The Hamilton Beach Garment Drying Station is the underdog that you root for.It faces a seemingly insurmountable challenge and it tries and tries, but just falls short.Still, you appreciate its effort and reward it by trotting it out for a use every now and then.
The problem of drying delicates and shrinkable knits is hardly a new one.Since clotheslines are so out of fashion now, most people resort to drip-drying these items on hangers.But this is hardly a solution, either.
Enter the Garment Drying Station, which promises to drastically cut drying times while protecting your clothes.The biggest problem is that it fails on the first count in order to succeed on the second.I've found that drying times often stretch into the hours, especially for knits.I tried drying a few medium-weight cotton sweaters on it and they were still damp after running all night.A heavier-weight hoodie sweatshirt?Pfft - forget about it.Lightweight materials such as silks and synthetics can be finished in two to three hours.
Fortunately, while it's running, the Station isn't very loud - its fan is roughly as loud as that of a microwave.So assuming that it's in an adjacent room, you'll barely notice it.And it does blow the pleasant smell of clean laundry throughout the house.
But maybe the worst drawback to the System is the size conundrum.It takes up a large footprint when its set up - approximately 2.5 feet square.However, this still isn't large enough to completely spread out most garments.One of the problems that I faced with the knit sweaters is that I had to fold the sleeves over the body in order to fit them on to the drying rack.The wet-on-wet portions of the sweaters were obviously much slower to dry.Sure, I could have stopped by every now and then to rearrange the sleeves, but suddenly the convenience factor is gone.Also, the size of the racks can be a problem for thinner fabrics as you have no choice but to either fold the garment up or else leave it hanging off the edge, either of which can produce unwanted creases.There is an optional attachment that lets you hang hangers over the unit, but then suddenly I'm out $25 more dollars and back to hang-drying clothes anyway.
Setup and takedown are both very easy and operation is a simple on/off switch.The Station is constructed of plastic that feels durable and high-quality mesh that shouldn't snag any of your clothing.
So the Garment-Drying Station attempts to solve a likely unsolvable situation and falls somewhat short.Still, if you have a big wardrobe of delicate light-weight clothes, a lot of spare space to operate the unit, and a pretty hefty amount of patience, it's a worthwhile investment.PROS
*Gentle drying of your delicate and/or shrinkable garments
*Does fill a good amount of the house with a pleasant "fresh laundry" smell
*Surprisingly quiet during operation
*Quality construction
CONS
*Lengthy drying times
*Takes up considerable space, both when in use and when stored
*Drying racks are nevertheless too small to flatten out most items
Click Here to see more reviews about:
Hamilton Beach 11510 4-Shelf Garment Drying Station, WhiteProduct Description: Instead of draping damp clothes all over the house or wearing-out delicate garments in the dryer, use this unique appliance--it reduces air drying by up to 75 percent. The unit's ultra-quiet motor gently circulates cool room air evenly over four, large, adjustable, mesh shelves to dry garments, even extra-large sweaters. It decreases wear and tear on clothing, minimizes shrinking, and helps avoid the need for dry cleaning. Plus, it eliminates the damp-drying conditions that can leave just-washed clothes smelling musty and stale. The entire station's lightweight, space-saving design disassembles quickly for convenient storage. The drying station measures approximately 32 by 7 by 16 inches and carries a one-year warranty.
Buy cheap Hamilton Beach 11510 4-Shelf Garment Drying Station, White now Get 70% OFF
First, be aware that the two level one is very small - it doesn't give dimensions on the website. Second and more importantly, these are very poorly made. We wound up purchasing two three-level drying racks to replace the two-level one. Both wound up breaking. The first one broke the FIRST time we used it. The bottom support SNAPPED. We were gingerly using the second one we had and after we used it for one week, the bottom support bent so that it is unusable. The company skimped on metal and it shows. Our previous drying rack served us for about 20 YEARS, so we know quite well how to use these. DO NOT PURCHASE these unless they redesign this and strengthen the metal. They look great and open up easily, but cannot handle wet clothes (hello?!). Good luck.
