Action clothes airer: the compact laundry solution for small flats

In many flats, one essential item is missing: a clothes airer that does not take up half the room while still holding plenty of laundry.

Anyone without a garden or balcony will know the problem: T-shirts, socks and bedding are draped everywhere, the clothes airer sits in the middle of the way, and the flat starts to feel damp and overcrowded. Discount retailer Action is now putting a laundry rack costing less than ten euros on its shelves that tackles precisely this issue by making clever use of vertical space.

Why conventional clothes airers are so frustrating

The standard folding airer has barely changed in decades: unfold it, place it across the room and try not to keep walking into it. In particular, it can obstruct small flats, student rooms and studio apartments by blocking:

• access to the window,
• the route to the sofa or bed,
• space needed for the dining table,
• while also making the air feel stuffy and damp.

Trying to speed up drying by leaving windows wide open can quickly make the room freezing, as well as bringing dust and pollen indoors. A tumble dryer is not always the answer either, whether because of electricity costs, the space it requires or delicate garments.

This is exactly where Action’s new model comes in: it literally stands the laundry upright, saving valuable floor space.

Action clothes airer at a glance

The Action laundry rack in question costs around €8.95 and uses a slim, multi-level design. Rather than spreading wide wings across the room, the airer extends upwards. At roughly 1.64 metres tall, it makes use of height while taking up remarkably little room on the floor.

Its layout resembles a combination of a coat stand and a “laundry needle”: one central base with several tiers from which clothes can hang. The construction is intended to occupy as little floor area as possible, allow air to circulate well and prevent people from constantly knocking into it.

How much laundry it can actually hold

The model is divided up in a surprisingly thoughtful way:

• Top tier: 24 small pegs, ideal for socks, underwear, cropped tops or children’s clothes.
• Below that: 4 “arms”, each with 9 openings for clothes hangers – meaning space for up to 36 hangers at once.

Shirts, blouses, T-shirts, lightweight jumpers and trousers can all be dried effectively on these hangers. There is another benefit too: garments are already on their hangers, so once dry they can go straight into the wardrobe without needing to be rehung.

Anyone whose wash load contains around 40 to 60 items can fit almost everything onto one airer – without taking over the entire room.

Design: made to be displayed rather than hidden

Many people push their clothes airer into the furthest corner because it simply does not look attractive. The Action model takes a different approach. It has a more modern, slimmer appearance and comes in understated colours, including a light “icy blue” and white. It is not an Instagram-worthy designer item, but it is a long way from the bulky wire airers most people know.

The base takes up little space, rather like the base of a slim floor lamp. This means the airer can fit, for example:

• into a corner beside the sofa,
• between a wardrobe and the wall,
• or directly in front of an open window without blocking the whole room.

Where the Action clothes airer works best – and where it does not

The Action model is clearly designed for everyday laundry, meaning lots of smaller items in each wash. T-shirts, underwear, sportswear, jeans and shirts are where the benefit of its vertical layout becomes clear.

There are limitations with larger textiles:

• bed sheets,
• duvet covers,
• large towels,
• woollen blankets or throws.

These items can be draped over the arms or pegs somehow, but they can then quickly receive too little airflow or hang awkwardly into the room. Anyone who frequently washes large textiles will therefore not replace their traditional winged airer completely, but will instead use this one as an addition.

The airer is ideal for everyday T-shirts, underwear and trousers – but the old airer should remain at home for bedding.

How much space does it really save?

Its biggest advantage is the amount of floor space it uses. A normal winged clothes airer often takes up more than one square metre. Thanks to its narrow base, the Action airer needs considerably less room, with laundry hanging in more of a “tower” than spread across an area.

A practical scenario in a two-room flat:

• A traditional airer blocks half the living room or the route to the balcony.
• The vertical airer fits into a corner beside a shelving unit or behind a door.

Those with particularly large amounts of laundry could even use two of these airers side by side. Their slim shape often leaves more freedom to move around overall than one large, wide winged airer.

Tips for helping laundry dry faster

A few habits matter if the purchase is to be genuinely worthwhile. With these measures, washing dries quickly on the vertical airer:

• Do not hang items too close together: Leave some air between garments, otherwise moisture will build up.
• Ventilate the room: Opening windows fully for 5–10 minutes is more effective than leaving them tilted open for hours.
• Keep an eye on humidity: Anyone who washes frequently could consider a small dehumidifier.
• Use rotation: Turn particularly thick items from time to time so air can reach every side.

A hygrometer, a simple device for measuring humidity, is especially worthwhile in small flats. It allows you to check whether levels are consistently too high. That protects not only the walls but also your own health.

Who the Action airer is particularly worthwhile for

The system is clearly aimed at people with limited space. Typical users include:

• single people and couples in small city flats,
• students in shared-house bedrooms,
• families needing an extra clothes airer in a child’s bedroom or hallway,
• households without a balcony, where laundry usually dries in the living room or bedroom.

The airer is also interesting for anyone who keeps lots of garments on hangers, such as business shirts, blouses and suits. This allows them to go from the wash to the wardrobe with fewer creases, without a stop at the chaos of washing lines.

What to consider before buying

As with every low-cost product, one question remains: will it last? A price below ten euros does not suggest premium materials. Anyone buying it should assemble the airer carefully, make sure connections click firmly into place and avoid overloading it by force.

Another consideration is its 1.64-metre height, which makes it unsuitable for very low sloping roofs directly beneath the eaves. It should fit without difficulty in period flats or rooms with normal ceiling heights, however. Those who wash only occasionally can also dismantle it quickly or push it into a corner.

It is notable that more and more retailers are turning to space-saving systems like this. Instead of merely bringing out wider winged airers in new colours, they are increasingly addressing the fundamental question: how can space be used more efficiently without residents feeling as though they live in a laundry room?

For many, that is likely to be the appeal of this Action clothes airer: an affordable, unassuming helper that makes everyday life quieter, tidier and a little more relaxed, without any major changes to the flat.