Best Indoor Clothes Airers for Winter Drying

Drying laundry can become a daily frustration when the weather turns cold and wet. The laundry quickly piles up, clothes on the line stay soggy, and relying on a tumble dryer racks up the energy bills. Winter drying indoors can feel like a never-ending battle between wet laundry, damp socks and shrinking space. But with the right indoor clothes airer, you can tackle your laundry without compromising on style or space.

Here’s how to choose the best indoor airer to suit your home, especially during the cooler months.

The Winter Drying Dilemma

Winter brings with it a few drying challenges. Hanging clothes inside can increase indoor humidity, creating condensation and even mould. Limited floor space means you're constantly shifting clothes horses around, and then there’s the energy cost of running heaters or dryers just to keep up with the washing.

This is where a quality indoor airer becomes a game changer, allowing you to dry clothes efficiently, safely, and without the need for power-hungry appliances – even on a hectic laundry day.

Key Features to Look For

Not all drying racks are designed the same, with the best indoor models sharing a few key features that make winter drying a breeze:

• Total drying space/capacity: Choose an airer with enough rail length to handle your average load without overcrowding, especially for family-sized washing. Look for models that offer ample space to spread out clothes and allow airflow.
• Design and usability: A foldable airer is ideal for small homes or apartments. Accordion-style models can be tucked away when not in use. Features like locking wheels and sock rails are also important to keep in mind.
• Versatility: Adjustable racks and multi-tiered designs allow you to dry different types of laundry at once, like shirts on hangers and towels over bars.
• Energy efficiency: Clothes airers eliminate the need to use a clothes dryer, which can significantly help when it comes to cutting down on energy usage in your household, especially in the winter months.

Comparing Different Indoor Airers

We’ve compared the different types of clothes airers to help you choose the best design for your needs.

Tiered Airers

Designed to maximise drying space, these are perfect for families with larger washing loads like the 26m Deluxe 2 Tier Airer.

Pros: Plenty of drying space, versatile to suit a range of different garments.

Cons: Bulkier design, less mobile than other designs, sometimes designed without wheels

Winged Airers 

These are ideal for bulky items like towels, with wide arms that offer extra hanging space, like the 22m 4 Wing Airer.

Pros: Can easily be folded away, saving space, great for larger items like linen

Cons: Takes up more floor space, heavier than other designs 

Tower Airers

Taller than the other models, tower airers provide multi-level drying in a compact footprint, great for small areas like the 19m 3 Tier Airer 

Pros: Easy to move around, designed to make the most of vertical space

Cons: Even though they are compact, they can still take up space once folded away

Space Savers

Easy to store and set up, best for lighter or occasional drying, like the 8m Concertina Airer

Pros: Affordable price point, great for smaller spaces 

Cons: Limited drying capacity and not ideal for larger items

Choosing the Right Airer for Your Space

Start by assessing how much space you can realistically dedicate to drying clothes. In an apartment, a vertical tower airer takes up less floor space but still offers generous hanging room. In a larger home, you might opt for a winged or tiered drying station with a larger load capacity.

Measure the area where you plan to use the airer, keeping clearance for airflow in mind. Think about how often you do laundry, and whether you’ll need to dry larger items like bedding. Also, keep in mind where you are going to store your clothes horses when they aren’t in use too.

A quick checklist:

• Is it compact or foldable for easy storage?
• Can it handle the weight of your average load?
• Does it fit into your laundry routine and room layout?
• Will it help reduce your energy use?

Dry Smarter This Winter

With the right clothes airer, winter drying doesn’t have to mean damp rooms and high bills. Whether you choose a compact foldable model for small spaces or a larger drying station, investing in a quality airer helps keep your laundry routine efficient and your home dry and comfortable all season long.

And when the sun does make an appearance, outdoor airers are still a great companion to your indoor drying setup – helping you make the most of good weather while keeping your laundry fresh.

Looking for recommendations? Explore our full range of Clothes Airers here.