Have you ever heard of a ceiling clothes airer? If you live in the United States or Canada, you may not be familiar with the term. However, people who live in Europe and Britain have used these devices for more than a century. A ceiling mounted airer or clothesline is a device used to dry laundry up by the ceiling area where warm air rises, and it is operated by a pulley system. It’s a very efficient way to use space and energy. The device itself also consists of hardwood rails the clothes is draped on for drying.

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.

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 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.

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