The Uncommon Life

Why WindowDry? #Giveaway

October 6, 2010

For the sake of Janice Jacoby’s house guests, we’re giving her the first WindowDry rack in our giveaway:

“I line dry as much as possible but here in Florida we have so many unexpected thunderstorms it is hard to do for much of the year. I actually have a line stretched across my porch that has almost strangled unsuspecting visitors! I sure would love this and so would my company.”

Stay tuned— we’ll be giving away two more WindowDry racks later this week with some more info about how to join the line-drying movement with our friends at Project Laundry List.


Made just outside of Seattle, the WindowDry rack is a great solution for urban line-dryers or clothesline aficionados caught in rainy weather. The rack folds up easily when not in use, and can be hung in a shower, on a window, or on tile walls.

How did the WindowDry rack come about?

Laura Bridenbeck says, “We live in Seattle where the climate is wet, so our drying happens mostly indoors. Brent developed the Windowdry rack out of necessity because the large, bulky rack I was using was continually being knocked down by our 90 pound golden retriever and 4-year-old daughter. He decided to build a rack that could be mounted up and out of the way yet be near or on a window.”

But does one small rack hold a full load of laundry?

“One of the first questions people ask after seeing this rack is how much weight does it support using suction cups? It supports over 25 pounds (average load of wet laundry weighs 11 lbs)and we have even tested it with our 36 pound daughter!”

Today we’re giving away one WindowDry rack to a lucky reader who’s ready to make the switch to line drying. Just leave a comment below, and let us know why you want to be a line-dryer. Winner announced at 6 pm ET today.

52 Comments

  • Reply Russell October 6, 2010 at 9:50 am

    I would love to make the switch to the windowdry rack. This would allow me to save water, money & encourage my friends & neighbors to do the same! Thanks & have a great day in every way! Russell

  • Reply tmc October 6, 2010 at 9:50 am

    I think line-drying is a way to slow down and get in touch with the natural world. It’s a way of getting outside where we belong and also of being respectful of the things we’re lucky to have like adequate clothing.

  • Reply Jennifer Z October 6, 2010 at 9:51 am

    We really would like to try line drying more- we just don’t have the best place to put up the rack. Right now it’s in the garage and I worry about good clothes getting dirty. The window rack would help with the spacing issue and I’d use it often!

  • Reply Sarah October 6, 2010 at 9:52 am

    I currently do some line drying (we cloth diaper and need to line dry the covers and pocket diapers). Right now, I drape them over the washer door because we’re selling our house and I can’t set up a drying line in the backyard. This rack would be awesome because I could keep it up overnight but put it away if someone was touring the house. It’d also be great while I was traveling to my family so I could dry my diapers there.

  • Reply Kristen October 6, 2010 at 9:53 am

    I really need to do this, seeing as how many times the appliance repair guy has been out to fix my 2 yr old dryer! When I was in between repairs, I had to find a way to hang clothing/towels. Needless to say, it was quite a task b/c I just don’t have the room to do so. (Four kids=lots of laundry).
    This would DEFINITELY come in handy. My dryer is repaired, but I still find myself hanging things to dry just because I got so used to it!
    One of the repairs was for a dryer fire (not a fun experience). Luckily, it was a flash fire–nothing was lost. But now, I’m always hesitant to even use the dryer-seeing that flame under the dryer late one night was enough to scare the heck out of you!

  • Reply Jennifer October 6, 2010 at 9:54 am

    What a wonderful idea! I already line dry some things on a floor rack…and, just like Laura mentioned, it gets in the way and knocked over. This would be a great space saver, and it sounds like it would hold even more laundry than I can put on my floor rack. I would put this to good use!

  • Reply Barbara DeLarwelle October 6, 2010 at 9:54 am

    I want to be a line-dryer! Need to switch here. Love the idea of fresh smelling clothes!!

  • Reply Lily October 6, 2010 at 9:55 am

    I’m always looking for ways to save energy.

  • Reply Maria Keller October 6, 2010 at 9:56 am

    When I started using cloth diapers on my son 4 years ago I started line drying for the first time. Well… air drying. There was no line involved. I would lay out diapers all over the house.
    Now I’m doing the same with my clothes… and praying no one comes over for an unexpected visit!
    I would adore a line dryer!

  • Reply PAW October 6, 2010 at 9:58 am

    I’ve recently switched to the green wash ball as well as the re-useable dryer sheets which I bought at gaiam.com showing my desire for conserving on plastic detergent bottles and lint sheets. I am now ready to go the whole way!! I live in Great Falls, Montana and we have some serious wind here. So I would very much appreciate a window drying rack. I’ll put it in the window in my laundry room, open the window and let the drying begin!

  • Reply Jessica October 6, 2010 at 9:58 am

    This would make apartment life, and life as a starving art student much easier. Not only would I no longer have to hang my clothes all over my very small bathroom to dry, (I can’t wash clothes if I need a shower..) but I wouldn’t have to worry about an over the top electric bill from an out of date dryer.

  • Reply Tracy October 6, 2010 at 9:58 am

    I would LOVE to have more room indoors to dry my laundry, I just started line drying this summer – to save money and energy, and I don’t know what I am going to do this winter when the weather won’t let me hang my clothes outside?!?!? My family is trying to make every effort we can to help protect the planet : )

  • Reply michelle wysocki October 6, 2010 at 9:59 am

    reduce my carbon print, clothes smell better, i have no where to hang a line in my yard….I soooo would love this!!

  • Reply lisa October 6, 2010 at 9:59 am

    My mother was a line dryer and I miss the smell and feel of line dried clothes. Clothes feel better and last so much longer. I’d go back in a heartbeat!

  • Reply Amanda October 6, 2010 at 10:00 am

    I grew up in a line drying family on a line drying street. There are so many economical and environmental readons. But also I think it is a nice addition to the landscape (when hung properly…undies in the center people!!!) with sheets flapping in the breeze. I am ready to return to my roots. 🙂

  • Reply Gail Freudenberger October 6, 2010 at 10:01 am

    I love to line dry my clothes but living in an apt kind of stops a lot of that. Hand washing a lot of things also helps but drying is a little bit harder. I have been trying to go green whenever possible and this would help so much. Just my husband and I and it would help to line dry again( at least a little).This is one of those “little” things that helps soooo much. Thanks.

  • Reply jessica medlin October 6, 2010 at 10:01 am

    Our dryer broke in the begininng of the summer so we decided to go without until it got to cold. I have a folding rack that I can bring inside and out of the house but between my dogs and kids it is constantly getting destroyed. If it was out the window I could dry my cloth diapers and not worry about them getting chewed by the puppy! This is a neat little invention, would love to review it on my blog!

  • Reply nate October 6, 2010 at 10:03 am

    I would love one. I hate drying dress shirts in the dryer because they almost always get forgotten or wrinkled, so I most always use the shower rod to hang them on.

    My mother never used a dryer when I was growing up, and there was always something nice about the smell of clothes, towels, etc that came off the line. I am sorry but throwing a dryer sheet or using some fabric softners with outdoors scents, do not come even remotely close to air drying.

    I live in a small apartment and would love to hang my clothes outside to dry.

    This would be fabulous.

  • Reply Carrie T October 6, 2010 at 10:04 am

    I would love to have one of these. While I live in a home, there is not the floor space for a stand alone line dryer. What a cool invention!

  • Reply April October 6, 2010 at 10:06 am

    Neat idea. It will decrease the need for clothes hanging in all doorways and showers of the house.

  • Reply Kathryn Tomasek October 6, 2010 at 10:07 am

    mine is a single human household, so my carbon footprint is a mess…. big for heat, clothes drying…. small for garbage, even recycling…. i drive hybrid, minimize purchase of packaged goods and petroleum products…. would _love_ to line dry, even in cold new england winters….

  • Reply Lena October 6, 2010 at 10:08 am

    I really need this thing because i live in a small apartment with three other awesome people, I’m going to have bad weather for the following 9 months, and it’s quite hard to put up a clothesline here:)

  • Reply Monica Kelley October 6, 2010 at 10:09 am

    I would love to be able to use this, I live in an aprtment so I don’t have access to a clothes line outside. I try to use my dryer as less as possible to save money and energy and this would come in really handy.

  • Reply Sarah October 6, 2010 at 10:09 am

    Wow – this looks great! I have a small foldable rack that I use for drying diapers on, but I haven’t been doing that as much now that its rainy and cold. This is such a great idea, because it can fold up and “disappear” easily, and mounting it on a window seems like it might be able to take advantage of the sun even in the middle of winter! I’m not sure if i count as *switching* to line drying, but i would keep using it in the winter, as opposed to going back and forth… does that count?

  • Reply Jennifer Tomlinson October 6, 2010 at 10:16 am

    I would love to have a dry rack for our house because we cannot dry clothes outside on a line. We live in a forest and would have squirrel and bird droppings on the clothes along with all the deposits from the trees! We already have an energy efficient dryer but I want to take it a step further and dry a portion of our clothes on drying racks.
    Thank you!

  • Reply Lori October 6, 2010 at 10:18 am

    I’ve wanted to switch to line-drying for a while now – mostly because it seems as if my dryer is always on (3 children). I live in San Antonio TX, so I’d get lots of use out of it, no doubt. We also have a trailer and when we go camping, this product seems to be perfect for that too! I also love the way line-dried clothes/linens smell! Thanks for a great product and give-away.

  • Reply Sarah Chatterjee October 6, 2010 at 10:20 am

    We already line dry most of our clothes, but our rack has seen better days. This would be a perfect replacement! We fill that continuing this practice is important- it saves energy and water, prolongs the life of our clothes and all of the above lead to cost savings in the long run!

  • Reply Angela Peterson October 6, 2010 at 10:37 am

    I would be stoked to have your WindowDry Rack!! With 5 kiddos, I end up doing 3-4 loads of laundry per day just to keep up. I don’t have a yard to speak of right now or I’d be taking advantage of the unusually warm and breezy weather we are having here in Colorado! There’s nothing like watching my “babies” grab a sheet (that’s been air drying), nuzzle their little face deep and tell me it smells like sunshine!! It would be a wonderful “do as I do” teaching moment as it’s so easy to TELL them about conservation rather than show them.

  • Reply Amanda G October 6, 2010 at 10:43 am

    I’d LOVE a window dry rack!! I have a 10 month old daughter that we cloth diaper! Line drying is so much better for the dipes than the the dryer, BUT we live in Pittsburgh… which means a nice mix of rain, snow, and ice from now until late April! A Window Dry Rack would save me money (on electric and new diapers!) and would keep her bottom happy!

  • Reply Ngoc October 6, 2010 at 11:00 am

    I have stuff hanging around all over. I was in Asia for the summer and got used to washing things by hand and hanging it out to dry…would love one of these 🙂

  • Reply Melissa October 6, 2010 at 11:27 am

    I live in a small apartment with no option for a clothes line outside. This is such a unique idea for people like me, who don’t have a lot of space for an indoor rack and end up laying their clothes over the shower curtain, chairs, and outdoor privacy fence to air dry clothes. Very unique, kudos!!

  • Reply Amanda October 6, 2010 at 11:27 am

    I think this is a great idea!

    With 4 kids, there’s always something in the wash here and typically there’s one item that we “need” in the middle of it all.

    I think line drying would be a great way for me to cut through the pile!

  • Reply Jacqueline A. October 6, 2010 at 11:39 am

    Oh, wow! I have been hanging hangers off of everywhere they will hang in my room trying to get my laundry dry. Great idea!

  • Reply cindy gonsiewski October 6, 2010 at 11:56 am

    I love to NOT use my dryer. Dislike the thing and can not afford it. What a great, efficent and space saving device this is. I LOVE it and want one for each window in my home. 🙂 Thank you!

  • Reply Heather October 6, 2010 at 12:10 pm

    I’m in MN so line drying isn’t easy in the LOOOONG winter months! This would be great 😉

  • Reply Joyce Payer October 6, 2010 at 12:16 pm

    No fabric softener can produce the fresh aroma of drying clothes, bedding, etc. outside! The drying Rack would finally get my clothes off of the deck rail!!!!

  • Reply Janice Jacoby October 6, 2010 at 12:23 pm

    I line dry as much as possible but here in Florida we have so many unexpected thunderstorms it is hard to do for much of the year. I actually have a line stretched across my porch that has almost strangled unsuspecting visitors! I sure would love this and so would my company.

  • Reply Rob Dansak October 6, 2010 at 12:24 pm

    I want to be a line dryer so I can win one from you.

  • Reply Kerri Hamberg October 6, 2010 at 2:18 pm

    I would LOVE to try this dryer. We air dry all our clothes in the spring and summer, but in the fall and winter it’s much harder. Our 2BR city-center apartment is often full of wet clothes draped over every door frame and unused closet bar! It does help to humidify the dry air in the winter time, and we also love that it’s so much better for the environment. We’ve got a new baby coming next month, and we’ll be using cloth diapers again (we used them for our first child, who turned 3 this year). This dryer would be ideal for us, and we’d be very grateful to receive one!

  • Reply Becky Puckett October 6, 2010 at 2:24 pm

    I would love to have one of these-I have been trying to make as many changes as possible in order for our family to be more earth friendly and sustainable, and line drying is at the top of my list. Nothing is better than the warm, freshness of sheets that have been dried outside! Here’s hoping!

  • Reply larry hance October 6, 2010 at 2:35 pm

    To $ave some bucks whilst be environmentally conscious

  • Reply jess October 6, 2010 at 3:06 pm

    This is awesome! I would be able to save so much money that I would otherwise have to sepnd drying clothes!

  • Reply Jill October 6, 2010 at 5:06 pm

    I love doing little things to be environmentally helpful! I’ve finally gotten my husband on board to use the dryer less, and he’s strung a line in the back yard as a result. Problem is, it rains quite often and defeats the purpose! I’d love to use a drying rack indoors to do our part to reduce energy usage. Thanks!

  • Reply Monica October 6, 2010 at 5:11 pm

    A drying rack would mean no more shrinking and fading like ultimately happens with dryers and no more worrying about the bad drying results from leaving tinted chapstick in the pocket of pants.

  • Reply cathy kavanagh October 6, 2010 at 5:41 pm

    Love, love, love to dry clothes on a line, but the winter time in Northern California make it impossible. This would be a great solution to those of us who like to save energy and keep our clothes looking and smelling nice……Would also have to say..I think it would make a great place to hang homemade pasta!

  • Reply joann allen October 6, 2010 at 6:05 pm

    i love the exfoliating effects of stiff Line Dried towels!

  • Reply Sarah Goebel October 6, 2010 at 7:41 pm

    I have line dried religiously since my son was born in 2006 – started because it’s way easier to get baby stains out if things haven’t been “heat set” in the dryer! However, living in Wisconsin means that you have to get very creative to line-dry in the winter – bummer! The windowdry rack is a great idea – would be awesome for my east facing windows in the morning!

  • Reply Hazel R October 6, 2010 at 7:44 pm

    I come from a tropical, developing country and when line-drying was the way of life. Here in the States, people depend on the dryer – which is a waste of energy and makes a ton of noise! I would love to revert back to line-drying and this would be perfect for a small studio apartment like mine.

  • Reply Sabrina October 7, 2010 at 11:50 am

    I live in the south and should be able to dry my clothes outside most of the year. I think it’ll save us money on electricity and maybe I won’t keep shrinking my clothes!

  • Reply theGoods – UncommonGoods blogs about products, gift ideas, gift wrapping, artists, designers and more! » Win a WindowDry Rack for 10/10/10 October 8, 2010 at 10:09 am

    […] this week we gave away a WindowDry rack to promote line-drying. And today we’re giving away two more, to spread the word about […]

  • Reply citypixie October 8, 2010 at 12:13 pm

    This product is genius! I grew up with a line in my backyard and as a NYC resident, really miss the crisp feel of line-dried sheets. Love that I can achieve that with a WindowDry and not need to install anything permanent in my apartment!

  • Reply theGoods – UncommonGoods blogs about products, gift ideas, gift wrapping, artists, designers and more! » Project Laundry List October 18, 2010 at 9:18 am

    […] UncommonGoods is committed to line-drying; earlier this year, our CEO Dave Bolotsky was a guest judge in the Levi’s Care to Air Challenge. And you’ve told us how much you love line-drying. […]

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