but it could be someone selling it.

You might also see something you could build yourself. I dry all my clothes inside, but I was able to string lines from side to side in an extra bedroom overhead so walking beneath isn't a problem. Works great but would leave holes in the walls of an apt.

http://www.simplelivingforum.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=164&d=1294531809

fidgiegirl

2-25-11, 9:10am

I always hate when people post this kind of stuff but I'm going to do it now. For your sanity, maybe at this time the dryer is the best bet for your life and stress level?

That said, we have a rack from Ikea that holds a lot of laundry. It folds down flat and has skinny bars. http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50095091 As for your problem of having it up high enough in the air to be out of the way, well, not so sure how it would work for that.

Do you have a balcony you can use?

reader99

2-25-11, 9:30am

I hang my hanger-type clothes on hangers and space them out on the shower rod. The rest go on a cheap folding wooden rack from Wal-Mart. Bankets and sheets get draped over the furniture, and the large towel draped over the bathroom door. I run a dehumidifier and a fan. I dry up to 3 loads at a time with this method. With the dehumidifier, they dry in 12-36 hours depending how many clothes at once and how humid the weather.

mira

2-25-11, 10:23am

If you have limited space, maybe do smaller loads of laundry. I know American-style top-loading washers hold a LOT of laundry in comparison to the front-loading ones that are generally used here in the UK.

We use a drying rack like this (http://www.philipmorris.uk.com/images/db/i4469977e680f7.jpg), but with three sections. We also have over-radiator racks (http://www.philipmorris.uk.com/images/db/i4520cb178f714.jpg) on our bedroom radiators. If those don't hold all the wet laundry, it generally just gets chucked over a radiator.

The best racks I've used are the accordion-style ones (http://www.comparestoreprices.co.uk/images/ma/maison-blue-beech-folding-clothes-horse.JPG), since they hold a lot and expand vertically rather than horizontally, taking up less space.

IshbelRobertson

2-25-11, 11:03am

My house is really old - in the kitchen, near the former fireplace, we have a similar ceiling mounted pulley clothesdryer as this one http://www.pulleymaid.com/Classic_Clothes_Airer.htm When we had an AGA cooker, the pulley was a god-send for airing and drying clothes overnight. When we had the AGA removed and replaced with a modern cooker, I couldn't bear to remove the pulley dryer, so it's more of an ornament, nowadays!

Mrs-M

2-25-11, 1:05pm

Hmmm..., the only thing I can suggest would be to pick up a couple of eye screws/hooks, (four) if you want two makeshift indoor clotheslines. The eye screws could be affixed (screwed into) the tops of the wooden door casings allowing you to string a line from eye screw (hook) to eye screw, thus creating an indoor drying line.

With the eye screws inserted into the very top part of the wooden door casings you wouldn't be damaging walls with unnecessary holes, and the line or lines for drying would be up and out of the way and more than capable of contending with the weight of damp/wet washables.

The bonus to having such a setup would be that it could remain in place all the time, no taking down and setting up.

maribeth

2-25-11, 1:43pm

I used to put my folding standalone drying rack in the bathtub to save space. Anything that didn't fit on the rack got thrown over the shower rod.

early morning

2-26-11, 12:43am

IshbelRobertson, I love those pulley-dryers - they would be wonderful in my old house (high ceilings!). And I would almost kill for an AGA... ;) I also used to dry on the shower rod, and have set accordion dryers in the tub. Hope you find a good solution, wallydraigle!

IshbelRobertson

2-26-11, 6:25am

Early morning
We ripped out a kitchen where the Aga was in keeping - and went for a split level hob/ovens combo. Worst thing I ever did! We recently had the kitchen remodelled again - this time it's back to a traditional styling, in a beautiful duck egg blue painted finish with an under worktop double oven and a gas hob. The units were top of the range Italian design and are proving to be an absolute disaster, I cannot keep the oven floors clean, despite the advice of the company, which states that a 'gentle rub with a clean cloth and a little washing up liquid will conquer all spills'... Yeah, RIGHT!

BTW, can't remember the last time I actually USED the pulley-dryer - but it tones in beautifully with the new styling, so maybe I'll start using it again!

rjs0416

3-7-11, 4:59pm

I've always found if you get two screw hooks and run a line from one side of the room to the other, things can be hung up just fine. You can take the line down when you're done.

Two screw holes are very easy to patch up when you're done and can bear the weight of a full load just fine.

I've never heard of an apartment where one can't screw some hooks into the walls... a few holes here and there are considered normal use and should not constitute any form of damage enough where you'll risk losing your security deposit.

catherine

3-7-11, 5:11pm

Check out apartment therapy:

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/chicago/cleaning/small-space-solution-wallmounted-drying-racks-048035

Gardenarian

3-7-11, 5:45pm

Hi -
We have a second shower curtain rod that hangs over the middle of the tub (up high.) We use plastic hangers to dry stuff on there. Not so good for kid's clothes, though.

shawntheweaver

7-4-13, 4:53am

In my household, we utilize the ceiling space by fixing wooden poles onto a metal frame. The frame can hold up to 5 to 6 long wooden poles. These poles can be brought down one by one by another shorter pole that we keep in handy. Not only are the laundry out of the way, they also dry up quickly as there is constantly air flow at the top area. Try to get rid of unwanted furniture in the kitchen like unused stools to make way for laundry area.

chrisgermany

7-4-13, 5:04am

In 2 former apartments I put 5 hooks on each side of the bathtub/shower and a line going zigzag from one side to the other.
All high enough that I could still stand in the tub, but reach the line with my hands.
Yes, I had to remove some stuff while taking a shower, but laundry dried "good enough".

Tussiemussies

7-4-13, 6:06am

Lehman's has an online catalogue with many different versions of a drying rack. Sorry you don't have your HE anymore. It must take more time in getting the laundry done....

ToomuchStuff

7-4-13, 12:26pm

For those of you who use indoor drying racks, do you use a fan or dehumidifier with them or any way to speed them up? I use a clothesline all summer, and since I tend to either do small loads (single) or build up and use a local laundromat (weeks when time is a problem), I would prefer not to use the dryer at home.

Birdie

7-4-13, 12:40pm

I did something similar to what gardenarian has.

I added a couple of tension curtain rods in each shower, between the wall and the shower curtain rod. that gives me 3 rods in each bath (including the shower curtain rod). I can hang laundry on the rods or clothes on hangers on the rods.

ETA - I do not do anything else but hang my laundry to dry. . No fans or anything, but I live in arid California so things dry well here.

Tradd

7-4-13, 1:25pm

shadowmoss

7-4-13, 4:03pm

I use the extra rod in the shower idea already mentioned. Put up high enough that the tallest shower user doesn't hit it while showering. At least, that is what I used in Honduras and I can't wait to get to my stuff and get it out here to Phoenix so I can do that again. With 2 of those tension rods sitting in storage in Kansas City I hate to go out and buy another one to use just until September...