Mobile Solar Clothes Dryer

"Since the beginning of time, man has yearned to destroy the sun!" -- C. Montgomery Burns

Whoa, whoa, whoa, Mr. Burns!! Let's not get too hasty. Perhaps the sun has some use after all.

Hot, dry days are "Iaundry weather." Well, on Sunday anyway

Some years ago I made two mobile drying racks with scavenged materials. I thought I would share the idea. Now this is not a comprehensive how-to on the build process, but a "broad-strokes" overall of the idea --- cuz I'm a broad-strokes kinda guy.

-Wire rack shelving (scavenged -- pronounce it "Ska-venge" like Avenge)

-EMT (electrical metallic tubing)

-emt fittings (steel connectors & couplings)

2" metal castors (because plastic sucks) Purchased from Home Depot

-Modified truss-head self-drilling screws

Clothes pins (I got stainless steel ones off the Amazon)

Cheap Home Depot spring clamps

Sunlight and a slight breeze

Find/fabricate some shelving. In my case, I came by some abandoned wire shelving that was missing parts. Depending on what you find, scavenge, or make; figure out how to make it into a structure. The first rack I made had legs made of 3/4" galvanized rigid pipe. I over-threaded (~ 2" worth) the ends of the pipe, then was able to sandwich the shelving supports between (2) 3/4" lock nuts.

The second rack had legs of 1" EMT that I pounded into the shelving supports. I did have to cut some relief notches in the ends of the EMT to allow it to fit into the shelving.

Now that I had the basic structure, I added more racks to allow for greater capacity. I made lower swing-out racks for smaller items (chonés, socks, washcloths, etc). Those racks I constructed of vertical 3/4" EMT with 1/2" EMT cross pieces welded between. I hinged them off the side of the rack with a bolt or pin at the bottom.

(A word on safety: EMT is galvanized. Welding galvanized metal releases toxic gases. Remove as much of the galvanization as possible prior to welding. Wear ya PPE (respirator, gloves, hood). And make sure there's plenty of ventilation.)

Now for the overhead racks. The uprights on the first cart are 1/2" EMT that telescopes inside the lower (3/4") legs. As a "stop", I simply drove a screw in the side of the upright. Plastic bushings on the tops of the legs made for a snug fit.

On the second cart, I used a 1/2" compression connector that fit inside the 1" EMT with only slight modification.

The cross bars for the upper rack are 3/4" EMT slightly wider than the width of the cart. They have 1/2" couplings welded to them acting as a socket to fit atop the uprights.

The cross bars extend with 1/2" EMT sleeved inside each end of the 3/4"; allowing them to telescope out for even more capacity. I flared the ends of the 1/2" fitting inside the 3/4" to make it a little snugger(?), more snug(?), ehhh. Gonna go with "Snugglier" -- There it is!!

Sun and a breeze dry the clothes. That breeze though, can topple the cart -- Lesson learned!!. I keep some heavy items (ballast) on the bottom of each of the carts. There's a lot of "sail" up top when loaded up.

Hanging T-shirts on hangers leaves them mostly wrinkle free. I have found that a wet T-shirt on a hanger can end up with some goofy little "shoulder puffs" from the end of the hanger. That's why you see a clothespin pinching the neck of the shirt. This way the shoulder seams align with the ends of the hanger

I use the Home Depot spring clamps to hang my pants out flat. Kinda need to because Carhartts are pretty heavy when damp -- too heavy for your average clothespin. This also reduces wrinkle-age

I've learned to like folding my clothes outside as well -- plenty of room to shake 'em out. Then I just carry a finished stack right into the house.

Some final thoughts: I made one cart, then realized in "needed" a second. Had I thought ahead, I would have made them so that, when stored, one could "nest" within the other. I plan on doing this just to conserve space in the garage. I'll have to modify both rack to make this a reality. When I get around to doing so, I'll post an update