12 best clothes airers 2022 – tiered, wing folding, tower and many more

If you don’t have a garden in which to put up a clothesline - or the space inside the home for a tumble dryer - you’ll need the best clothes airer you can find to dry your washing.

There are four types of clothes airers: tiered, winged, folding or tower.

Tiered designs pull up in a concertina shape and are usually three tiers high; they’re the best option if you have limited space to dry your clothes.

Winged types have a criss-cross base section and ‘winged’ sections that project out to the side.

They’re larger than tiered ones so require a bit more room, but there’s usually more space for air to circulate around the clothes so they’ll dry quicker.

Folding styles – usually with three or four sections – are often the cheapest and the easiest to store when not in use as they’re less bulky.

Finally, tower airers have a combination of vertical and horizontal bars on which to hang clothes, and often an area to hook on clothes hangers - a great addition if you wash a lot of shirts.

These, like tiered types, take up less room than other designs.

Obviously, the more bars on an airer, the more clothes you can hang up, but be careful not to overload them with heavy items, such as jeans and bulky jumpers, as they can collapse under the weight.

There are even heated airers available to speed up the drying process. Here’s our pick of the best designs to suit all spaces and budgets.

Best clothes airers at a glance:

• Best accordion clothes airer:
• Best heated clothes airer:
• Most stylish clothes airer:
• Best value for money clothes airer:
• Best deluxe metal clothes airer:
• Best clothes airer with pegs:
• Best low-standing clothes airer:
• Best clothes airer for saving space:
• Best clothes airer for hanging with hangers:

Wayfair Accordian Folding Drying Rack

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• Accordian Folding Drying Rack, £51.99 from Wayfair -

Think clothes airers can’t look nice? Think again.

This simple and unfussy natural-wood design has four tiers to provide ample drying room and takes up very little space in a room.

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Dry:Soon Standard 3-Tier Heated Tower Airer

• Dry:Soon Standard 3-Tier Heated Tower Airer, £149.99 from Lakeland -

Made from lightweight aluminium, just plug this heated airer into the mains and you’re good to go.

It has 21m of drying room, with three spacious tiers that can hold up to 5kg each of clothing.

It also folds down ultra-compactly, to just 8cm deep.

Fans absolutely swear by it - and like that it doubles as a heater in the cold months.

MADE Essentials Moss X Wing Clothes Airer

• MADE Essentials Moss X Wing Clothes Airer, £35 from Made -

While appearance is probably the last consideration when it comes to getting a functional clothes airer, it doesn't hurt that Made's sleek black metal design looks so appealing.

The expanding design will 'easily fit a machine load' and fans like that it's 'well made' and 'folds up well'.

Minky Tower 40m Indoor Clothes Airer

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• Minky Tower 40m Indoor Clothes Airer, £35 from Argos -

If you have a family to wash for and seem to find yourself with endless piles of washing, a tower airer is your best bet as they can dry the most clothes in one sitting.

On this one there’s also a useful space for clothes hangers and both vertical and horizontal drying bars.

BLACK+DECKER BXAR0006GB Deluxe Hanging Airer

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• BLACK+DECKER BXAR0006GB Deluxe Hanging Airer, £43.17 from Amazon -

This folding design is made from plastic so it’s super lightweight, and can be placed in any shape, depending on the space you have available.

The varied bars make it particularly good for drying bigger items such as towels, as well as lots of smaller garments, including socks.

Addis Deluxe 3 Tier Airer

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• Addis Deluxe 3 Tier Airer, £34 from Dunelm -

We like this tiered clothes airer because the makers have taken a classic design and made it better with the addition of sock pegs and a net section on the top for silky items, like lingerie and satin camisoles, that are likely to slip off the drying bars.

Because it’s tiered, it doesn’t take up much room either.

Brabantia T-Model Foldable Indoor Clothes Airer

• Brabantia T-Model Foldable Indoor Clothes Airer, £68 from Amazon -

Ideal for drying a large load of washing (it can support 20kg), Brabantia’s clothes airer with wings includes a shelf for drying delicates flat.

It boasts protective edges to ensure your floor is protected and folds down flat when not in use.

‘Well made steel, got fed up of the cheaper ones breaking all the time (waste of money)’, writes a reviewer.

Leifheit Telegant Protect36 Wall Mounted Clothes Airer

• Leifheit Telegant Protect36 Wall Mounted Clothes Airer, £42.50 from John Lewis -

Practical and popular with anyone looking for a clothes airer that doesn't take up any space, this wall-mounted design is 'compact and really tidy'.

It features eight pull-out steel rails, an additional towel rail and a 3.6m drying capacity.

Robert Dyas Vileda Mixer 3 Tower Indoor Airer

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• Vileda Mixer 3 Tower Indoor Airer, £49.99 from Robert Dyas -

The Vileda Mixer 3 Tower Indoor Airer from Robert Dyas can fit up to three loads of washing, so you don't have to wait for one lot to dry before airing out another.

There are even hooks for hangers, so you can really make the most of the storage space.

Metaltex Over the Bath laundry Airer

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• Metaltex "Nevis"; Over-The-Bath Laundry Airer, Silver/Metallic Grey, £18 at Amazon -

If you're pushed for space, then an over-the-bath airer like this one from Metaltx will take up a lot less room.

It features a locking mechanism and non-slip rubber feet so it can be positioned at different angles - and also be laid flat to dry off more delicate clothing.

Ikea Frost Drying Rack in White

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• Frost Drying Rack in White, £19 from Ikea -

Wilko Grid Airer

• Grid Airer, £3.50 from Wilko -

This petite grid airer is designed for your socks and pants, and wins points for versatility.

Hang it on a chair, cupboard door or washing line, it works indoors or out and includes a few integrated hooks.

This winged design has more bars than you can shake a stick at, making it perfect for large loads of washing.

It does, however, need quite a lot of room, so is best for those who have plenty of space in a spare bedroom, for example.

Despite that, you definitely can’t fault the price.