Drying clothes without using the dryer is one of the most frugal things a person can implement when it comes to laundry. There are several methods: hang drying, using the clothesline and also using a drying rack.
If you’re in the market for a new drying rack, here are a few possibilities from which to choose:
This is a wall-mounted drying rack that can be mounted indoors or outdoors sold by Space Savers. It easily folds up against the wall, however is not the most aesthetically pleasing when folded in my opinion. It does come with a protective sleeve if using outdoors. It appears rather sturdy – it can hold up to 100 pounds of clothes!
This drying rack is a stackable mesh unit also sold by Space Savers. While it can only accommodate one sweater or shirt at the time, if you purchase multiple units they stack on one another to save floor space.
This drying rack from Ikea has loads of drying room. You could dry sweaters and shirts on the top while hanging other items down the sides. I love this design. And it folds compactly when not in use.
I just adore Project Laundry List. Go take a peek around their site if you have even the slightest interest in green laundry. They sell this over-the-tub rack in their store. This is a fabulous design idea for those with extremely limited floor space. And it folds flat to 2 inches when not in use.
I stumbled upon this little gem from Best Drying Rack. Did you see how small if folds up? It’s fantastic! The video on their site shows it to be extremely sturdy and not made of any plastic parts, which I really like. This is such a cleverly designed device. The top even turns around so you (and your basket) stand in one spot and let the rack do the spinning work! I love it!
Lastly, this is a product from Envirodryz. This is an indoor/outdoor drying rack that comes in a large and small version. The above picture is their smaller version. I really like the casters on the bottom of this rack. The large version holds up to 4 loads of laundry. Now that’s serious.
Do you use a drying rack? Have a specific rack that you love? Tell us about it in the comments.
I am pleased to link this post to Frugal Friday over at Life as MOM. Go visit for more frugal ideas than you can shake a stick at.
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I love drying racks!
Thanks for showcasing a few of your favorites!
The over the rub one looks very cool and does the giant indoor/outdoor one!
I know – I love those too! I want one of all of them…
Four loads?! That I could live with. I dried some laundry outside this week and ran out of room on my rack…I hung cloth diapers from the tree. Hrm.
I love the look of that over-the-tub one as well.
Can I ask a question? If you’re not going to put clothes in the dryer, do you need to use fabric softener in the wash? I’ve always used dryer sheets so fabric softener kind of perplexes me.
.-= Vanderbilt Wife´s last blog ..Losing It: Week 5 =-.
I just bought a drying rack a few weeks ago. My clothesline is currently down while we do some yard work and a major home addition–and my dryer is on the fritz (2 hours to dry 1 load?? Gimme a break!). I was cringing over the thought of how much it was costing me, and the fact that I had fallen behind on laundry because the dryer was taking it’s sweet time–So I jumped and bought a drying rack from Wal-Mart. It isn’t anything fancy, but it works, and so far I love it! On nice days, I carry it outside so the clothes will dry a bit faster.
I love the over the tub one you shared!
.-= Phoebe @ GettingFreedom´s last blog ..Homemade Stain Remover =-.
I use a rack to dry my laundry every day. We have a clothesline out back, but also a dirt road with lots of traffic. Not exactly the best case senario for hanging clean laundry. I have a different rack from IKEA than the one you showed. It holds 2 really big loads and collapses to sit next to the washer when not in use (which is, like, never). It is the best thing ever.
I can see that IKEA is a little gold-mine of great tools – but we don’t have one near us! Boo Hoo.
Yeah….my washer is rarely not in use too. 🙂
I haven’t used the dryer in about 3 years. Ours, also, started to take 2 hours to dry a load. When I can, I hang laundry outside. In the winter, I used drying racks inside. I place them over the heating vents on the floor. The clothes dry faster, and I feel like I’m getting more for all the $ it costs to run the furnace.
I have 2 of the wooden drying racks from Walmart, one large, and that’s a little smaller. I sure could use a 4 load drying rack, but I think it would be too big for my house.
.-= Linda´s last blog ..Friday Follow =-.
Very smart, Linda. Way to maximize that furnace heat. 🙂
Can any one help? I recently moved to the UK where I have a washer but no dryer. I don’t mind hanging my clothes to dry but it takes about three days(due to the general damp) and they smell mildewy all the time. It is not cold enough to start running the furnace yet and it is a radiator type. There is no laundrette within a 30 min radius. Any drying suggestions?
Vanessa, I can really sympathize with your problem. 🙁 It’s a constant battle for you in that the clothes take so long to dry.
I would think broadly outside of the box to find some sunshine. It will help the clothes dry faster and it will put that mildew smell at bay.
Do you have a front porch or back porch? You could buy a drying rack and hang them to dry for a couple of hours outside and let them finish inside. Do you have a balcony (like in an apartment)? You could again, use a drying rack or even hang yourself a retractable clothesline and hang clothes to dry.
Do you have a window in your bathroom? You could hang all clothes on a drying rack or retractable clothesline and open the window. The breeze and (in)direct sunlight would help a ton.
Even if you can’t get your clothes actually outside, it would help if you could have them dry in the sunniest spot in your house. Invest in a good drying rack, hang dry your clothes on it, and place it in front of the window with the most sunlight coming in.
If you have central air, hang on a drying rack and then put the rack on top of a vent. If you don’t have central a/c, invest in a box fan specifically for drying clothes and point it directly at your drying rack.
I hope a few of these suggestions help! Use the ones you can and leave the rest. 😉
-Lauren