A ceiling airer, or ceiling clothes airer is an ingenious device that is well known in the UK, but less familiar to people in the US and Canada. It is a pulley-operated clothes drying rack that takes advantage of warm indoor air during the cooler months to efficiently dry laundry. The pulley operated airer has been in European and British households for over a century for drying clothes. It is versatile and saves energy by allowing rising warm air indoors to pass through the hardwood rails as it rises toward the ceiling, drying clothing in unused ceiling space.
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.
A ceiling airer has cast iron ends or holders into which horizontal rails or “laths” made of wood-usually hardwood-fit at fixed intervals. The cast iron ends are also attached to cords used to raise the device and lower it. These cords also run on pulleys that are affixed to the ceiling to enable that movement. A cleat on the wall keeps the cords secure and out of the way.
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.
While the basic design is similar and has been around for about 100 years, ceiling clothes airers do come in a few different styles. For instance, some units have only three laths and are designed to fit into small areas. The Sheila Maid is a model that’s been around for a long time and has four laths set into curved cast iron ends. All of the ceiling clothes airer kits come with the necessary cords, pulleys, and cleat hook. Of course, assembly and installation instructions are also provided.
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 large family with lots of children, “stacker” ceiling airers are also available to double the quantity of laundry you can dry in the space. They can be hung from hard surfaced ceilings and the quantity of laths can even be customized. On models where the laths are flat, they can also be used as storage. It’s like having hanging shelves.
As mentioned previously, small ceiling clothes airers are designed to accommodate small homes or apartments. Shorter and more compact, these models have just a few laths, but they are still a great way to dry clothes without the expense or wasted energy associated with electric or gas dryers. It’s the eco friendly way to go!
You may want to install your first ceiling clothes airer in the fall, right before the heating season begins. This is the ideal time since you will soon have warm air rising toward the ceiling from your heating system. Why let it go to waste when you can use it to dry your laundry for free? You can install these systems on any hard ceiling surface just about anywhere in your home-even over a staircase or on a slanted ceiling! And they’re great to use all year long if you don’t have outdoor clotheslines or are having rainy weather, too. They can save you money on your energy bills year round!
Want to find out more about ceiling clothes airers, then visit Ceiling Clothes Airers.com on how to choose the best ceiling mounted clothes airer for your needs.
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