Building an airing cupboard

They were just set up as drying rooms to make up for the lack of space whilst utilising the heat from an imersion heater -a newfangled device for most in those days.

These days, people store bedding anywhere they choose, as houses are dryer than they used to be. If you don't have central heating you might find a need for one. But there was no central heating nor the modern cupboard space that modern dwellings have.

Just go to an antique sale and see what they had to make do with for ward robes in the good old days. These days there are king sized beds with sliding drawers and fitted cupboards in nearly every home.

But don't let me put you off.

Some have a small radiant heater (black bar type things - no exposed element), I've just built an airing cupboard with a rad on the towel rail circuit (1980s house). The question is how to make ventilated shelves without resorting to naff wooden slats. Some wire baskets would be good too for socks, etc.

Dave

Or if your bed doesn't have drawers you can get plastic zipup containers that you can put bedding /towels in and slide under the bed

Stuart

Baskets like you get in Chest Freezers .??? Hook them to the wall ...

Stuart

The message from Dave contains these words:

Ikea do quite nice wire baskets on drawer runners intended to go inside their wardrobse - but they'll go all sorts of other places too and the sell them seperate from the carcase.

The message from Stuart contains these words:

But but but - where would the cats sit to pull all their fur out?

An old freezer with the heat pump running in reverse?

Owain

Google this group for the recent thread on using a dehumidifier for clothes drying.

Owain

Any particular wood well suited to the dry conditions? I presume you can buy kiln dried pine or something (cheap) for such purposes? Mine's in a right state and I'm going to hack it out soon and re-construct.

Airing cupboards are not for drying clothes in, they're for airing.

Al replied:

Any softwood will be fine as longs as it does not contain resinous inclusions and knots, and isn't splintery. Chamfer the edges of the top of the slats.

I built airing cupboard shelving many years in a rented house. I used dowels. I recall searching for broom handles, but found similar sized dowels in a timber yard (which no longer exists). I can't recall what the timber was, but it was harder and stronger than pine.

Thats what I did. Snmall rad at the back, and slatted shelves of batten.

An air vent at the base and top wold have been even better.

Airing cupboards *are* still needed, when you want a nice warm pair of jeans or set of sheets. When you have children the amount of washing is enormous and drying it thoroughly is difficult.

'Tis done anyway. I think I used practically all of the advice herein. (Naff) slatted shelves from kiln-dried pine, 450W back wall fitted oil filled rad. (on timer). Also top fitted vents in doors.

It works perfectly.