Vintage Sheet Dryer

[rp2813]

Since it doesn't appear to be automatic, I decided Imperial wouldn't be the proper forum.

 

100 years old in round numbers, installed in a lavish private residence and still in place today.  You can see and read more about the location of this contraption via the link provided.

http://carolands.org/

 

[washdaddy]

Martha Stewart has one of those type of dryers in her palatial laundry room at the Skylands in Maine. Although I think hers is a bit bigger......go figure..lol

 

[launderess]

Something similar was on eBay recently as well.

These indoor rack dryer were popular until tumble clothes dryers came along. You could do everything from linens to clothing. Heat came from either stoves that also heated water for washing and the irons, later gas or electric models could be had. Besides stately or at least large homes of the wealthy laundries and public wash houses had these dryers as well. The benefit was being able to dry laundry regardless of outdoor weather. They were also good for doing heavy things like blankets or processing large amounts of laundry quickly.

Have a brochure from Chicago Dryer company showing their models. These things were most always built in to the home upon order. There were usually several models offered which normally varied by number of racks/drawers.

The former Ford estate in Maine (Skylands) now owned by Martha Stewart has these units. As does the Vanderbilt mansion in North Carolina. Again there are probably more sitting in basements or current/former laundries all over the USA and Europe.

One drawback of these units is that things often came out stiff and hard. Unlike line drying outdoors on a windy day you didn't have the benefit of a breeze to soften things up. With a tumble dryer of course the movement of laundry along with air flow does the work.

The other drawback is items didn't have the same freshness of outdoor or even indoor line dried laundry. Also when soap was used for doing the wash and things not properly rinsed they could develop a yellow cast. This was caused by reaction of the heat to leftover soap.

Stiffness of most things didn't matter as they were going to be ironed anyway.

 

[kenmoreguy89]

Yes, these systems were popular in Europe also, especially in the norhern cold countries....
The drying cupboards or closets...
Now, well, the thing that is most  popular and similar are those drying balloons, but you can still find similar systems...over here, personally don't know anyone with one of these, though I can see there are many italian manufacturers...
http://www.alkasrl.com/asciugabiancheria.phphttp://www.zorzildg.it/?p=casanova
http://7air.frigo2000.net/
http://jacopovolta.net/2011/03/05/why-i-love-midnight-laundry-karneval-gasque/Etc...

 I've also seen one of those posts you lift and you cover with a plastic shade and top have a powerful fan...

Also, looks like in Norway  and other northern europe countries where you find common laundry rooms in the condos (unlike here) you have similar rooms or the closets  to dry clothes in common laundries in apts..


I recall one of those cupboards can be seen also on a video launderess posted time ago about early laundry in britain, and these were what people thought an automatic dryer would look like over there...

Personally I prefer by all means a tumble-dryer, and honestly I cannot really understand how someone may prefer having a bulky thing than a  tumble dryer  that requires less work, less space, less time and delivers better dryer softer fluffier clothes...
In commercial istances that may not matter as you're going to iron anyway, but IMO still makes not much sense....and by all means not for domestic laundry...
I suppose Martha Stewart just wants to have something "out of the ordinary" just  for sake of having something "out of the ordinary".. or maybe she process a very large amount of woolens or delicates that can't be tumble dried....

[this post was last edited: 1/2/2015-12:31]

 

[tolivac]

Wonder if one of those "sheet" dryers could be helpful in a movie or other type of poster restoration shop.Poster restoration shops usually have a shallow,water tank about 6 ft square and only a few in deep.Used to carefully wash posters up to 6 Ft square in size.The Sheet dry could dry it-but since the poster has to hang-just thought it might tear under its own weight while wet.So-maybe the sheet dryer would not work for that.Would work though-for vinyl or cloth banners and posters.Poster restoration shops also apply a cloth backing to older posters to strengthen them.

 

[launderess]

More:

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/killerton/history/view-page/item965538/

 

[launderess]

From Skylands

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/killerton/history/view-page/item965538/

What you have to remember is these drying cabinets did was seek to contain what was usually done in a open room. That is previously one either hung wet laundry on a clothes horse and placed it next to a fire or in a heated room. That or hung laundry from racks suspended from ceiling (Pulley Maids, Laundry Maids, etc...) also in a room that was heated.

In the UK and other normally cold and damp parts of Europe those without a dedicated drying space/room simply hung the wash up in the kitchen (again using Laundry Maid type racks) from the ceiling and let the heat from the Aga or stoves do the drying. Elsewhere you might find entire attic spaces again with racks dedicated to drying laundry with or without stoves/heating sources.

Problems with these methods is first they all took up space. If using the kitchen you had to deal with dripping laundry (until it dried) and damp conditions. Worse your washing often would take on a whiff of whatever was being cooked. So if you made say kippers you got fish scented washing....

These drying cabinets allowed at least commercial laundries and homes with the space to dry laundry indoors and often quicker since the heat was contained within the cabinet rather than heating an entire room. Also since these units were vented it took the moisture away rather than adding it to the room.

As for taking these things apart and using for other purposes, in theory one probably could but shouldn't think it possible. First spare parts are long NLA. Second as mentioned these things were built in on site. You'd have to take the thing apart without damaging anything, then reassemble in the same manner.

A version of these cabinets would be airing cupboards. Small rooms that house and or water heating systems. To harness the ambient heat given off such devices racks and or shelves would be put into such places. While not hot enough to truly dry really wet laundry it is often fine for shirts, dainty hand wash, damp boots, etc... In damp wet climates these heated rooms make a great place to store linens and such to keep them dry and free of mould.