10 Drying Racks to Spare Your Clothes and Save Energy on Laundry Day
When I first moved to Chicago, the cold, winter shock of a shared basement laundry room was there to greet me. I had to go outside and up and down those narrow, icy wooden steps for every laundry trip. I said, nope, no thank you, then I quickly dragged our butts out to buy a drying rack. Besides saving quarters, and helping sweaters keep their shape, it also meant I was being green.
Folding drying racks tuck out of the way when they aren’t needed, save energy, and aren’t as hard on your clothing. Here are ten of our favorite options to buy or DIY:
Drying Racks to Buy
Honey-Can-Do Gullwing Drying Rack
This gullwing drying rack is much more substantial than most, and has thoughtful features, like the mesh drying shelf for delicates and hanger hooks. Commerce Editor Nicole Lund calls it one of the best apartment essentials you can buy on Amazon, thanks to its functionality and durability.
Buy: Honey-Can-Do Gullwing Drying Rack, $36.30 from Amazon
Galvanized Laundry Drying Rack
Galvanized metal adds some nice, unexpected texture, and Pottery Barn has an entire laundry room collection built around it. Pair this drying rack with their galvanized hook shelf and rolling laundry cart for a coordinated look, or invest in just this one piece for a statement look in your laundry room.
Buy: Galvanized Laundry Drying Rack, $129 from Pottery Barn
Metaltex Gale Over-the-Door Laundry Dryer
If you have no floor or wall space, try an over-the-door solution. This one from Bed Bath & Beyond folds up for easy storage and includes three grids for maximum space saving.
Buy: Metaltex Gale Over-the-Door Laundry Dryer, $39.99 from Bed Bath & Beyond
Polder Wall-Mounted Accordion Drying Rack
Another great option if you lack floor space, this wall-mounted accordion drying rack is retractable for ultimate functionality. When expanded, it has seven rods for drying everything from sweaters to delicates.
Buy: Polder Wall-Mounted Accordion Drying Rack, $24.99 from The Container Store
LEIFHEIT Pegasus V Bathtub Dryer
How’s this for making the most of the space you have? This clever drying rack can be arranged in 16 different positions, and is meant to be placed over your tub so that it takes up zero floor or wall space. Even better: It’s rust-resistant and comes with a 3-year warranty.
Buy: LEIFHEIT Pegasus V Bathtub Dryer, $65.99 $33.99 from Wayfair
George and Willy Hanging Drying Rack
For something totally different, check out this handmade hanging rack found on Etsy. Made of birch and rope, it’s suspended from the ceiling thanks to a simple yet ingenious pulley system that takes advantage of trapped warm air to dry your clothes quickly and efficiently.
Buy: George and Willy Hanging Drying Rack, $340 from Etsy
Drying Racks to DIY
We’ve featured Jen Woodhouse’s DIY drying rack before, and are still loving how she got the look for just $30. (It’s inspired by this $150 rack from Ballard Designs!) The robin’s egg blue she chose adds some needed cheer to a rather mundane chore.
Manda’s Scandinavian-inspired DIY standing rack not only folds up, but the dowels are also adjustable for flexible drying. Plus, it actually looks pretty—a rarity for drying racks!
Brittany Goldwyn’s DIY over-the door-drying station completely floored me. (It looks like it belongs in the same fantasy laundry room as the George and Willy rack above.) Now she doesn’t have to worry about storing her old drying stand in a small laundry closet.
Carrying the metallic trend all the way to the laundry room, M.E. Gray used copper caps and wood dowels for a drying rack pretty enough to keep out all the time.