The average housewife washes about 300 kilograms of laundry in one year. Before placing washed items on shelves, they must be dried. In this regard, a natural question arises: where to dry clothes in an apartment without a balcony? In fact, there are several methods to cope with this problem. Housewives are advised to consider all possible options and then choose the method that suits them.
On a drum with ropes
Clotheslines stretched over the bathtub 100% spoil the appearance of the entire bathroom. Replace them with a pull-out string dryer.
It is a compact drum that is attached to the wall. On the opposite wall there are fastenings for strings - small hooks. The ropes are removed from the drum and are automatically put back inside after the drying process is completed. Such devices are universal and suitable for any surface.
See examples of bathroom design in Khrushchev.
The easiest way is to place the drum above the bathtub, so you don’t have to make trays for draining water.
Heated towel rail
The device is intended for dehumidification of air and bath accessories. Based on the type of connection, they are divided into water, electric, and combined. The number of things that can be hung depends on the dimensions of the structure.
Models differ in placement:
- vertical: installed on walls, which saves usable space in the room;
- horizontal: combine the functions of a dryer and a heating battery. They are installed under the window and take up little space.
The heated towel rail can be electric or with water heating.
In addition to bathrooms, heated towel rails are available for living rooms and kitchens. These are mainly electric models with temperature control options. The pipes in such devices are made of steel, aluminum, copper, and are often covered with a layer of ceramics.
Due to the variety of shapes and designs, heated towel rails are suitable for the role of art objects.
In an automatic car
If it seems that there is no room in the apartment for a special machine, remember how much space a floor-mounted clothes dryer takes up. A good solution for a small bathroom would be an automatic washing machine with a drying function. It will cope with the task in 30-60 minutes, takes up the same amount of space as a regular one and costs only a few thousand more.
Manufacturing materials
The dryer can be anything - rope, folding, sliding, electric, but in any case it is important that it is made of high-quality material. Therefore, it is important to know what materials wall dryers are made from:
- rope products are low in cost, but they have a rather fragile structure. The base is usually made of plastic, which cracks and breaks over time. Under the weight of the laundry, all the ropes sag and wear out;
- Aluminum dryers have a much stronger base, but it is often deformed. Since aluminum is a fairly soft metal, after some time during use, dents and deformations appear on the surface of the product. The metal oxidizes, which can ultimately lead to stains on the clothes being dried;
- Steel products are considered the most durable, but they have a high price. But the increased cost is fully justified by its strength characteristics. The product can withstand increased loads, does not deform or break. Dryers made of steel have an increased service life; even after 10-15 years they completely retain all their original qualities.
On a ceiling or wall rack
A handmade clothes dryer can become a highlight in the interior. However, interesting options can also be found in stores.
Wooden folding “accordions”, suspended ceiling dryers or folding devices mounted into the wall have proven themselves to be excellent.
A wooden ceiling dryer is a very compact option - after drying, it can be easily removed upstairs and does not get in the way.
Purchasing a dehumidifier
The device is a small device (20x50 cm) designed to remove moisture from the air. Using it as a dryer is simple: you just need to hang things on the floor stand and move them to the switched on dehumidifier.
Water evaporated from clothing will be removed by the device, and humidity levels will not exceed the permissible level. The disadvantage of such a dryer is the electricity bills.
Outside the window
If the location of the apartment allows you to hang clean laundry outside, you can use a laundry rack. It is a structure made of metal corners and ropes stretched between them and is attached directly to the external wall of an apartment building. There are also more aesthetic options, designed in the form of a folding accordion.
Unfortunately, linen brackets spoil the overall appearance of the house.
It is important…
- Do you constantly hang your washed clothes in the bathroom? Make sure you have a good hood; be sure to install one if you don’t have one. You will object: does a modern automatic machine give out practically dry clothes after washing? But moisture still remains in them, and it is the cause of dampness and mold in the house!
- Laundry dried in an electric dryer wears out faster. Try to dry your clothes naturally from time to time.
- Ventilate the room where laundry is hung daily. This way you will avoid unpleasant smells in your laundry and mold in your home.
We hope that the issue of drying clothes in your family has already been resolved, even if you do not have a balcony and live in a small apartment!
On battery
Of course, you can hang wet laundry on the batteries themselves, but it is better to purchase compact mounts for them. They will allow you to place the maximum number of things near the source of warm air, and, if necessary, can be easily removed. Such a dryer can be disguised using thick curtains or furniture.
Check out a selection of ideas on how to hide batteries.
The mount can be purchased at any hardware store.
How to properly organize the process of drying clothes?
Every apartment resident is faced with the need to dry clothes indoors if there is no balcony. And here you should know some rules of the organization:
- there should be as thorough a spin as possible: the less moisture in the fabric, the faster it will dry, and there will be less evaporation. But you should know and remember that a good spin is not suitable for all fabrics, which can lead to damage to things. The spin mode is always indicated on the manufacturer's label;
- Without such a factor as ventilation, drying things is simply impossible indoors. Water evaporates from fabric in still air, this is difficult, and a musty smell is formed. If there is not enough ventilation, water will settle on all pieces of furniture and be absorbed into them. This will create dampness and fungus may appear. Clothes to be dried should be spread out well and maximum air access should be created;
- There should be no excess moisture or other foreign odors when the laundry is drying. This is why the bathroom and kitchen are not suitable for drying;
- It is most convenient to dry things on compact folding dryers. They are more spacious when unfolded and can accommodate more laundry. If the dryer needs to be removed, it can be folded, so it takes up minimal space.
How to choose a clothes dryer for your home
The laundry that is taken out of the washing machine still remains damp and needs additional drying. If there is no balcony, then further drying will be in the apartment, which will quickly fill with moisture. During warm periods, you can open a window for ventilation, but in winter everything is much more complicated: you will need to remove excess moisture using forced exhaust and built-in fans. With their help, wet laundry will no longer be a problem.
On a portable dryer
It can be hung on the door or placed horizontally on the bathtub. There are even options in the form of folding electric coat hangers. The advantage of portable dryers is that they are compact and suitable for those who move frequently.
Door hung portable dryer
When choosing a clothes dryer, remember that the impression of an apartment is made up of little things. Give preference to an interesting and bright model; even if you cannot “hide” it, it will definitely not spoil the interior.
Where to dry clothes in an apartment beautifully and conveniently? (33 common and unusual solutions)
Winter is coming, we're saving up to renovate our bathroom. In the meantime, I’m planning, making sketches of our future beautiful and comfortable bathroom. While planning, I am looking for options for decorating and arranging the bathroom.
I was thinking about how and where to place a clothes dryer. I have a wall-mounted clothes dryer in the bathroom and a ceiling-mounted one on the balcony. You can, of course, leave the old wall one. I'm used to it. But I wanted it to be beautiful and functional. I was looking for interesting options that would be practical and bright solutions to the problem.
I share my findings with you, I hope these ideas are useful to you.
Located on the bathtub
They are very small and are mainly used for drying towels, socks, and underwear. The advantages of such dryers include only light weight and ease of operation. Cons: you can’t hang much on these structures, and they are not suitable for drying bed linen. In addition, while things are drying, there is no opportunity to take a bath, since the dryer is located directly above it.
I have one, I rarely use it, mainly for drying things that I don’t wring out.
Floor-standing
When unfolded, the dryer takes up quite a lot of space (especially designs with additional modules), but it allows you to conveniently place a large number of things. When assembled, the thickness of the dryer does not exceed 10 cm, and it can easily be pushed between the bathtub and the washing machine. Pros: ease of use and durability; light weight; excellent capacity; the dryer can be placed in any convenient place; there is no need to install fasteners. There is only one downside to such dryers - they take up usable space, and for a small apartment this is a very pressing problem.
There is this one too, and it mainly stands between the wall and the closet, folded.
Wall mounted
Wall-mounted dryers are much more convenient to use. Pros: compact size, lightness and ease of use, low price, aesthetic appearance. Such an inertial block does not spoil the interior of the room, and allows you to quickly tighten clotheslines. Cons: small capacity, maximum load should not exceed 7-10 kg, depending on the model, it is necessary to drill the walls for installation.
Hanging on the ceiling
In design, ceiling dryers resemble wall-mounted ones, only their guides are attached to the ceiling. The height of the crossbars is adjustable; when hanging laundry, you can easily lower them to the desired level and then pull them up again. Moreover, each crossbar can move independently of the others, which makes operating the dryer even more convenient. Pros: hanging things do not take up useful space and almost do not interfere with the use of the bathroom, dryers are compact in size and aesthetically pleasing, the designs are easy to use. The disadvantage of such dryers is the complexity of installation. The fastenings must be as strong and reliable as possible, as well as the ceilings, so that the entire structure does not fall down under the weight of wet things.
Electric dryers
Electric dryers are no less in demand than conventional ones, even despite their high cost. They are indispensable if you need to quickly dry a jacket, warm sweater, blanket and other similar items that under normal conditions will take several days to dry. Electric models are also very diverse and can be floor-mounted, wall-mounted, or suspended. Most of them are equipped with thermostats, which allows you to select the optimal drying mode, depending on the type of laundry. There are also dryers with electronic timers, thanks to which you can regulate the duration of operation of the device. Such dryers consume very little electricity, operate almost silently, and can withstand loads of about 15 kg. Pros: fast and even drying, ease of use, when folded, the dryer takes up minimal space. Cons: high price, additional energy costs, need to comply with safety regulations.
Built-in dryers
I have many types, most often I use the wall one above the bathtub and the ceiling one on the balcony. I’m wondering what kind of dryers you have, are they comfortable?
I hope my selection was useful and these photos will give you new ideas. I will be glad to see your comments!
Your Mariana.
