You’ve probably heard the phrase “airing cupboard” whispered around British homes, but what actually is it?
Think of it as a snug little hideaway - part boiler cupboard, part towel warmer - that quietly keeps your sheets and clothes fresh, dry, and toasty.
Once a staple of older houses, usually found upstairs, the airing cupboard makes clever use of the warmth from the hot water tank to double up as a built-in drying spot.
It’s one of those features that sounds old-fashioned, yet when you have one, you wonder how you’d ever live without it.
🔑 Key Takeaways:
An airing cupboard is a storage cupboard built around a hot water cylinder, traditionally used for drying and warming towels, bedding, and clothes.
They’re most common in homes with system or regular boilers that store hot water in a separate tank.
Benefits include preventing damp smells, reducing mould risk, and adding a touch of everyday luxury with warm towels.
In homes with combi boilers (which heat water on demand, no tank required), airing cupboards are less common - but many households repurpose the space for general storage.
With the right setup, some airing cupboards can also safely house a boiler, provided ventilation and servicing access are in place.
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A Little History
At its simplest, an airing cupboard is a cupboard built around your home’s hot water cylinder, often fitted with slatted shelves above to allow heat to circulate.
The warmth drifting off the tank creates a gently heated environment that’s perfect for airing fabrics - stopping towels, bedding, and clothes from turning damp or musty in Britain’s famously soggy climate.
The idea really dates back to the days of gravity-fed hot water systems, when most homes had large storage tanks.
Laundry would be washed, partially dried outside (if the weather allowed), then brought in to finish drying in the cupboard.
No tumble dryer, no dehumidifier, no gadgets - just old-school physics making the most of a heat source that was already running.
This mix of necessity and ingenuity gave the airing cupboard its name and its staying power.
Even now, long after dryers and heated towel rails have come along, many people still swear by them as an eco-friendly, low-maintenance way to keep fabrics fresh and warm.
What’s Inside an Airing Cupboard?
At the base of every airing cupboard is the hot water cylinder itself. These days, it’s usually insulated to keep efficiency (and your bills) under control.
Above and around it, you’ll often find slatted wooden shelves - the gaps are deliberate, letting warm air rise and circulate so fabrics dry evenly rather than going musty.
What gets stored inside? Typically:
Towels, bedding, pillowcases, and spare sheets.
Lighter clothing that benefits from a gentle warm-through.
Seasonal bedding like duvets and blankets (often in vacuum bags).
In older homes, airing cupboards also doubled as laundry finishers, with damp clothes hung directly inside to complete the drying process.
Some setups include exposed pipes running through, which gives the cupboard an extra boost of warmth.
If your home runs on a combi boiler - which heats water directly from the mains without a separate tank - you may not have an airing cupboard at all.
In those cases, the space is often converted into a plain cupboard, a cleaning supply store, or even a makeshift pantry.
Do Modern Homes Still Have Them?
Not as often as they once did. Combi boilers have become the heating system of choice in many new builds and renovations because they’re compact and efficient, eliminating the need for a bulky hot water cylinder. Without the tank, there’s no need for the cupboard.
That said, system and regular boilers - both of which store hot water in a separate cylinder - are still common, especially in larger homes or households with high hot water demand. In these homes, the airing cupboard remains a natural fit.
Even if you upgrade your heating system and lose the hot water cylinder, it’s rarely worth tearing the cupboard out.
In smaller properties, especially, it’s valuable square footage that can easily be repurposed into storage.
Many people keep it for towels and linens, or convert it into a cleaning cupboard or a neatly organised stash for suitcases, hoovers, or the Christmas bedding.
“The trusty airing cupboard is a throwback to the days when every home had a hot water cylinder. While combis have made them less common, they’re still handy if you’ve got the space.” - Patrick Garner, Gas Safe Engineer at Heatable
Why Airing Cupboards Are Still Brilliant
Beyond the basics of storing towels, an airing cupboard quietly works as a built-in drying room.
The steady warmth keeps fabrics dry and mould-free, which is especially useful in a climate where damp is always trying to creep in.
There’s also the comfort factor. Few things feel more luxurious than stepping out of the shower and wrapping yourself in a towel that’s already warm. It’s a five-star experience delivered by a cupboard.
From a practical angle, an airing cupboard makes efficient use of energy that would otherwise go to waste.
The heat radiating from the cylinder is already being produced for your hot water needs; using it to dry and air fabrics adds a free layer of usefulness.
It’s one of those rare home features that combines thrift, comfort, and convenience without asking for anything extra in return.
How to Make the Most of Yours
The beauty of an airing cupboard is that it doesn’t take much effort, but a little organisation can turn it from a cluttered hot box into a genuinely useful space.
Shelving matters. Adjustable or slatted shelves make it easier to accommodate everything from bulky duvets to small hand towels.
Baskets and boxes. Grouping items keeps things tidy - one basket for towels, another for bed linen, another for cleaning bits.
Use the doors. Hooks, rods, or even hanging pockets on the inside of the cupboard door can give you bonus storage for lightweight items.
Think seasonally. Vacuum-pack bags are brilliant for storing bulky items like winter duvets, freeing up more everyday space.
Done well, your airing cupboard stops being “just where the hot water tank lives” and starts feeling like your home’s secret wardrobe-meets-drying room.
Can You Put a Boiler in an Airing Cupboard?
Yes, but there are important safety rules to follow.
Boilers need room to breathe, so cupboards must be ventilated (with grilles or louvred doors) and have adequate clearance for airflow.
Engineers also need enough access space to service the boiler properly - you can’t wedge it in so tightly that the door barely opens.
Typically, you’ll want:
Around 300mm of space above the boiler.
At least 100mm below.
Roughly 700mm clearance in front.
It’s also smart to separate the boiler from stored items with a solid shelf or divider, keeping fabrics away from the heat source.
Bottom line: fitting a boiler in an airing cupboard can be done, but it’s not a DIY job. Always get a Gas Safe engineer to design the setup so it’s safe, ventilated, and compliant with regulations
Troubleshooting: Musty Smells
An airing cupboard should prevent damp, not create it. If yours smells musty, something’s off.
Start by checking for leaks around the hot water cylinder or nearby pipework. Even small drips can cause moisture build-up that feeds mould.
Next, look at ventilation. If the cupboard is sealed too tightly or crammed full of stuff, warm air won’t circulate properly, and fabrics will sit damp.
The fix is usually simple:
Repair any leaks.
Don’t overload the cupboard.
Give it a clean with mild disinfectant.
Use moisture absorbers or a mini dehumidifier if necessary.
And avoid putting wet laundry straight inside. The cupboard is for finishing off clothes, not for handling them soaking wet.
No Cupboard? No Problem.
If your home doesn’t have an airing cupboard, you can still get the same effect with a few modern alternatives. Heated towel rails in the bathroom provide that warm-towel luxury every day.
A dehumidifier in a wardrobe or spare room keeps fabrics fresh and free from musty odours. Drying cabinets - popular in Scandinavia - replicate the airing cupboard experience with gentle heat and ventilation.
For a modern twist, app-controlled drying racks and smart airers are now popping up on the market. They’re efficient, space-saving, and a neat way to mimic the cupboard’s benefits without needing a hot water tank.
Final Word
The airing cupboard might not be the must-have feature it once was, but for homes that still have one, it remains a gem.
It’s a clever bit of domestic engineering - recycling warmth that’s already there into something practical, cosy, and quietly luxurious. And even if your boiler setup means you’ll never need one, there are plenty of ways to mimic the effect in modern life.
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