Joseph Joseph's clothes airer has everything you need - it's chic, discreet, and petite

Every home needs one of these

Two pictures of the Joseph Joseph Clothes Airer on a woman&home background
(Image credit: Future)
Woman & Home Verdict

If you live in a small space, you'll be eternally grateful for the compact design of the Eclipse. It folds flat and then can be wheeled into any space, where the linen-style cover will keep it from attracting attention. When you use it, you'll benefit from 14m of drying space and the subtle shield that keeps your laundry from sitting on display. It doesn't have heat running through it, but it's flawless aside from that.

Reasons to buy
  • +

    Compact design

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    Smart linen-style shield for subtle drying

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    Castor wheels make this easy to move around

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    14m of drying space

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    Really reasonably priced

Reasons to avoid
  • -

    Heavy, even though it's not heated

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    Need a couple of pairs of hands to assemble

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If you haven’t already heard, Joseph Joseph now make a clothes airer. True to form, it’s gorgeous. Every last detail is well -onsidered and stylish, making this a petite, practical dream for any homeowner.

We’re coming to that time of year when you start to look for solutions to dry clothes indoors. The best way to speed up drying and make the most of your space is by using a clothes airer. Whilst my go-to is normally one of the best heated clothes airers, there's no denying that the unheated Joseph Joseph Eclipse clothes airer is one of the most stylish models out there, especially for small homes.

I’ve tested it with big loads of washing, timed it, and used it in lots of different rooms around my house. Here’s everything you need to know, if you’re thinking of buying the Joseph Joseph Eclipse Clothes Airer.

Specifications

Joseph Joseph Clothes Airer on a white background

(Image credit: Joseph Joseph)
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DimensionsH150 x W74 x D40 cm
Weight7 kgs
Tiers3
FoldableYes and wheelable
Holds14kg
Drying space 14m

Unboxing

Joseph Joseph Clothes Airer unboxed in my house

(Image credit: Future)

I’ve been trying a lot of heated airers over the last few months, so I’ve got a good gauge of what things should weigh and how they should be packaged. The Joseph Joseph Eclipse Clothes Airer is surprisingly one of the heaviest heated airers out there. The good news is that, once it’s out of the box, the Joseph Joseph Airer is fitted with castor wheels that let it glide across the floor.

The packaging itself is a mix of carboard and soft plastic. The carboard is easy to recycle, but the soft plastic will take a little more effort. You can still dispose of it at bigger supermarkets, but it’s more of a faff.

The airer comes in a few parts, you’ll need to slot the top into place and attach the material linen-style screens. These don’t take long to put in place, but I’d recommend calling another pair of hands in to help, because it’s a lot easier to fit the top pieces on if you can do them at the same time. The linen is quite a tight fit, but that means that it all looks taut and smart when it's in place.

The cover for the Joseph Joseph Clothes Airer

You can see that the linen-style cover is pulled quite tight here and I actually needed to pull it even further down to get it on properly.

(Image credit: Future)

Who would it suit?

Joseph Joseph Clothes Airer set up in the lounge

(Image credit: Future)

Joseph Joseph make no secret of the fact that the Eclipse is designed for small spaces. It folds away into a slim screen and you can wheel it to store behind almost anywhere in your home. Whilst that does mean that it’s a very convenient option for flats and the like, it does also mean that the capacity is limited. I could hang one full load of washing on the Joseph Joseph, but it doesn’t have enough capacity for a full family, for example.

There are also lots of other nice touches. The linen-style cover means that you can conceal washing from any house guests without having an ugly eyesore in the middle of your living space. The tines can also be adjusted, so you don’t need to have the middle layer if you want to dry shirts and dresses, for example. It does prettiness and practicality perfectly.

How easy is it to use?

Two photos of the Joseph Joseph Clothes Airer, one with the cover on

I'm showing you the base of the Dry:Soon here. The pole coming out is one of the legs that I'm pushing in to place.

(Image credit: Future)

I normally run all of our heated airers through a series of tests: small loads, medium loads, and large loads, but the Joseph Joseph Eclipse Clothes Airer hits maximum capacity at 14m of drying space, which is a respectable quantity. However, it meant that my large, 10kg load of washing couldn't fit onto the dryer without cramming washing in. That’s not a problem for smaller homes and if you do your washing in batches, this is perfect, but it means that this part of my review doesn't have any data for a large load.

The Joseph Joseph Clothes Airer drying a load of washing

(Image credit: Future)

In total, the maximum wash that I could fit on the airer was 8kg. In real life, this looks like: four pillow cases, two hand towels, three jumpers, one hoodie, four pairs of shorts, fourteen pairs of socks, three gym kits and four t-shirts. You can see that I packed a great amount of washing onto the Joseph Joseph Eclipse Clothes Airer, but that meant that this was at full capacity. It took a whole day to dry those clothes.

Clothes drying on the top rung of the Joseph Joseph Clothes Airer

(Image credit: Future)

Alternatively, if I halved the wash and left spaces between each row of clothes, I also reduced the drying time by a few hours. I also discovered another one of the wonderful features of the Joseph Joseph Eclipse Clothes Airer around this time. It’s versatility. If I took out the middle row of tines, I could hang dresses and shirts from the top without them sitting on the level below. Now, there are other tiered airers that do the same, but lots of these are heated. This is one of the best ambient ones that I’ve tested to have that quality.

What is it like to store?

Castor wheels on the bottom of the Joseph Joseph Clothes Airer

(Image credit: Future)

One of the best features of the Joseph Joseph Eclipse Clothes Airer is its subtlety and how small and easy it is to store. The two sides fold in, so you're left with a linen-style screen that can be wheeled behind doors, in cupboards, and any spaces in your home. It's the easiest clothes airer to store out of everything that's on the market, especially thanks to the stylish screen.

How does it compare?

Dunelm Heated Airer With Wings with washing on

This is the Dry:Soon 3-Tier Heated Airer (right) next to the Dry:Soon Pod Heated Airer (left)

(Image credit: Future)

We normally put all of your energy into testing heated clothes airers, because they're an efficient option, both for time and money. There isn't anything quite like the Joseph Joseph Eclipse Clothes Airer. It's easily the most stylish, compact, and easy-to-use airer on the market.

If you want more capacity and a slim design, but with a model that can run some heat through it, the Dunelm Heated Clothes Airer with Wings is less beautiful, but much quicker for drying clothes. You'll get 12m of drying space, rather than 14, but it only costs £40 and you can half how long you need to have it out on display for. It's one of my favourite small heated airers.

Should you buy it?

Joseph Joseph Clothes Airer box

(Image credit: Future)

If you want a stylish, simple clothes airer, you won't find a model that's more chic than the Joseph Joseph Eclipse Clothes Airer. It's easy to move around, offers modest screening for drying your clothes, and has some impressive capacity, especially considering its size. It's not heated like some other clothes airers. However, if you put a dehumidifier near it, your clothes will dry quicker.

How we test

Clothes drying on the top rung of the Joseph Joseph Clothes Airer

(Image credit: Future)

I'm responsible for how we test heated clothes airers at woman&home, which means that I know all the details of the process. It starts well before a load of laundry, that's for sure.

I spend my days researching the latest releases on the heated clothes airer market. You'd be surprised at just how much innovation there is in this space. From ultra-compact designs to the way that they transfer heat and the different settings too, it's a surprisingly rich space.

If I see a new release that I think you'll like, I call it in to test. Once it's in my home, I make notes on the packaging, how it looks, what it's like to test, and then I get to bring out the big guns. I throw all my laundry at these: bed sheets, jeans, heavy jumpers, hand washed clothes, cotton, wool. You name it, I wash and dry it. If an airer can take it, I try to do a light load (4kg), a medium load, (6-10kg), and a large load (more than 10kg) to see how it can handle not only different fabrics, but also different quantities of clothing. I make notes on the time, how nice it is to hand clothes, how spacious, and how stable it is. Some clothes airers can make noise too, so I'll record that and let you know how it scores.

Finally, I'll pack it down and test out the storage options, because you're unlikely to want to leave it on display. I'll let you know how easy it is to pack down as well as how heavy it is to manoeuvre too.

Whilst I'm doing all this, I'll be comparing the heated airer to all the other models that I've put through exactly the same tests. It's a great time for me to tell you about the value of the product and to place it on the market. I like to choose comparisons that offer either a little more or a little less, for similar prices. That way, you can see what your money is getting you.

I'll come to a conclusion on whether you should buy it and who I think it would suit. Some heated airers are great, but if they don't suit your washing needs, it won't be money well spent.

Laura Honey
eCommerce Editor

Laura is a self-confessed, floral-obsessed, fragrance aficionado. She started out her career working for the luxury British perfume brand, Penhaligon's. Whilst working for the iconic brand, Laura qualified as a Master Perfumer and has now set up her own perfume studio. You'll often find her experimenting with her own perfumes, even though she still owns (and buys) more fragrances than she will ever admit to.

Alongside her passion for perfume, Laura graduated with an English degree from Oxford University. Whilst there, she belonged to a number of women's groups, so was eager to move into women's writing. Her first job was with the female-owned fashion brand, The White Company. Here, Laura was their only Fashion Writer, so she helped to plan, write and promote the company's quality, luxury, and timeless clothing, season after season. In her evenings, she worked on a women's health start-up, which is coming to the market soon, offering supplements for women's health. 

Laura is also the eCommerce editor at one of Future's other magazines, Homes & Gardens where she specialises in covering all their coffee and product content, looking for pieces that are tailored for timelessness. The secret to her heart is both simplicity and quality.