Pulley ceiling airer or normal floor airer?

[Oldmrswasherwoman]

This is a complete first world problem but I have a new utility room where the old kitchen was, we have a kitchen extension across back of the house. You walk through the utility from hall to get to the kitchen at the back so it needs to stay looking (reasonably) tidy.

I have room for a freestanding clothes airer that will stash away when not in use (so probably never) but ceilings also high enough to have a pulley ceiling airer, that would dry clothes faster and off the floor but would be visible all the time, even when empty.

Dehumidifier will be on during drying process to avoid condensation and mould.

Which would you choose - faster/better drying with the pulley or ability to hide away floor airer and pretend washing doesn't exist?

Ceiling. Definitely. Especially since it's a separate utility room.

We have a ceiling pulley and it is great. Make sure you know where the joists over are you fix into. When ours has no washing on it and is pulled up you don’t notice it is there.

I do a load of washing when the kids go to bed. Hang it up before I go to bed and it is dry by morning. I also have 2 of those hanger things with one main hook and about 20 smaller hooks from their underside. I hang them on the door handle for the upper cupboards in the utility room and put all the pants and socks on them. Saves space on the main rails.

We have a Shiela Maid one and in 11 years have only had to replace the ropes once. Lakeland do one too.

I would have both. I like the look of a pulley though. I've got one but it's not up yet. Mine will have to be in the kitchen though, which means I would have to be careful about cooking.

We have a Shelia maid pulley. We bought it over ten years ago and I love it. When we moved last year finding a house with a utility room it would fit in was a big factor in my house hunt! We have to go through our utility room to the back door to the garden and if the pulley is empty you don’t notice it really - and even if you did I don’t think it’s unattractive at all for a utility room (even one that people see). It has pale wooden rails and white metal ends against a white ceiling so doesn’t jump out at you especially above head height. I can fit so much washing on it but I do keep a fold up airer for odd times when I do four loads back to back and want extra drying space. We run a dehumidifier in the utility room in winter and washing dries quickly and easily (you do need to keep the door out to the hallway shut so you are not trying to dehumidify the whole house! The only thing to bear in mind is when you fit the pulley the rope coming down from the ceiling to the cleat hook has to be diagonal so you need to plan that far end to be somewhere in the room you won’t want to walk under - sorry if that’s obvious or you knew that! You won’t regret getting a pulley one!

Oh get a Sheila maid. I so miss mine from my old house!

Ceiling. That's where the hot air is. I loved my Sheila Maid from the UK.

Ceiling. Best thing for drying bedding. None of that scrunched up corner/ inside out business you get with tumble dryers. I get 2 single sets or one king size set on mine. Dry next day.

I have a pulley one - it was in the house when we bought it. It's not big enough for a family wash I think. I also have 3 floor standing ones.

Thanks everyone, its sounding pretty unanimous for a pulley then, with a freestanding airer for back up. Oooooh I better get researching them! Thanks!

sheilamaid.com/collections/sheila-maid-new

I really want one of these but my husband and I couldn’t get it up onto the ceiling in our hall stairs and landing. Next door neighbours have one and I get pangs if envy every night when I hear her pulling it up to the ceiling!
If and when our tumble dryer dies, I will seriously consider getting the largest size and getting ndn to come and fit it. We already run a dehumidifier upstairs and downstairs and our ceilings are very tall so the washing hanging wouldn’t be an issue.