No more wrinkly tees and too-tight jeans.
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For anyone who may assume that all garments can tumble around in the dryer, we have some sad news: they can’t. Enter the best clothes drying racks, which will basically save your more fragile pieces—delicates, leggings, jeans, tees, and sweaters—to name a few—from pilling, shrinkage, and more. Yes, hanging your more precious clothing is an extra step that makes your time spent on chores even longer, but it’s worth it, we’d say. It’s perhaps the easiest and most cost-effective way to protect the things you value the most, so why not go the extra mile? They're also such a good way to keep your laundry room organized.
Plus, most of our top picks (which we’ve tested ourselves) are highly affordable—think around $50. Don’t worry, though; we have plenty of cheaper options on our list. All of them, however, come highly regarded by either the House Beautiful editors or happy customers. So, if you’re noticing that your jeans have been feeling a bit snug, your workout leggings are pilling, or your tee shirt is now a crop top, do yourself a favor and grab a clothes drying rack. Minus the wall-mounted option on our list, all of our favorite finds are compact, small, and super effective, offering space for tons of clothes to hang—even in the smallest laundry rooms.
You don't need a fancy laundry rack, sometimes the most basic one gets the job done. "I have a lot of clothes, including white tees that can't be tumbled dry—even on low—so a drying rack has come in handy during laundry days," Senior Commerce Editor Marina Liao says. "I have an Amazon branded one I wouldn't recommend, the bars always fall out of their slots, but while at my mother-in-law's, I used her heavy duty rack and loved it! She has an older version of the Honey-Can-Do model in blue. What I love about it is the multiple drying tiers for your clothing. The shelf in the middle is so nice because I can dry my more expensive shirts on it without worrying it'll get that dreaded line across the front from being hung dry."
| Dimensions | 23.5" D x 57" W x 37" H |
|---|---|
| Material | Steel |
| Assembly Required | No |
"I bought this after going nearly a decade without a drying rack. My friend convinced me that I need one for jeans that shrunk in the dryer and athletic leggings that pill after just one wash," Associate Shopping Editor Jessica Cherner says. "Turns out, she was right! I bought a drying rack immediately and haven't looked back since. This one is great because it's nearly as tall as I am (I'm five and a half feet tall), but it folds up to be only two inches wide, so I can easily tuck it in the small space between the wall of my laundry room and my washing machine. My only complaint is that because it's bamboo, it does have a few tiny splintering pieces that can nab delicate pieces, like tights."
| Dimensions | 14.5" D x 29.5" W x 41.75" H |
|---|---|
| Material | Bamboo |
| Assembly Required | No |
"I have had this multitiered drying rack for a few years now, and it has held up very well," tester Lexi Sunberg says. "I try to put as little as possible in the dryer so that the fabric is preserved as much as possible, so I really pile things on this rack and it has never toppled over or sagged under the weight." Like a few of the other options on our list, it's collapsible and will squeeze into even the tiniest laundry room nooks, so feel free to get this one if you're running low on space.
| Dimensions | 14.6" D x 29.5" W x 41.75" H |
|---|---|
| Material | Chrome |
| Assembly Required | No |
If you're trying to dry your clothes in a tiny space, this is the drying rack for you. Even when it's at its biggest, it's still only a few inches wide. Closed, it's basically a one-inch thick pole that you can stick literally anywhere. All that said, it has plenty of space for your entire load. Here's how: hangers. There are more than 20 slots for hangers, meaning there's space for at least 20 garments—more if you can double up. One person said, "This is extremely easy to put together, folds up nicely, and is easy to move around. It makes a nice coat rack as well. I actually have one on my porch for hanging robes and towels after using the hot tub, and I have other one next to the dryer."
| Dimensions | 28.5" D x 28.5" W x 73.5" H |
|---|---|
| Material | Plastic |
| Assembly | No |
We'll start by acknowledging the price: It's significantly more expensive than a lot of the other options on our list, but it's worth it because you don't have to deal with the hassle of folding and unfolding a rack, or anything else you don't feel like fussing with every time you do laundry. Like the others though, it hardly takes up any space—especially when it's folded flat against the wall. When you're using it, just unhook it and let it lock in place, which is at a 60-degree angle, giving you plenty of space to hang your tees, leggings, and more. This may not be an ideal pick for your rental, but if you have a full-fledged laundry room, you'd be remiss not to buy this ASAP.
| Dimensions | 23" D x 36.25" W |
|---|---|
| Material | Powder coated steel and mango wood |
| Assembly | Yes |
Worried this is way too big to work in your space? Hear us out: When it's folded, it's two inches thick, so you can squeeze it in that look nook between the wall and the laundry machines. When you unfold it, you don't have to unfold both arms at the same time! Just use one. Otherwise, break out both arms and hang-dry everything all at once. One reviewer said, "Finally a drying rack that folds stores easily and offers great area to hang dry several pieces."
| Dimensions | 22" D x 68" W x 38" H |
|---|---|
| Material | Steel and plastic |
| Assembly | No |
This is another clothes drying rack that really only works in larger laundry rooms because you can pretty much fit your entire wardrobe on this thing. It has shelves, hanging hooks, shoe storage, and more. It's also on wheels, so if you want load it up by the dryer than move it to another room where there's more space, you don't have to worry about carrying it around.
| Dimensions | 25" D x 50" W x 57" H |
|---|---|
| Material | Steel |
| Assembly | Yes |
Most of the House Beautiful team members live in New York City (or the surrounding boroughs), where space is more limited, so you can trust that these drying racks definitely work in small homes. Luckily, though, you don't need to live in a large or small house (or apartment) to use and enjoy a drying rack. In fact, anyone who does laundry probably should enlist one or two to protect your clothes. So, two House Beautiful editors and one trusted tester used and reviewed their own drying racks for at least six months to find out once and for all if they're worth buying. We dried everything from barely-there delicates to waffle bath towels to make sure they work fore everything, and they do. As for the rest that didn't pass through our hands directly, we turned to the brands we know make high-quality products at reasonable prices, like Amazon and Wayfair, for options. First, we picked the best drying racks we considered the most versatile. Next, we spent hours reading through every single review, putting forth only the ones that were backed by tons of positive experiences.
Size: Size is important because it needs to be big enough to dry anything you'd want to hang but not so big that it won't fit in your space. Luckily, there are a lot of configurations out there that can work in pretty much any laundry room—no matter how small. From traditional drying racks that fold into a rectangular shape to more advanced ones that mount directly to the wall, there are plenty of options to choose from.
Material: You will be hard-pressed to find a clothes drying rack that will mildew or rot when it gets wet, but some materials are definitely better than others. Steel, for instance, is ideal because it isn't effected by water or weight. Feel free to pile your whole closet on the rods of a steel drying rack because they won't sag or crack. That said, if you are using your drying rack only to hang-dry delicates, you can get something a bit more aesthetically pleasing, like wood.
Additional Space: On the other hand, if you want to hang-dry most of your clothes, you'll need a clothes drying rack with plenty of additional space than the rods. Look for ones with drying racks, shoe shelves, hanger holes, or hooks.
When it comes to picking out the best (and affordable) pieces for any bedroom, including my own, I have been reviewing home products for nearly eight years. I have also worked with countless interior designers on what makes a product worthy in the home, so you can trust my recommendations. Not to mention, I have in-unit washing and drying machines (as being able to dry my clothes in my apartment was important to me), so you can trust that I've done my homework to find the best drying racks on the market.
I've covered everything you could possible need for your laundry room and needs, including writing dedicated laundry brand reviews. For this story, I and several other House Beautiful editors spent weeks drying our clothes on our tried-and-true clothing racks to determine the best options on the market right now.
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