How To Choose The Best Indoor Clothes Airer?

When shopping for an indoor clothes airer, it’s worth it to spend a bit more money for a good quality airer.

Cheaper airers may save you money but they bend and rust easily, don’t hold many clothes and are prone to sudden collapse, which can injure your fingers.

A good quality clothes airer should be sturdy, rustproof, foldable and, when fully opened, large enough to hold a load or two of laundry.

In this buying guide, we recommend the best indoor clothes airers you can buy online.

But first, some tips to help you choose the right clothes airer for your space and laundry needs.

What to Consider When Choosing an Indoor Clothes Airer

A. Material

Most indoor clothes driers are a combination of metal and plastic. The metal frame can be either aluminium or stainless steel.

Stainless steel is the most common choice, usually tubular steel to keep the weight down. Stainless steel clothes airers are strong and typically have a higher max load weight. They are also more durable and don’t bend easily.

On the downside, they are a bit heavy.

Aluminium is strong yet lightweight. It’s also rustproof. The downside of aluminium clothes airers is that they can bend easily so they generally have a lower weight capacity. And even if you are careful not to load it with too many clothes, it’ll likely start bending after a few months.

B. Total Drying Space

The total drying space of an indoor clothes airer tells you how big a load you can hang on the airer. It is the total length of all the hanging bars.

Drying space typically ranges between 18m to 23m, though compact airers can have a drying space as low as 12m.

With an 18m airer, you can dry a full load of laundry at the same time. With a 20-23m airer, you can hang between one and two full loads.

For families, more drying space is better.

C. Size

More drying space is good but you need to make sure you have the space for a large clothes airer.

Indoor clothes airers range between 1.5m and 2m long when fully extended. You can put it in the laundry room, a hallway, the bathroom (smaller ones can easily fit in the bathtub) or even the balcony.

Clothes airers have a long and narrow design, so you don’t need to worry so much about the width. It’ll easily fit in a narrow space.

In addition to the length and width, also check the height of the airer. This has nothing to do with whether it’ll fit under your home’s roof, but rather whether you’ll be able to hang long items such as sheets, towels and trousers.

The best airers have hanging racks that are 1m to 1.5m high. With others, you can adjust the rack height higher for extra-long items.

D. Additional Drying Space

The wings of a clothes airer are great for hanging most clothing items such as shirts, trousers and towels but are not ideal for smaller items like underwear, socks or baby clothes.

For these, most clothes airers incorporate a flat lower rack where you can spread small clothing items.

Others also include clips or holders for socks.

E. Foldable

Virtually all indoor clothes airers you’ll come across are foldable. This makes it easier to store the airer in a cupboard or beside the washer when not in use.

Look for an airer that folds into a compact flat shape.

F. Rollers

Wheels are not common in clothes airers. Most indoor clothes airers have plastic feet at the bottom to provide a secure grip on the floor and prevent scratches.

But plastic feet are not good for mobility. If you want to be able to move the loaded airer easily, look for one that comes with rollers.

You can load clothes onto it directly from the washer then roll it to the room of your choice. You can also roll it outside when it is sunny and back inside if the weather turns.

Best Indoor Clothes Airers: Reviews

1. Brabantia T-Model Foldable Indoor Clothes Airer Review

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With 20m of drying space, the Brabantia T-Model indoor clothes airer is a great choice for families. You can easily fit a full load from your washing machine onto the three different racks.

The wing racks are 1.5cm high at their highest point, providing plenty of clearance for sheets and trousers.

Both wings are height-adjustable. You can even fold them completely flat.

The third rack is a flat shelf that is perfect for drying smaller items of clothes like babywear and underclothes.

The T-Model airer is sturdy and doesn’t lean or flex even when fully loaded with wet clothes. It can hold up to 20kg of weight.

The T-Model airer is corrosion-proof and comes with plastic feet to prevent scratches on the floor.

The overall length when fully opened is 1.9m. When you are done using it, it folds into a much smaller size for easy storage.

What we like about it:

• Strong and sturdy.
• Adjustable design.
• Plenty of space for a family.
• Includes flat shelf.

2. Leifheit Pegasus 180 Classic Clothes Airer Review

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With 18m of total drying space, the Leifheit Pegasus 180 Classic is slightly smaller. We recommend it for individuals and small families of 2-3 people.

It’s also smaller than the Brabantia T-Model, making it a good choice for small apartments and houses.

Its overall length when open is 1.5m and the width is 0.6m. You can put it at the corner of a room, the hallway or even in a small balcony.

The wings are 1.05m high at the highest point. That’s not as high as the T-Model, but high enough for most people’s needs.

The Pegasus 180 also features a flat rack in the middle where you can hang additional clothes or spread them flat.

Holder clips provide a convenient way to hang small items like socks, leaving the main racks free for larger clothing items. It also reduces the number of pegs you need.

The Pegasus 180 has a tubular steel frame. It is strong, study and corrosion-proof. You can safely use it inside or outside the house. Like other clothes airers, it folds into a flat shape for easy storage.

The Pegasus 180 comes with plastic feet for floor protection. If you want, you can buy rollers separately and fix them to the bottom of the airer for easier mobility.

What we like about it:

• Great for small spaces.
• Compact but holds many clothes.
• Includes clips for small items.
• Sturdy and rustproof steel construction.

3. SONGMICS 2-Level Clothes Airer Review

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For large families, we recommend the SONGMICS 2-Level Clothes Airer. It has the largest drying space among our picks – 22m – and one of the highest load capacities (35kg).

The extra drying space comes from the two-level design.

The two wings at the top are height-adjustable. When flat, they are about 1.1m from the floor. You can angle them higher to hang longer items such as a towel.

At the lower level, there are three racks; two side wings and a flat shelf at the centre.

The lower wings are closer to the floor so you can only hang short items. They are perfect for drying kids’ clothes.

The lower wings are shorter than the top wings. So you can hang long items at the ends of the top wings without interfering with the clothes below.

The flat shelf is perfect for spreading delicate items like underwear and baby clothes.

The versatility of the SONGMICS clothes airer is one of the main reasons we recommend it for large families. It not only holds more clothes than other airers do, you can also hang different types of clothes at the same time including bedding, trousers, baby clothes and underwear.

It also comes with 27 sock clips.

On those days when you don’t have many clothes you dry, you can collapse the sections you don’t need.

As expected the SONGMICS clothes airer is a bit heavy. So make sure you hang the clothes where you want them to dry; trying to move the loaded airer is very difficult.

It’s made from stainless steel to guarantee durability and rust protection. When not in use, you can fold it flat.

What we like about it:

• 2-level design provides plenty of drying space for large families.
• Versatile
• Durable stainless steel construction.
• Includes sock clips.

4. Leifheit Pegasus 120 Solid Compact Clothes Dryer Review

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If you are looking for a compact clothes airer that can fit in a narrow space such as a hallway, balcony or bathtub, we recommend the Leifheit Pegasus 120.

In fact, the Leifheit Pegasus 120 is designed specifically to fit in a standard bathtub.

It’s shorter and narrower than the Leifheit Pegasus 180. It’s 43.5cm wide and 148cm long.

As expected, the available drying space is less compared to the other bigger airers – it’s 12m. We recommend the Leifheit Pegasus 120 for individuals and small families.

The side wings are 93cm high, providing enough clearance to hang long items. The centre shelf provides additional drying space. You can hang clothes from it or spread them flat.

The Leifheit Pegasus 120 comes with rounded plastic feet to prevent damage to the tub or floor. It has a rustproof steel frame with welded joints that can hold a heavy load without bending.

Once you are done drying clothes, the Leifheit Pegasus 120 folds into a flat shape measuring 86cm long, 43cm wide and only 10cm thick. You can store it next to the washer, in a cabinet or under the bed.

What we like about it:

• Compact design – fits in most bathtubs.
• Sturdy and durable steel construction.
• Foldable for easy storage.

5. Vileda Indoor Table Universal Airer Review

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The Vileda Indoor Table Universal clothes airer is perfect for anyone looking for a clothes airer with wheels or rollers.

The integrated wheels make it easy to move the Vileda airer around. You can easily move it between rooms and wheel it inside or outside depending on the weather.

The Vileda clothes airer provides 18m of drying space, which is plenty for most families. It consists of two foldable wings and a long flat section between them.

It is longer than other clothes airers. It measures 1.8m long and 57cm wide when fully open. That’s because it incorporates all the drying racks at the top. It doesn’t have a lower shelf like other models.

Make sure you have enough space for it.

The Vileda clothes airer has a steel frame. It’s very sturdy and doesn’t rust. Plastic covers at the end of the wires prevent your clothes from catching on the metal.

Though the steel construction makes it heavier than aluminium airers, it is easy to move around thanks to the built-in wheels.

What we like about it:

• Sturdy and durable.
• Plenty of drying space for families.
• Includes rollers for easy mobility.
• Comes with a safety joint to prevent collapse when loaded with clothes.