Entire room taken up with clothes drying racks

[butterplates]

AIBU to seek another way?

We have a second room off our main living room and adjacent to our kitchen. It looks out via double doors to the garden and is a pleasant room though a bit cold in winter. We have a sofa in there and a small table and chairs. I had envisaged it being used as a den by teen DC for when their friends are over but for now they tend to congregate in bedrooms. The small table is occasionally used for homework.

But- I usually have 3 drying racks of clothes on the go in there at any one time. Between work clothes for two adults, school uniforms for teenagers, endless sports and swimming gear, I do a load of laundry every second day. I have a tumble dryer that I mainly use for towels and bed linen. My reasons for not using it more for clothes are partly cost when electricity prices went up and partly because I find the dryer always shrinks things a bit. But I feel we are basically wasting an entire room on clothes drying. I would be so keen to hear what other people do and how you manage this? DH and I have talked about putting some gym equipment in there such as a rower and exercise bike but he actually asked me, what about the drying racks and it seems ridiculous that this is coming before something we could do to be more healthy.

Those drying cabinets look amazing but they cost thousands! It would give me back a room in my house but I'm still not sure I could justify it.

Outside if dry, dehumidifier in closed room overnight with drying rack. Finish in tumble dryer for ten mins. Heated airer is crap.

I'm wondering now if I can extend a lead into the downstairs bathroom/ utility and put a dehumidifier in there 🤔or even if a socket would be possible somewhere in there as it is a relatively large room

Another "dry outside practically all year round" vote.

Even an hour or 2 outside (in the dark) after work Makes a massive difference to how long stuff takes to dry once inside.

My late MIL used to swear by putting clothes on hangers and then hanging them in doorways overnight (clothes hangers hooked over the door frame). That doesn't exactly solve the clothes everywhere problem but it does work. Especially if you have the windows open overnight to get a breeze through.

On long-distance hikes, I've used a hiking pole wedged in a window frame as a drying rack, again that worked extremely well. You could hang the sports kit like that on a sprung rod which would at least keep it to each person's room.

I run a dehumidifier if I dry inside but outside whenever possible. Short wash if clothes not really dirty but need a wash. I always need at least one airer though - love the idea of a suspended one though!

I dry outside using a rotary drier and have a cover for it. If the weather is iffy, or I need to put it out the night before I put the cover on. It's fine as long as it isn't too windy.

SO GLD ITS NOT JUST ME

Mine is something like this, OP
https://www.diy.com/departments/6-lath-victorian-black-clothes-airer-kit-0-9m/0757350736287_BQ.prd?&&&&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw5ea1BhC6ARIsAEOG5px7Rmp_J9aaaCBB_gNAWXVDyi7oC1jBaOz2WOJD-8YfJhy4SaUrKjsaAlHiEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

I got mine from IKEA years ago (it has plastic wire running between the metal frame) but they don’t sell them any more.
This one is extendable and looks sturdy. Lakeland

I use a dry buddy. You can get a square shaped one. It takes a full washing machine of clothes and is cheap to use. I put the underwear/socks around the bottom.

To be fair, losing a room to drying clothes isn't different to having a room, a utility room, for the purpose of drying them in the first place.

We have racks like yours, two at present but DC are still quite smalll so I can fit two items per rail. A third isn't far off. They live it the shit hole of a spare room, actually up on the spare bed. It's the only place we have. I hate it.

you can dry washing outside when it's cold, just not when it's raining.

It sounds like your machine isn't spinning enough water out of the clothes, if you do a load every second day why on earth is it taking so long to dry? I do a load every day only only have one drying rack. Maybe check what the spin speed is on your machine. Synthetics like school uniform and swim suites come out almost dry in my machine. Another idea could be to get the racks that hang off radiators and put them in the bedrooms for additional drying space. Oh and one of those sock octopus things from IKEA.

I do this as well. Obviously there are times I can’t dry outside but the majority of it is dried outside 👍☀️

Mine is a 4
I WISH I had bought a 6

we have a home gym / drying room
it’s preferential to having a guest room imo but no real answers OP

I tumble dry everything, everyday. I've never had anything shrink. I think modern dryers with a sensor know when to stop so nothing gets too hot. Honestly I would just tumble dry. I can't stand having washing hanging around the house. If it's a fine day, I will dry outside but still give it a short tumble to thoroughly dry and ensure it's soft. And it's a heat pump dryer so more efficient

The humidifier/ airer is just as bad as the racks imo. Are you happy to leave it running if you aren't home? Also with the airer, you actually need to turn the clothes over otherwise it just stays partially damp until it all dries which is forever.

Also you would still need another room to run the airer and humidifier. It really is just another pain in another way.

I also loathed drying racks all over , just made the place look so untidy. I would invest in a dryer if you have the space. We finally have space and I would not be without it. I use it almost every single day.

We have the exact same and nothing shrinks too. Or if you want specific items to not shrink then just put only those on a rack.

Do you double spin your washing? Certain things will be too creased but the majority of clothes and towels benefit from being spun twice.

That only works if you have decently high ceilings. Ours are quite low (newer house), and even light fixtures have to be quite thought through.

Heated airer in the winter has been great. Bed sheet over it. If not it sheds a lot of heat, which still isn’t bad as it warms the room.

Yep, I do exactly this. No tumble dryer, tiny house so no room for racks inside (apart from one very small one). My washing's on the line all year round!

Not really, I live in a tiny cottage where the ceilings are very low, but my airer is tucked away in a middle room (hallway cum passage type room) to one side, so it's not in the way even when it's down. It can get annoying if sheets or duvet covers are hanging on it, because they hang low, but because it's not in a thoroughfare it's fine. Besides, I only use it for airing, so stuff isn't hanging there dripping wet. But you can have them with low ceilings as long as they aren't where you regularly need to walk.

I also dry laundry outside on the rotary line all year round though I do keep an eye on the weather forecast. Like you OP I am also in and out a lot but a minimum of planning is needed.