Drying Clothes Dilemma

Help? How do you dry clothes? Do you only use an electric or gas dryer? We mix it up here with Bill hanging a fair bit on our canopy bed frame. But I want to take down the metal frame around the bed... and this means I HAVE to find an excellent clothes drying alternative.

I want an indoor clothes dryer that is NOT a lame little wooden hobby horse of a contraption. But I want it to fold up tidily, to be stored in a closet.

What I have found:
Retractable ones:  I tried this one in a previous house and no matter what you do, they stretch out. We installed it in the bathroom and it was not much space, it looked kinda ugly, and I don't recall that it held much clothing. Why didn't we just hang everything on the shower curtain rod? 

Clothes horses:  I've had both wooden and metal versions of this, but they also do not hold much and are flimsy. Most of our air dry clothes are on hangers and the configuration here is not optimal for hanging clothes on hangers.

There are only two I have found that seem likely to serve our purpose: QVC has a collapsible rack that looks rather tempting. And the Container Store also has one that might work, but still looks like it'll be a pain to store in the closet and not provide much space. The most elegant solution so far is a British Clothes Airer. Doesn't that just make you want to dry a cache of lavender?

I know that the (very few) readers that I have are generally clever and eco-minded folks. Does anyone know of something out there that I can't find?? Also, has anyone installed an outdoor dryer? Has that worked out for you?

Comments

[Emily]

Jess-
We had one of those outdoor square thingys growing up, and Joel's folks have one. I think they're great. We've put up a plain old traditional clothesline in the back yard and hey-works like a charm. I think outdoor clothes drying makes the most sense--works fastest and no storage worries.

[Auntie M]

IKEA has a clothes rack that looks like the top of the wooden hobby horse contraptions and hangs on the wall and is pulled out or laid flat as needed. I have a clothes rack/hanger thingy that is made special for hangers that hooks over the top of your door and can also be laid flat as needed, very unobtrusive but runs the danger of gouging holes in your walls if toddlers push the door open unexpectedly.

[Goaty]

re: British Clothes Airer
OH! So that's what that thing Ian Curtis hung himself on was!!!

But it does look like an excellent and efficient solution. I'm keeping an eye on this thread so I can dry clothes on my porch. Thank you for bringing it up!

[Goaty]

re: British Clothes Airer
OH! So that's what that thing Ian Curtis hung himself on was!!!

But it does look like an excellent and efficient solution. I'm keeping an eye on this thread so I can dry clothes on my porch. Thank you for bringing it up!

[greyhorsewoman]

As for the 'stretching out' problem ... that is what clothes props were invented for.