How to dry your laundry indoors in even the tiniest of houses
Brabantia's retractible clothes line, available from The Organised Store in Dundrum.
As the owner of a small home, one of the things I honestly did not plan well enough for is laundry space — specifically for drying clothes. Back in the heyday of low energy prices, I bought an A-rated washer-dryer and considered the job done.
While this appliance fits neatly in my kitchen and actually does a great job of tumble drying clothes — the first washer-dryer I’ve ever come across that does so (Hoover for anyone interested) — the energy cost and impact of tumble dryers is just too high.
This leaves me with a need to find somewhere to hang my clothes to dry, and I am sure that many of you reading this will appreciate the frustration of trying to hide an unsightly clothes horse draped with greying socks and undies in the corner of a living room. It’s a tricky problem, and if you’re still in the planning stages I strongly recommend considering a specific area for drying laundry in your home. If it’s too late for that, don’t worry — I have some tips for you too.
Most homes have a boiler somewhere, usually in an insulated cupboard, and if there is any available space in here at all then this is the best place to dry your clothes.
Clothes will dry quickly and be out of sight here. Those with plenty of space can simply put a clothes horse in there; however, most of you are probably reading this because you, like me, do not have plenty of space and so some ingenuity is required.
In this case, you need to get out your measuring tape and go shopping for some drying racks and/or clotheslines to maximise the available space. What I did in my hot press was to install some lines for my clothes and delicates, a rod with hangers, and some hooks on the back of the cupboard door where I can hang towels to dry. If using your hot press to dry clothes, make sure that it is well-ventilated to prevent mould and mildew.
One of the best solutions I’ve found for drying clothes in limited space is the retractable clothesline. These devices are screwed into a wall and can be pulled out and hooked to the opposite wall when in use.
This requires some installation, so if you’re in a rented space perhaps check with your landlord or make sure you’ll be able to fill and paint the holes left behind by the screws when you move out.
Retractable clotheslines are miles better than clotheshorses because they take up far less space, you don’t need to find somewhere to put them away when not in use, and there is a greater choice available in terms of where you can put them.
I have one outdoors — the brand is Brabantia and it has five lines which is plenty for me to dry my sheets on those sunny summer days, and which remains practically invisible the remainder of the year. This could be a great option for those with a small balcony or terrace (again check for permission).
They can also be installed in bathrooms — ideally over a bath if you have one — or really anywhere you have some available space.
If you don’t have floor space, you may have vertical space. Ceiling-mounted pulley racks can be pulled down to reachable height when needed, then pulled up and out of the way the rest of the time.
This is an excellent solution to install in a spare room or perhaps a bathroom, or even above a staircase where there is extra ceiling height available. While it’s not invisible, it does free up floor space, and some systems — the wooden Sheila Maid, for instance — are quite pretty (when not covered in clothes at least).
Over-the-door hangers are another clever way to free up floor space, although their capacity is limited. Foldable, wall-mounted drying racks can also be installed at a height and accessed either by a stepladder or by opting for a model with a pull-down system.
These are best installed above radiators for efficient drying, and one could also choose to hide them away behind cupboard doors for a DIY invisible drying rack.
I hate ironing. In fact, I refuse to do it. My lack of space gives me the perfect excuse here because irons and ironing boards simply take up too much room — room that I do not have to spare.
My top tip is to avoid it altogether by not buying wrinkly clothes — I scrunch the fabric of every potential item of clothing in my hand and if it comes away wrinkled, I do not buy that item. However, that's easy for me to say as someone who doesn’t wear shirts every day, and anyway I’m partially lying because some wrinkly fabrics are irresistible even to me (I’m looking at you, white linen trousers).
The answer here is the handheld steamer. They’re small, and you don’t need an ironing board — just hang your item of clothing somewhere and steam away.
Mine is Tefal and works perfectly, bought years ago for around €40, although I covet the Steamery Cirrus which is worth the spend if you have the available budget.
- Got a question for Jennifer Sheahan or our Home team? Email home@examiner.ie
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