10 Best Clothes Drying Racks UK 2024 | Songmics, Leifheit and More
Air drying your washing on a dedicated rack is a clever way of reducing your carbon footprint while giving your clean clothes and towels that fresh air feeling. Clothes drying racks, clothes horses or 'airers' are a must-have for those with small spaces or gardenless apartments, as they'll get the job done while helping you to steer clear of the tumble drier whenever possible.
Songmics, Leifheit and Hyfive are giving the British people's clothes what they deserve, by supplying us with racks destined to stand up against full, large family loads and even sheets. Amazon, Argos, John Lewis and eBay have some great deals on 3-tier, wing, tower, bathtub, door and radiator hanging racks, so read on to find the perfect choice to suit your home.
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How to Choose a Clothes Drying Rack in the UK - Buying Guide
By the end of the buying guide, you'll be full of clothes drying rack knowledge, so much so that selecting your chosen rack from the top 10 will be a breeze. We'll steer you through the different types of racks alongside drying space and a few more defining features, ensuring no item of clothing will be left damp again.
Choose a Clothes Rack Style to Suit Your Space
All clothes drying racks need to be functional, durable and able to fit where you intend them to. The range of drying rack types is vast, but as all of us have very varied living situations, this can only be a good thing.
The classic wing, tower and 2-3 tier racks offer the most drying room but, of course, they also demand more floor space. Door hanging racks offer less drying space but are more inconspicuous, tucking out of sight and mind. Radiator racks are also small so are best bought in sets, though they will dry your clothes quicker than most.
Bathtub racks are another welcome space-saving style, perfect for small flats. Or, one other clever design that's swept through the drying world is the freestanding clothesline. Replicating a rotary washing line only portable and pop-up in nature, these taller styles can better dry heavier items like towels and jeans.
Look Into the Materials Used In Construction for a Longer-Lasting Rack
While each drying rack is designed differently, there are still some industry standards where materials are concerned. You'll find the bulk of racks to be made of metal, usually a steel like alloy or stainless steel, although aluminium is regularly used too.
These types of steel are popular through their hardness and resistance to wear, making them great choices for bearing the weight of your soggy clothes. Aluminium is generally lighter yet still offers hardwearing durability, so it's a good option if weight is an issue.
If the rails of a drying rack have a plastic coating, then this a good indication it is of a budget nature; the metal underneath is probably not resistant to water. Better quality racks will leave their steel exposed to the consistency of wet clothes, giving a clear sign of their corrosion resistance.
Consider the Total Drying Space in Metres for a Well-Rounded View on Capacity
Referring to the total hangable space a clothes horse offers, the drying space will help you to formulate an idea as to the suitability of each rack to your household's needs.
This is very dependant on the style of rack in question, with hanging and bathtub racks rarely offering more than 10 metres of drying space owing to their compact ways.
Most standard racks will come with at least 15 metres of drying capacity, though if you need all the room you can get, you'll want to look to tower and multiple tiered options as they can offer an impressive 20-30 m. With these vast differences, this makes noting the drying space just as important as choosing a rack type.
Factor in the Foldable Size Alongside Your Storage Space
The dimensions of the rack when folded may well be the most important to note when it comes to sizing, especially if you're short on space. This is another measurement that is heavily influenced by the type of rack you're thinking of buying, as some styles slim down much better than others.
Drying racks that can squeeze themselves down to a foldable depth of 6 cm or under are considered to be the most space-saving. Some designs that include bases and wheels won't quite fold down to such slimming-world lengths, often collpasing to a depth of 10 cm at their widest point.
Each rack will ultimately fold down to a different width and height too, two measurements that are just as crucial to take into account depending on where you are planning on storing it.
Scope Out Any Features That'll Make Laundry Day Easier
This is where each brand brings a little designing flair to the table in the hope that it'll sway you toward their particular rack. These unique features mean you can better tailor your clothes airer to your needs, so make sure to look for features that will dry clothes quicker and make your life easier.
Wings for hangers, individual sock and underwear clips and flat drying surfaces for delicate items will do just this. Furthermore, locking clips will retain a certain level of security against a drying rack collapsing, even when it's loaded up to the max.
Also, look for airers with a set of sturdy wheels, especially if you're going for a larger model. These help you to track the sun across your living room or patio and allow you to wheel the rack away when not in use. Some final extras to look out for depending on what you wash and where you place your airer are multiple settings for wings, protective covers and shoe drying shelves.
Top 10 Best Clothes Drying Racks in the UK
| Products | Image | Click to purchase | Popularity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 Level Drying Rack Songmics |  | No.1 | |
2 | Portable Clothes Airer Leifheit |  | No.2 | |
3 | Tower Drying Rack Hifive |  | No.3 | |
4 | Wing Drying Rack Minky |  | No.4 | |
5 | Tower Drying Rack Gimi |  | No.5 | |
6 | Expandable Folding Clothes Airer XBITE |  | No.6 | |
7 | Large Cross Wing Clothes Airer Argos Home |  | No.7 | |
8 | Bathtub Drying Rack Rayen |  | No.8 | |
9 | 2 Radiator Drying Racks Rainberg |  | No.9 | |
10 | Door Drying Rack Amazon Basics |  | No.10 |
With a stamp on modern design, this stainless steel clothes drying rack is nothing short of remarkable. The reinforced, two-tier wing system has 22 metres of drying space that can can withstand up to 35 kg of laundry.
This market-leading, weight-bearing system is considerate to smaller items of clothing too, as there are sock and underwear clips along with a delicates shelf on the bottom tier. The stainless steel construction also means you can use this rack outdoors without the worry of rust and gives it a long lifespan well worth its price.
Leifheit have created a really smart product with this pop-up rotary clothesline. The design is both stylised and strong, offering a durable drying rack that looks the part too. The nylon hanging lines can even be adjusted for a more taut hang if large and heavy items need drying.
Once in place, the washing line will stand sturdy and tall at 95 cm, ensuring towels and hanging shirts won't be dangling too close to the floor. The included protective cover and compact folding pole design make this rack ideal for many homes, but also for taking away on camping trips where air-drying is a must.
Hifive's tower rack is another upright option that boasts a few features like no other. It offers up to 20 metres of total drying space consisting of three tiers, a shoe drying shelf and two hanging wings.
The alloy steel construction makes it clear this is a drying rack to withstand the largest of laundry loads. The six wheels even have a brake each to add to the sturdiness. However, this unique reinforcement ultimately means the wheel structure can't fold down, which is something to consider for smaller households.
Minky are at the top of the clothes drying rack game with this multi-winged, multi-tiered behemoth. The 25 metres of multifaceted drying options instructs that this is a rack to handle two loads of washing if called upon.
It's also fitted with wheels, which help you to catch the last rays of sunshine across your front room or outdoor area and make its larger structure easier to manoeuver. Other appealing points include a flat shelf on the bottom for delicates and a folded depth of just 6 cm.
Gimi have given even family-sized laundry loads plenty of room with this 3-tiered tower rack – there's an amazing 30 metres of drying space – all for an incredibly fair price.
It comes equipped to hang up to 8 items of clothing from the wings projecting themselves out from the top tier, and even with these, it can fit snugly in your shower. With a quick release of the wheels, any home from the largest to the smallest will have room for this one.
XBITEExpandable Folding Clothes Airer
This ultra-shiny alloy steel offering is as sturdy as they come. Thanks to the criss-cross scissor design, it should have no problems drying loads with heavier items such as jeans, jumpers and towels.
The top shelf is great for drying smaller items like socks and underwear too, while the plastic feet will ensure this all-steel rack won't be scratching your floors any time soon. The low drying space of 7.5 metres makes this is a well-made rack to suit small flats with little space to dry.
Argos HomeLarge Cross Wing Clothes Airer
Making a good case for the most recognisable style of a clothes horse throughout Britain, the classic wing rack is a popular choice for larger homes. With a leap forward in drying space at 14 m, this one from Argos is able to fit a full 10 kg load of washing.
It also includes four setting options for the two wings, ensuring plenty of height for larger hanging items like towels, jeans and coats. Argos Home have been very considerate with a wallet-friendly price tag on this winged delight that's ready to fly.
Here's another drying rack on the smaller side, only this one's purposed to sit tidily across your bathtub. This space-saving design allows people with smaller homes to move freely through their bathroom with their drying clothes out of the way.
It has clever little clips on its underside that ensure a secure placement, and lockable hinges to fit several different bath widths. It also folds down to a slim, easily-stored 5 cm depth. The only hitch is that the price is quite high when compared to some of the other larger drying racks on this list.
If you're seeing double for the one low price then don't worry, you don't need an eye test – Rainberg have just been kind to you. This two-for-one offering is both stylish and well priced, making it a great option for students or anyone on a budget.
Designed to be hung off radiators specifically, these racks should have no qualms drying your clothes, especially during winter when the central heating is firing on all cylinders. Again, unless space is really tight, these compact racks will suit being snapped up alongside a more all-purpose drying rack further down the list.
Despite its size, the drying capabilities of this door rack from Amazon Basics are nothing to be scoffed at. It offers a commendable 10 m of clothing space coupled with 20 individual sock and underwear clips that extend over the rack's edge.
The two rail shelves collapse down to create a slim and workable folding size of 80 x 61 x 5 cm, allowing you to open the door to its full extent without fear of marking a wall in the process. This rack works best as a small item, sock and underwear dryer alongside a larger one for clothes and towels.
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Summary
A good clothes airer should give you a completely dry load of laundry each and every wash, putting an end to any sneaky wet patches left behind. This article has hopefully shed the light on what makes for a truly efficient product, so you can rest easy knowing your rack will do the work for you in an environmentally conscious manner.
Author: Connor Macanally
The descriptions of each product are referenced from content available on manufacturer, brand, and e-commerce sites.
