Every home has to do laundry from time to time. Once upon a time, washing took away a lot of physical strength and time from women (and basically it was they who were engaged in this work). Today the whole process looks much simpler, no one considers the washing machine exotic anymore. Now this is an ordinary household appliance, which is possible for most people to acquire.
In our time, the problem is no longer washing, but further actions - the washed linen needs to be dried, but in the conditions of a city high-rise building, this is not always easy to do.
You can, of course, pull the ropes even in the kitchen, even in the corridor, even in the living room (and many people do so), but such a question turns the apartment into something incomprehensible, but not into a cozy home. The humidity that increases during drying of the laundry has a negative effect on the microclimate of the apartment, and the finishing of things drying in the room will only harm.
Lucky for those tenants of high-rise buildings who have a balcony or loggia, because drying the washed clothes there is the best option for a city dweller. But in such a limited space, I want to arrange a recreation area and set aside a place for storing any things (necessary, but rarely enough).
Today this problem can be successfully solved thanks to the large assortment of clothes dryers on the balcony.
Features and Benefits
If we talk about the main general advantages of balcony dryers, then this is, first of all, of course, the ability to save space on the balcony and get rid of unnecessary moisture in the living space.
In addition, each specific type of balcony dryer also has individual advantages:
Wall mounted balcony clothes dryer
It is a fairly compact and functional device that is simple to use and easy to install.
Ceiling
This design is designed for heavy loads. The working area at the ceiling dryer is wide enough to dry large laundry (eg double bed linen). This is a great opportunity to free up space as much as possible in the room.
Suspended structure
This balcony dryer is easy to install, easy to transport and adjust, and will hold a lot of laundry.
Outdoor
This is the case when the linen dries quickly and well, blown by the breeze, it will smell nice and not at all occupy the space of the balcony or loggia.
Foldable design
Compact dryer with adjustable length and width after the laundry is dry and removed. On this device of the "accordion" type, the laundry can be dried even when the dryer is folded. Most often, hostesses hang towels on it, which now and then require drying.
Views
If we talk about an external dryer, which is mounted outside the balcony area, and behind it, then its main plus, of course, is that it does not pretend to be a balcony space at all. The device is a cantilever structure of two profiles fixed on the balcony and ropes stretched between them.
Perhaps, in some conditions, this will be a convenient option, which cannot be said about domestic conditions. There are disadvantages of this design and they are very significant:
- from the balconies of the apartments located above yours, as well as from the roof of the house, something can fall (and very often does fall) and ends up on your washed drying clothes;
- if the neighbors below are fans of smoking on the balcony, and under the house there is also a roadway, then you will not see fresh linen - it will have an unpleasant smell after such drying;
- you did your laundry and went to work, and after an hour or two bad weather broke out, the wind rose and it started raining …
- your beautiful washed items, neatly hung on an outdoor dryer, will still not decorate your balcony, but rather the opposite.
So it turns out that this option still cannot be called the best, and it is worth thinking about others, more practical for our realities - about dryers located inside the balcony, and not outside.
Hinged
It is very convenient and practical to use such a dryer. A rather limited space will be enough for it to function. Ceiling dryers are divided into the following main types:
Liana
It consists of aluminum profiles attached to the ceiling, and a rope is connected to them using rollers, which is passed through a plastic crossbar. In order to hang the laundry, the planks can be lowered and raised again to dry.
Lifting is carried out using a cord that is fixed to a comb on the wall. Installation must be done so that the laundry does not touch the floor.
Elevator
The design resembles a wall model of a balcony dryer. Mounting is carried out on the ceiling of the balcony, and the lifting mechanism is located on the wall.
You can dry your laundry using a ceiling-type dryer without taking up the useful area of the balcony.
How to install
The advantages of balcony ceiling clothes dryers include the simplicity with which they are mounted. The whole structure is well thought out and can be installed in just ten minutes. Moreover, you will not need to invite wizards to install, and this also saves money.
The only obstacle during the installation of the dryer may be an unsuitable surface to mount on it. If there is concrete, there will be no problems with the installation, but if the concrete on the loggia is covered with some kind of finishing material, then special fasteners will be needed.
With wall-to-ceiling balcony dryers, time-consuming housework becomes an enjoyable experience. And the devices themselves look original, not just sagging ropes, from which the soul becomes dreary and uncomfortable.
Functionality
Many housewives choose a balcony dryer for clothes today, because it is a really useful thing in everyday life. Now, not only thanks to the washing machine, but also thanks to such a dryer, there are practically no problems with washing and drying clothes. Everything can be done very quickly, practically without spending any effort or time on this process, and there will be no high humidity in the apartment, no wet linen hung over your head.
Device
The design of the balcony ceiling dryers is quite simple and at the same time sturdy, made of aluminum, an ergonomic material. There is a certain part of the models that are based on plastic, but such devices are in no way inferior to aluminum ones in terms of strength and functionality.
The structure is fastened with metal bolts, and this makes the whole device even more reliable and comfortable to use (the structure is assembled and disassembled in just a few minutes).
The owners choose the place where the structure will be installed, thus it is possible to divide the balcony space into a recreation area and a work area. In winter, if you do not want the laundry to freeze (although it smells so nice afterwards with ozone), then the dryer can be installed in the bathroom.
Wall
This design is available in two types: folding and stationary.
Foldable. This design for drying clothes consists of strips that are reinforced with brackets. Moreover, such strips can be folded not only in length, but also in width - it depends on the chosen model
Stationary. Such a structure is arranged quite simply. The balcony wall dryer has two slats, which are fixed on the wall parallel to one another, as well as metal ropes or rods (you can dry heavy things freely on these)
The strongest is considered to be a fastener made of steel, because it is capable of withstanding sufficiently large loads. The requirements for the rails are as follows - they must be firmly screwed onto the base and be on the same level.
What are the benefits of wall-mounted balcony dryers? Their advantages are as follows:
- they are convenient in operation and mobile (the design can be used for this particular case - for drying wet clothes, and at other times it is in an inoperative position);
- such a compact dryer will require quite a bit of space in the tight space of the balcony, and in the folded, non-working position, its presence is almost imperceptible and there will be no obstacles to moving around the balcony;
- this device is very durable, thanks to the high-quality material from which it is made, and therefore it is able to withstand a fairly high load;
- it is a durable device that will not be affected by prolonged exposure to high humidity;
- this product will not harm the family budget, because its cost is quite affordable for most buyers;
- if necessary, the tension of the ropes or ropes can be adjusted, as well as the gap between them;
- the product is sold in several versions, so that the dryer can be matched exactly to the size of the particular balcony.
In general, a wall-mounted dryer for a balcony is a product in many ways very convenient for any housewife, but here it was not without a drawback, albeit the only one - it is not intended for drying heavy things. Under the influence of a large load, the cable will simply bend, and the dryer will become unusable. But for lightweight linen, this design is just perfect.
Suspended option
Many housewives are of the opinion that dryers do not exist and cannot exist better than a wall structure, but perhaps they are very mistaken, and here's why. The fact is that everything, as you know, is learned by comparison, and after all, not everyone is still familiar with the advantages of the suspended version of the balcony dryer.
This invention can be safely called a genius, although its device is simpler than shell and is based on simple laws of mechanics. More specifically, the hinged products consist of plastic tubes with strong ropes stretched inside them. The tubes are a ceiling-mounted system with ropes pulled down.
The rail is easily lowered to the desired height, filled with wet linen and again, by pulling on the rope, it can be easily sent up and fixed at the desired height.
Stationary
The classic simple option: as many hooks are attached to the wall as needed, and clotheslines are hooked onto them. The required tension can always be adjusted, and the hooks remain in one position at all times. In principle, such a device also practically does not take up space and is suitable even for limited space. There are many housewives who believe that this particular system of the clothes dryer is the most reliable of all.
For opponents of the suspended ceiling structure, balcony hangers have been invented, which can be removed from the hooks when the laundry is dry.
Sliding
This design is considered one of the most popular today and the most affordable.
In the sliding version, there are only two parts, and they are fixed to the ceiling at the required distance from one another. In one such part, the cables are hidden, so that when the need arises, the cables are pulled to the second part and fixed on it with special fasteners.
When the drying is over, the cable is unhooked from the fastener and, according to the principle of a tape measure, returns inside the first part.
Materials (edit)
The material of manufacture for the balcony dryer is an important component of the tumble dryer. After all, the duration and quality of the operation of the entire device will depend on it. You should know some of the features that are inherent in dryers, depending on what material they are made of.
There are several varieties of such models on the market today:
Made of plastic
The plastic dryer will be lightweight, but you cannot load it too much, otherwise it will not last you very long.
Made of aluminum
The aluminum product is also lightweight, but has a significant drawback: the tubes on which wet laundry are hung can bend, and this happens quite often.
Of metal braided with plastic
The models have proven to be reliable, capable of drying a large amount of laundry at the same time. Their cost is different and depends on the manufacturer. A Chinese-made dryer will be the most inexpensive, but one manufactured in Turkey and Germany will cost much more, but the strength and service life indicators are much higher here.
Stainless steel
This design is robust and at the same time relatively inexpensive. Often, such items are made as a combination of steel with aluminum strings, as a result of which the material does not lend itself to oxidation.
Steel products
Models are not as durable as stainless steel dryers, even when coated with a polymer compound. It will still crack and crumble, thereby damaging the fabric of the drying laundry.
How to choose the right one
When choosing a dryer for a balcony, some data should be taken into account. These include the following:
How compact is the dryer?
That is, before making your choice, you need to decide on the ratio of the dimensions of the dryer and your balcony. So, find out what is the length and width of the balcony, and then make a markup for the dryer, and you will find out, in this way, what size it should be.
What material?
As a rule, they look for a dryer based on its cost, but this is wrong, much depends on the material of manufacture. If you choose a mount made of wood, check that it is covered with a protective layer of varnish, and if it is made of metal, then it should be covered with an anti-corrosion coating.
Working surface size
How the device can be maximally loaded will depend on this parameter. For a large family, the model is also recommended with a large work surface, on which not only clothes can be dried, but also heavy textiles.
Do you have a seating area on your balcony?
In this case, give preference to a ceiling model or an outdoor type of dryer.
How often and how many items do you wash?
The wall dryer is for laundry, and the best dryers in terms of capacity are the ceiling type and "Liana".
How to do it yourself
In order to do without drying wet linen in the apartment, you can make a linen dryer on the loggia with your own hands. There is no difficulty in making it. Two brackets are attached to the walls opposite one another, and we choose ring screws as fastening. Their number will depend on how many ropes there will be, that is, two screws per rope.
With this design, the clothesline remains solid and does not need to be cut. If desired, the rope can be removed after drying until the next time, in addition, it is very easy to tighten the rope if necessary.
Particular attention should be paid to screwing in the screws themselves. This is done by hand, so the holes must be prepared very carefully. They should be smaller in diameter than the screw, and all debris should be removed from the holes. To make the fasteners stronger, close up the gap that remains after the screw is screwed in.
Thus, installing a homemade structure will require minimal costs from you, which will be expressed in ten screws and a coil of rope.
Those who live in a room without a balcony can also afford a tumble dryer, but in this case it will only be an external dryer, which is installed directly on the windows.
Interesting solutions in interior design
From the view of the balcony, a lot can be said about the people who live in this apartment. Any passer-by can gain access to information, for example, whether there are children in the family, what is their approximate age difference, and even how many there are. And sometimes it becomes obvious that the hostess has such and such a bra size …
This happens when the washed linen is hung out over the balcony and all passers-by inevitably have to "admire" such a picture. Unfortunately, there are many such people among our compatriots, and many do so because they do not want to spoil the cozy atmosphere of their loggia or balcony with an unaesthetic appearance of ropes and rusted nails.
Now more and more often you can hear the news that local authorities are adopting laws prohibiting the hanging of washed things outside the window, so most likely, you will have to switch to drying inside the balcony.
Getting rid of stereotypes is not easy, but necessary. You need to understand that ropes and rusty nails are far from the only option for interior design on the balcony. After all, dryers today have an original, unusual design, are very practical and do not take up the entire usable area of the balcony at all.
And of course, they will be a better solution after the prohibition of drying outside the windows than a rope stretched in the bathroom. She would somehow have saved a bachelor or bachelor, but any family, even the smallest, should take the issue of balcony drying seriously and still make their choice.
There can be no talk of a floor structure for a balcony - it would be very unreasonable in such an area, and yet you can always choose a compromise option, on any balcony area.
For some, the main thing in resolving this issue is the practical side, but for someone it is most important to preserve the decor of the balcony and the creativity of its interior. Be that as it may, and by and large there are only three types of dryers, one of which is categorically not suitable for the cramped balcony space - this is a floor one.
Then a very simple choice remains - one of two things: wall-mounted or ceiling-mounted? Both will not spoil the design of your interior on the balcony, both will take up very little space, and in non-working position they will not be noticeable at all. And with each of these designs, you can beat interesting solutions in the interior design of your balcony, you just have to turn on your imagination or seek advice from a professional designer.
If you look at the root of the problem, then even the usual traditional clothesline along the entire length of the balcony, held on by nails or screws, is the basis of the modern wall model, or rather, its prototype.
People who are purely focused on practicality believe that a balcony is needed only for this purpose - to dry the laundry, and nails and ropes are enough for them. But many people prefer to use this room for reading books, for relaxation, in order to breathe fresh air there on a summer evening or enjoy a beautiful view from the window. If you glaze the loggia, it can become a cozy study or even a mini gym.
And all this beauty can peacefully coexist with a small area on the balcony set aside for a clothes dryer - you just have to correctly distribute the space of this small room.
In addition, this type of dryer, such as a sliding one, which is attached to the ceiling of the balcony and consists of two separate blocks, in one of which is hidden a rolled rope - this is an option that will suit both practitioners and lovers of beautiful decor. This design provides the ability to pull as many ropes as needed - at least one, at least six at once.
After all, linen is not dried every day, and in non-working condition it is just two neat little drawers on opposite sides of the balcony.
If the length of the balcony is small, and there are usually not so many things to dry, then a folding wall model (accordion) will be most appropriate. It is made in a beautiful design and can become a decoration of a classic interior, but you should not overload it - it may become unusable.
Choose a balcony dryer according to your preferences, how it will fit your balcony, how attractive it looks … The main thing is that the dryer design is compact, and the drying process itself would never interfere with you and your household enjoy a cozy little room and, if you wish, spend your free time there.