I carried my clothes airer carefully into my home so that the neighbours would not see my purchase. I laid it down on the marble kitchen top and brewed a coffee, savouring the moment. When I had made the coffee I settled down to examining the colour printed carton it came in.
I wondered if the promise of the pictures would be matched by the airer. I needn’t have concerned myself. I unpacked it and saw how beautiful my clothes airer really was. Robust and cleverly designed so that the plastic coated parallel rods would expand into the room to be filled with damp clothes whenever needed and fully retract when they were dry.
I watched as the holes were drilled to take the wall fixings and there it was blending in effortlessly above the radiator in my utility room. My first wall mounted airer. As it turned out the first of a complete selection of airers, drying racks and washing lines which would combine to give me a complete system for drying my family’s clothes.
The feeling I still get from drying clothes silently using no energy is similar to how I felt sailing a Mirror dinghy with its red sails, silently moving in wonderment across the Firth of Forth or cycling along under the power of my own legs gazing at the scenery. The clothes airer gives me that same feeling every day I use it and with a growing active family the pile of clothes for washing and drying never really subsides.
So far the record for tumble avoidance is 23 days and that only because I had a football kit emergency! What a joy to have an alternative on dark grey rainy days when previously I was forced to use the dreaded tumble dryer. My how the electric meter spun clocking up the costs. But as I adjusted to the cycle of placing the clothes on the airers and removing them the next morning so I learned to love my silent, always available, energy free friend.
I read that airers are carbon neutral. All I know is I would never be without my eco friendly drying system. Call me a mean Scot if you like but in my own way I feel I am making a contribution every time I use my airer
Jean Forsyth who also writes articles for <a href="http://www.airers4you.co.uk">airers4you</a> is a housewife with a keen interest in the environment and helping others to reduce their carbon footprint. If you would like to join the airer revolution <a href="http://www.airers4you.co.uk">click here</a>
