Posts Tagged ‘ceiling drying racks’

While many people in Canada and the United States have no idea what a ceiling airer even is, people in the United Kingdom and Europe are very familiar with this energy saving device-and they’ve been using it for over a hundred years. This age-old device is simple to use and the ideal way to dry clothes and maximize energy efficiency at the same time. It costs nothing to use and utilizes the warm air that rises up near the ceiling in your home to dry laundry on the wooden rails of the device which is raised up and out of the way.

Drying clothes on a ceiling airer is easy. You lower it down where you can reach it easily, hang damp or wet laundry on the rails, and then raise it up again. Most of the time it is near ceiling level, out of the way, and naturally drying the laundry in the warm air that rises up by the ceiling.

The horizontal wooden bars or laths of this device fit into a cast iron structure or ends. This keeps the bars spaced apart, and it hooks to the cords that are used to bring the device up and down. The cords extend to metal pulleys located on the ceiling itself. There is a cleat affixed to the wall to keep the cords tucked away.

While indoor spin dryers are common, they can use up quite a lot of electricity. With utility bills high in winter anyway, using a ceiling airer can help you take the best advantage of the situation by using the warm air within your house to dry your clothes naturally and gently. It’s ideal for drying jumpers and shirts, and models that have clothes hanger attachments for shirts will minimize the amount of ironing you’ll have.

Ceiling clothes airers come in different styles and models. Most have between three and six laths for drying. Some even fit well into particularly small areas. One common model is the “Sheila Maid” ceiling airer, a design that has been readily available for nearly a century. This one includes four laths set into curved cast iron rack ends. A complete kit also includes the pulley system, rope, and the cleat hook, along with instructions for home installation.

The Kitchen Maid is another of the “original” style airer. The end pieces are made to resemble an original Victorian design that was common during that era. The end pieces of this ceiling airer are solid cast iron, and the laths are typically made from pine. A Kitchen Maid clothes airer is one of the most earth friendly ways to dry your laundry. It can dry up to 30 kg of washing overnight. The wooden laths are finished and smoothed so as not to snag washing.

If you have a larger family, you can also purchase ceiling airers that stack to double the quantity of clothes you can dry using the warm rising air in your home. You can install them on any hard ceiling surface. You can also purchase models that have flat laths that you can use as storage like shelves. And many models can be customized with additional laths to add more drying space.

For people with small living spaces, there are small ceiling airers available. They are shorter, with fewer laths, but even in small sizes, they are an ecologically responsible alternative to a tumble dryer.

Probably the ideal time to install a ceiling airer in your home is during autumn. This is because it is just prior to the time when you will be heating your home and that hot air will be rising and otherwise simply be wasted. If you have to pay for heat, you might as well get free clothes drying at the same time. You can install ceiling airers on any hard ceiling surface including on slanted ceilings. They even work over stairwells. In fact, they work well in many areas. In addition, if you don’t have an outside clothesline, you can use this device year round! It will save money on your energy and utility bills and make a positive impact on the environment.

Learn more about the ceiling clothes airer. Stop by Gary Nickless’s site where you can find out all about modern ceiling clothes airers and drying racks and what they can do for you.