A clothes horse is a portable frame, usually made of wood, metal, or plastic, upon which wet

laundry Laundry is the washing of clothing and other textiles, and, more broadly, their drying and ironing as well. Laundry has been part of history since humans began to wear clothes, so the methods by which different cultures have dealt with this u ...

is hung to dry by

evaporation Evaporation is a type of vaporization that occurs on the Interface (chemistry), surface of a liquid as it changes into the gas phase. A high concentration of the evaporating substance in the surrounding gas significantly slows down evapora ...

Usage and alternatives

Clothes horses are a cheap, low-tech type of

equipment, in contrast to a

clothes dryer A clothes dryer (tumble dryer, drying machine, drying device, or simply dryer) is a powered Home appliance, household appliance that is used to remove moisture from a load of clothing, bedding and other textiles, usually after they are washed in ...

, which requires electricity or natural gas to operate, or a

clothes line A clothes line, also spelled clothesline, also known as a wash line, is a device for hanging clothes on for the purpose of drying or airing out the articles. It is made of any type of rope, cord, wire, or twine that has been stretched bet ...

Hills Hoist A Hills Hoist is a height-adjustable rotary clothes line, designed to permit the compact hanging of wet clothes so that their maximum area can be exposed for wind drying by rotation. They are considered one of Australia's most recognisable Cu ...

, which requires ample outdoor space, wind, and fine weather. In the past, they also served as an alternative to

airing cupboard A cupboard is a piece of furniture for enclosing dishware or grocery items that are stored in a home. The term is sometimes also used for any form of cabinet or enclosed bookcase. It gradually evolved from its original meaning: an open-shelved ...

s. In cold, damp seasons and in the absence of central heating, a clothes horse placed by a fireside or a kitchen range provides a place to warm clothing before putting it on. The practice of airing, once common in Great Britain (for example, in the constant battle against damp and mold), has become far less frequent with the advent of central heating and affordable clothes dryers.

Terminology

Other names for this device include a clothes rack, drying horse, clothes maiden, drying rack, scissor rack, drying stand, or airer. Winter-dyke is a Scots word for a clothes horse used for drying clothing indoors. The word 'dyke' means a wall or a fence made without mortar; walls of this type were occasionally used for hanging laundry in the summer months.

Types

There are many types of clothes horses, including large, stationary outdoor ones, smaller, folding portable racks, and wall-mounted drying racks. A clothes horse is similar in usage and function to a

and serves as an alternative to a powered

. An electric alternative exists, usually known as a heated clothes airer. An

overhead clothes airer An overhead clothes airer, also known variously as a Sheila Maid, ceiling clothes airer, laundry airer, pulley airer, laundry rack, or laundry pulley, is a ceiling-mounted mechanism to dry clothes. It is also known as, in the North of England, a ...

can be lowered by its

pulley Sheave without a rope A pulley is a wheel on an axle or shaft enabling a taut cable or belt passing over the wheel to move and change direction, or transfer power between itself and a shaft. A pulley may have a groove or grooves between flan ...

mechanism to a convenient height for loading wet laundry, and then hoisted out of the way to ceiling height while the clothes dry. File:Drying clothes.jpg, A drying rack File:Modern hanging clothes horse with pulley system.jpg, An

with pulleys

Figurative usage

The term ''clothes horse'' 'clothes horse' can be used to describe people who are passionate about clothing and always appear in public dressed in the latest styles. From 1850, the term referred to a male fop or female

quaintrelle A dandy is a man who places particular importance upon physical appearance and personal grooming, refined language and leisurely hobbies. A dandy could be a self-made man both in person and ''persona'', who emulated the aristocratic style of li ...

, a person whose main function is, or appears to be, to wear or show off clothes.Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., documents use of "clothes horse" in 1807, and "human clothes horse" in 1850 In this context, the term is similar to "

fashion plate A fashion plate is an illustration (a plate) demonstrating the highlights of fashionable styles of clothing. Traditionally they are rendered through etching, line engraving, or lithograph and then colored by hand. To quote historian James Laver ...

", which originally referred to a

lithograph Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the miscibility, immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by ...

illustration of fashionable clothing in a book or magazine. The term ''Clothes horse'' 'clothes horse' can also be used to describe people who are employed primarily to display clothing. The term is often used pejoratively, for example, to imply that an actor or actress has been cast in a role primarily to show off costumes rather than for his or her acting ability.

References

{{Laundry navbox Home Laundry drying equipment Domestic implements English words and phrases Simple living

Usage and alternatives

Terminology

Types

Figurative usage

See also

References