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The term 'clothes horse' is used to refer to a portable frame upon which wet
laundry Laundry refers to 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 ...
is hung to dry by
evaporation Evaporation is a type of vaporization that occurs on the surface of a liquid as it changes into the gas phase. High concentration of the evaporating substance in the surrounding gas significantly slows down evaporation, such as when h ...
. The frame is usually made of wood, metal or plastic. It is a cheap low-tech piece of
laundry Laundry refers to 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 ...
equipment, as opposed to a
clothes dryer A clothes dryer, also known as tumble dryer or simply dryer, is a powered household appliance that is used to remove moisture from a load of clothing, bedding and other textiles, usually shortly after they are washed in a washing machine. Many ...
, which requires electricity to operate, or a
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. For decades from 1945 the devices were mainly manufactured in ...
, which requires ample space, wind and fine weather. It also served as an alternative to an airing cupboard. 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 ubiquitous in Great Britain, for example, in the constant battle against damp and mold, has become far less common 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, airer, or (Scots) Winter Dyke.


Types

There are many types of clothes horses: large, stationary outdoor ones; smaller, folding portable racks; and wall-mounted drying racks. A clothes horse is similar in usage and function to a
clothes line A clothes line or washing line is any type of rope, cord, or twine that has been stretched between two points (e.g. two sticks), outside or indoors, above the level of the ground. Clothing that has recently been washed is hung along the lin ...
, and used as an alternative to the powered
clothes dryer A clothes dryer, also known as tumble dryer or simply dryer, is a powered household appliance that is used to remove moisture from a load of clothing, bedding and other textiles, usually shortly after they are washed in a washing machine. Many ...
. An electric alternative exists, usually known as a heated clothes airer. An
overhead clothes airer An overhead clothes airer, also known variously as a ceiling clothes airer, laundry airer, pulley airer, laundry rack, laundry pulley, or a Sheila Maid, is a ceiling-mounted mechanism to dry clothes. In the North of England it is often known as a ...
can be lowered by its
pulley A pulley is a wheel on an axle or shaft that is designed to support movement and change of direction of a taut cable or belt, or transfer of power between the shaft and cable or belt. In the case of a pulley supported by a frame or shell that ...
mechanism to a convenient height for loading the 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
overhead clothes airer An overhead clothes airer, also known variously as a ceiling clothes airer, laundry airer, pulley airer, laundry rack, laundry pulley, or a Sheila Maid, is a ceiling-mounted mechanism to dry clothes. In the North of England it is often known as a ...
with pulleys


Figurative usage

The term ''clothes horse'' can be used to describe men and women 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, refined language, and leisurely hobbies, pursued with the appearance of nonchalance. A dandy could be a self-made man who strove to imitate an aristocratic lifestyle desp ...
, 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 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 the German a ...
illustration of fashionable clothing in a book or magazine. ''Clothes horse'' can also be used to describe men or women 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 their acting ability.


See also

*
Laundry-folding machine A laundry-folding machine or laundry-folding robot is a machine or domestic robot which folds apparel such that they can be stored compactly and orderly A laundry folding machine can be a part of or integrated with a washing machine, clothes dry ...


References

{{Laundry navbox Home Laundry drying equipment Domestic implements English words and phrases Read more.https://headcloths.com/