Action €8.95 vertical clothes airer that saves floor space

In a lot of flats, one thing is missing: a clothes airer that doesn’t hog half the room yet still holds a decent amount.

Anyone without a garden or balcony knows the routine. T-shirts, socks and bedding end up draped everywhere, the airer sits right in the way, and the place starts to feel damp and cluttered. Now discount retailer Action is putting a drying rack on shelves for under ten euros that tackles exactly that issue - by using height in a smart way.

Why the classic clothes airer is so frustrating

The standard fold-out airer hasn’t really changed in decades: open it up, place it across the room, and try not to walk into it all day. In smaller homes - student rooms, one-room studios and compact flats - it often blocks:

• access to the window,
• the route to the sofa or the bed,
• space you’d otherwise need for the dining table,
• and, on top of that, it can leave the air feeling stuffy and damp.

If you then try to speed things up by leaving windows wide open, you quickly end up freezing - while letting dust and pollen indoors. A tumble dryer isn’t always the answer either, whether because of electricity costs, lack of space, or delicate fabrics.

“That’s exactly where Action’s new model comes in: it literally stands your laundry upright - and saves floor space.”

The Action drying rack at a glance

The item in question at Action costs around €8.95 and uses a slim, multi-tier layout. Instead of swinging out wide ‘wings’, the rack grows upwards. At roughly 1.64 metres tall, it makes use of vertical space while staying impressively compact at floor level.

Its layout is a bit like a cross between a coat stand and a “laundry needle”: a central base with several levels to hang items from. The idea is to take up as little floor area as possible, keep air circulating well, and avoid you constantly bumping into it.

How much washing actually fits

The sections are divided up in a surprisingly practical way:

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

On those hangers you can dry shirts, blouses, T-shirts, light jumpers or trousers with ease. Another plus: garments are already on hangers, so once dry they can go straight into the wardrobe without needing to be re-hung.

“If one wash load comes to around 40 to 60 items, you can fit nearly everything on a single rack - without turning the whole room into an obstacle course.”

Design: not something to hide, but something you can leave out

Many people shove their airer into the furthest corner because, frankly, it isn’t pretty. Action’s version takes a different approach. It looks more modern and slimmer, and it comes in understated colours - including a light ‘icy blue’ and white. It’s not a designer piece made for Instagram, but it’s a long way from the bulky wire frames many people are used to.

The base takes up very little room, similar to the footprint of a narrow floor lamp. That means it can slot, for example:

• into a corner next to the sofa,
• between a wardrobe and the wall,
• or right by an open window without blocking the entire room.

Where it shines - and where it doesn’t

Action’s model is clearly aimed at everyday laundry - lots of smaller items per wash. T-shirts, underwear, sports kit, jeans and shirts are exactly where the vertical layout pays off.

There are limits with bulky textiles:

• bed sheets
• duvet covers
• large towels
• wool blankets or throws

You can drape these over the arms or clips somehow, but they can end up with too little airflow and hang awkwardly into the room. If you wash big items often, you probably won’t replace a classic winged airer entirely - you’ll more likely use this as an extra.

“For day-to-day loads of T-shirts, underwear and trousers, the rack is ideal - for bedding, the old airer should stay in the house.”

How much space do you really save?

The biggest benefit is the footprint. A typical winged airer often takes up more than 1 square metre. Because Action’s rack stands on a narrow base, it needs far less, and the laundry hangs more like a “tower” than spread across a wide area.

A practical example in a two-room flat:

• A classic airer takes over half the living room or blocks the route to the balcony.
• The vertical rack can sit in a corner by a bookcase or behind a door.

If you have a lot to dry, you can even place two of these racks side by side. Thanks to their slim shape, you’ll often keep more freedom of movement than you would with one large, sprawling winged airer.

Tips to help your washing dry faster

To make the purchase genuinely worthwhile, a few habits make a difference. With these small tweaks, laundry dries quickly on the vertical rack:

• Don’t hang items too close together: leave a bit of space between garments, otherwise moisture builds up.
• Ventilate the room: airing the room for 5–10 minutes works better than keeping a window on the latch for hours.
• Watch the humidity: if you wash often, a small dehumidifier may be worth considering.
• Use rotation: turn thicker items occasionally so air can reach every part.

Especially in smaller flats, a hygrometer (a simple humidity gauge) can be a good buy. It lets you check whether levels are staying too high over time. That helps protect not only your walls, but your health too.

Who the Action rack is best for

This system is clearly aimed at people with limited space. Typical groups include:

• singles and couples in small city flats,
• students in shared houses (or single rooms),
• families who need a second airer in a child’s bedroom or the hallway,
• homes without a balcony where clothes usually dry in the living room or bedroom.

It’s also a good option for anyone who stores a lot of clothes on hangers: business shirts, blouses, suits. They can go from the wash to the wardrobe with fewer creases - without a detour through a tangled mess of drying lines.

What to think about before buying

As with any budget product, the key question is durability. A price under ten euros doesn’t suggest premium materials. If you buy it, it’s sensible to assemble it carefully, make sure joints click properly into place, and avoid overloading it with force.

One more consideration: at 1.64 metres tall, it won’t suit very low loft slopes right under the eaves. In older buildings with standard ceiling heights, though, it should fit without trouble. And if you only do laundry occasionally, you can quickly take it apart or push it into a corner.

It’s also notable that more and more retailers are turning to space-saving systems like this. Rather than simply releasing wider winged airers in new colours, they’re increasingly addressing the basic question: how can space be used more efficiently, without residents feeling as though they live in a laundry room?

For many people, that’s likely the appeal of this Action rack: an inexpensive, no-fuss helper that makes everyday life a bit quieter, tidier and slightly more relaxed - without any major changes to the home.

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