Energy Efficient Clothes Drying: Use a Ceiling Airer!

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.

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.

An electric or gas dryer often called a spin dryer is utilized by many households. However, these devices use a lot of electricity or gas energy. High energy bills during the winter combined with bills for drying clothes just keep climbing. But with a ceiling airer, you can take advantage of warm air that is otherwise just being wasted in your home. And it’s completely natural. It is the perfect way to dry shirts and pants, and some models have hangers mounted right on them to dry shirts in a way that minimizes any ironing required.

There are many different styles of ceiling clothes airers available to suit every type of domicile. Models range from having three to six drying laths, so that they’ll fit even into small spaces. The “Sheila Maid” is one of the most common ceiling airers. It is a style that has been around for 100 years. The cast iron rack ends are curved, and it has four wooden laths. Kits come with a single pulley, double pulley, a cleat hook for the wall, and a 10-meter long jute rope. Installation instructions are included too.

Another of the early models was called the “Kitchen Maid. This one looks Victorian in design and again has cast iron ends with laths usually made of pine wood. The pine laths are sanded smooth and finished to prevent snagging and can dry 30 kg of clothes overnight. This is one of the most ecological and earth friendly ways to dry clothes.

For families with children that do a lot of washing, you can even get “stacker” ceiling airers that double the amount of laundry that can be dried by the warm air in your house. They can be installed from several hard ceiling surfaces, and can often be customized as to the number of laths on the rack. On some models, the laths are flat, so that the racks can be used for storage or as hanging shelves.

As previously mentioned, small dryers are available for small homes. Shorter and made with fewer laths, they are still a great energy efficient way to dry clothes instead of a tumbling electric or gas-powered dryer.

The autumn is the perfect time of year to install a ceiling airer. They are easy to install, and as long as you have your heating turned on, you might as well use some of that warm air to dry your clothes. Ceiling airers can be installed on many different hard ceiling surfaces, and will work on sloped ceilings and can even be installed over staircases. There are any number of places in your home where a ceiling clothes airer can go. Those that don’t have a garden will find it useful year-round, and whatever your living situation installing a ceiling clothes airer will help you save on your energy bill while at the same time helping minimize your environmental footprint.

Looking to find the best deal on ceiling drying racks, then visit www.ceilingclothesairers.com to find the best advice on ceiling mounted drying racks for you.

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