I've always been afraid of shrinking my clothes in the dryer, so my preference has always been to air dry. A clothesline, whether inside or out, is not practical for my lifestyle, which is why my clothes-drying rack has become an essential part of my laundry routine.
A clothes-drying rack offers a no-heat, gentle solution for drying delicate clothing and fabrics such as silk, satin, and wool. Plus, it saves a ton of energy when compared to a commercial dryer. Investing in one of the best clothes-drying racks can be cost-effective and help your finest clothes last longer.
After testing nine of the best clothes-drying racks, the Brabantia HangOn Laundry Drying Rack is the best option for most people. Its main level has 26 bars worth of drying space, plus a fold-up bar so you can dry clothes on hangers and avoid wrinkles. For those tight on space, the Songmics Clothes Drying Rack is a more compact solution, but it's not ideal for delicate items that need to lie flat to dry.
I also spoke with sustainability consultant and eco-conscious blogger Shannon Kenny from the blog Mama Eco and Gwen Whiting, the cofounder of The Laundress, to get tips on what to look for in a drying rack.
Our picks for the best clothes-drying racks
Best overall: Brabantia HangOn Laundry Drying Rack - See at Wayfair
Best budget: Honey-Can-Do Heavy Duty Gullwing Drying Rack - See at Amazon
Best for small spaces: Songmics Clothes Drying Rack - See at Amazon
Best for small items: CenYouful Stainless Steel Laundry Drying Rack - See at Amazon
Best overall
This heavy-duty metal drying rack upgrades the classic gullwing design with a fold-up bar for items on hangers. It's incredibly durable and capable of holding two loads worth of laundry at one time.
What we like
What we don't like
I didn't think it was possible for a drying rack to feel like a luxury item, but this one from Brabantia is probably the closest I'll ever find. Made entirely from steel, it feels incredibly sturdy (albeit a little heavy) and fits an enormous amount of clothes. There are 13 bars per side to hang items from (26 in total), plus eight triangles you can hang items from, just on the bars alone. In fact, I usually only have to open one wing per load of laundry, which helps keep its footprint compact.
Its standout feature is a fold-up bar that allows you to hang items from clothes hangers. I find this is a really great option for minimizing wrinkles, as it avoids the dreaded crease I usually get from draping items over a bar. Shorter items like tops can hang right from the bar, but there are also hooks on the sides for hanging longer items like dresses.
There's a smaller, lower-level rack for petite items like socks. It works fine, but I wish there was a net feature like the Honey-Can-Do, since these smaller items sometimes fall through the slats.
While it's bulkier than the other drying racks we tested, I think it's worth the few extra inches, especially since it still folds down quite compactly.
Best budget
The Honey-Can-Do Heavy Duty Gullwing Drying Rack can fit a full load of laundry and also has space for drying smaller items and shoes.
What we like
What we don't like
The Honey-Can-Do Heavy Duty Gullwing Drying Rack has 46 linear feet of drying space and is the perfect size for drying large loads of laundry.
The rack arrived pre-assembled and only needed to be unfolded before use. It has several unique features, the most notable being its shoe drying racks, which I used to dry my house slippers.
With two separate hanging sections and an area for small items such as socks and undergarments, the rack can easily hold large amounts of clothing while also giving each item enough space to fully dry.
During testing, the rack performed extremely well. It could handle 10 to 15 pounds of clothing, provided enough space for items to dry fully, and was still in great shape after being folded and unfolded ten times.
A former colleague also bought this rack for her New York City apartment, which has a washer but no dryer. It folds down compactly enough that she can store it in the gap between her fridge and the wall. "I love that it's durable enough to hold up multiple pairs of heavy jeans at a time," she said. "It's incredibly sturdy and almost always fits an entire load of laundry with room to spare."
Best for small spaces
What we like
What we don't like
The Songmics Clothing Drying Rack is perfect for small spaces because it's essentially a long pole with arms that resemble tree branches that can hold up to 27 items of clothing and support up to 33 pounds.
This rack is unique because instead of draping items over it to dry, you place clothing on hangers that you then hang on the rack. Assembling the rack was easy, and entailed slotting the various stainless steel rods into place. It has four legs that fold in and out for stability. The three clothing arms also flip up and down, and can be rotated 360 degrees. Even if you don't try and distribute the weight evenly of the clothes you're trying to try, the stand doesn't wobble.
This rack stood out especially during drying tests. Placing clothes on hangers instead of draping them allowed them to dry without any wrinkles, which is great for blouses and dresses. However, this is less ideal for sweaters, bras, and other delicate items that need to lie flat to dry; hangers can stretch out or misshape the shoulders if used on wet wool and linen items.
When it comes time to store, the pieces disassemble, or you can position everything up into one very long rod. That's how senior home editor Jaclyn Turner stores her drying rack, nestled in the corner next to her washing machine for easy access.
If you can find it in stock, we also like this clothing rack with a similar tree design, but it has wheels for extra maneuverability and can hold up to 65 pounds of clothing. Availability has been extremely volatile, however.
Best for small items
The CenYouful Stainless Steel Laundry Drying Rack is a hanging solution with clips for drying socks, scarves, undergarments, and other small clothing items.
What we like
What we don't like
Many people like to hang a few select delicate pieces to dry, but don't need a full-size rack. The CenYouful Stainless Steel Laundry Drying Rack is a hanging drying rack outfitted with 20 clips to hold small clothing items. It can be hung in any closet for everyday clothing storage and is also an option for drying delicate clothing.
This rack accommodated a surprising selection of items beyond socks, bras, and underwear. I found it handy for drying stockings, tank tops, washcloths, and even a silk dress. These smaller items can easily be damaged or even lost when thrown in the dryer.
The hanger is made of stainless steel, which I found helps it hold up many items at a time with ease. The various items I hung up on the hanger dried within a few hours.
What to look for in a clothes drying rack
We spoke with experts about the factors to consider when purchasing a clothes drying rack:
Size of your space: Choosing the right drying rack depends mainly on the size of your space. If you have a smaller space, opt for either a standing drying rack or a small to medium-sized rack that can fold down and be stored under a bed or in a small closet.
Load size: If you're working with more space and tend to wash larger-sized loads of clothing, a large, multi-tiered drying rack will allow you to easily dry more. A tip that Whiting uses to save space while using a drying rack is placing the drying rack in her bathtub.
Space between bars: Kenny advises purchasing a drying rack that allows for spacing between items so that clothing has more air circulation and can dry faster. It's very important to buy the right sized drying rack, as overloading can lead to soaking wet clothes.
How we test clothes-drying racks
We spoke with Mama Eco's Shannon Kenny, a sustainability consultant, and Gwen Whiting, the cofounder of The Laundress, to learn more about the best ways to dry clothing and the qualities of a great drying rack. Based on their expertise, we developed our testing methodology and put all drying racks through the following five tests:
Assembly: For any of the racks that required assembly, we noted how easy or difficult each rack was to put together and timed how long the process took.
Weight: We placed a variety of clothing types on each rack, from lightweight pieces to heavy jeans and sweaters, and observed how well each rack held up the clothing. When testing larger racks, we washed a full-sized load of laundry, which is about 10 to 15 pounds wet. For the smaller or standing racks, we followed each rack's listed clothing weight capacity.
Drying: While drying time can vary widely based on the temperature, humidity, and location of the rack, we observed how thoroughly clothing dried on each rack. Throughout testing, we focused on the center of the racks and checked to see if clothing on different parts of the rack took longer or shorter to dry fully.
Storage: We closed and opened each rack 10 times and noted any damage that occurred during this process. We also paid close attention to how easily each rack folded and stored.
Durability: At the end of the testing period, we examined each rack for damage that may have occurred during normal use.
Clothes-drying rack FAQs
What are the benefits of drying clothing using a drying rack versus drying clothing in the dryer?
Clothing, especially when made of delicate materials, can easily become damaged in the dryer.
"The combination of high heat and agitation (tumble drying) from machine drying tends to shrink certain fabrics, lead to color fading, and contribute to wear and tear that compromises the integrity of the fabric over time. This can all be avoided with air drying," said Whiting.
What types of clothing should always be dried on a drying rack?
Whiting recommends air drying any clothing made of wool, silk, or synthetic-based silk.
"Bras, silky underwear with stretch, bathing suits, sports bras, and women's sport leggings and tops should be air dried," said Whiting. Overall, if you're not sure if a clothing item will be damaged if placed in the dryer, you should air dry it instead.
What are some other ways to make washing and drying clothing more energy-efficient?
Make sure you're running a strong spin cycle during every wash. This helps to remove excess moisture from your clothing and speeds up air drying, according to Kenny.
If you're looking to purchase a new washer or dryer, Kenny suggests looking for energy-efficient models. "There are so many options out there, and they don't even necessarily cost more than the regular ones. It's just a matter of filtering down to find the option that works for you," said Kenny.
Do drying racks save energy?
Drying racks are a zero-energy solution to drying clothing compared to a dryer's high energy output.
"If you have the space and the time, a drying rack is definitely worth it, and will save you a lot of money in the long run, and that ongoing energy footprint will be subtracted from your main footprint," said Kenny.
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