This inconspicuous clothes airer that's trending online is my new favorite idea to maximize a small laundry space

For those of us in colder climates, drying your clothes during winter is a constant battle. Most of us are forced to resort to an indoor clothes airer to dry our laundry and while they get the job done (albeit slowly) they can be a total eyesore, plus they take up valuable floor space for those of us with smaller homes. Luckily, we've found a clever clothes airer with a compact design that not only maximizes space but looks totally inconspicuous when you're not using it. 

The thing about regular drying racks is that assembling and disassembling them becomes half of your laundry battle. Their fold out designs make them bulky and awkward. Even when they're packed away and stored, they take up a great deal of space in a small laundry room. Well, what if we told you that your troubles could be solved with this compact clothes airer that mounts to the wall... Intrigued yet? Here's why I think it's the drying rack for anyone living in a smaller home or apartment, as well as tips on where to find one. 

Meet the clothes airer going viral online

I know what you're thinking - why not use a tumble drier? When the clothesline is out of bounds, the tumble drier is the appliance many of us turn to, but not everyone has the space for one. What's more, although they're the most reliable option for drying your clothes in the winter, they're also a far more costly alternative to a rack, and not all fabrics are safe to put inside one either. 

Now, back to the drying rack of dreams that can help organize your laundry room better. The ingenious space-saving contraption has been hailed by organizers and home bloggers for its sleek retractable design that folds flat against the wall when not in use. Paula Denham is one such fan who was so impressed with the drying rack's design that she shared a video of her with her Tiktok and Instagram followers. 

Despite having a generously-sized laundry room at 19 square feet, using a regular free-standing drying rack interrupted the flow of her floorspace. 'The utility room leads on to the downstairs toilet, so using regular clothes horses made it awkward to walk through when there were clothes drying,' she explains. 'That's when we stumbled upon these compact drying racks. Although they're not the most interesting items to look at, they do the job perfectly, and most importantly they can be folded away when not in use!' 

(Image credit: Paula Denham)

Is it easy to install?

While it's ideal for anyone with limited space or a small amount of laundry room storage, the only downside to this drying rack is that it's a bit trickier to install. That said, once you've mounted it to your wall, you don't have to worry about moving it or packing it away. The poles simply fold outward to give you plenty of drying space for your clothes. 

When it comes to the initial installation, Paula says you'll need two pairs of hands. 'One person has to hold it in place whilst the other person drills it into the wall (it came with all the screws and fixings),' she says. 'Also, it requires two people so that one can mark the holes on the wall and make sure it's level while the other holds the rack still.'

To hold her family's washing, Paula installed two racks on her wall. They can take 27kg so there's plenty of strength for wet towels, jeans and heavy sweaters. 'We also have a hanging rail in our utility room, so between that and the two drying racks, two large loads of washing (or three small loads) can comfortably be hung out to dry,' Paula adds. 'Each rack has six rods which are each 3.2 feet in length.'

Is this the best space-saving hack when it comes to laundry? We think so. And for those that have ample space, let the sleek design alone be enough to tempt you! This is the kind of worthy investment you'll definitely be able to justify.

@homewiththedenhams

♬ Made You Look - Meghan Trainor