If you’re tired of having your towels in a soggy pile next to your pool or hot tub, you’ll appreciate these excellent outdoor towel rack options.
These outdoor towel racks can work well:
- next to your pool as a pool towel rack
- as hot tub towel racks
- as outdoor shower towel racks
- or even for slip-n-slides or for running through the sprinkler (yikes, brrrr)
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What to consider when buying an outdoor towel rack
Think about your particular situation.
Fixed or Portable Outdoor Towel rack?
Do you only need towels next to your outdoor pool? If so, then a fixed, non-movable pool towel rack or hooks could work.
But you may want to move the towel rack around your yard or pool deck to catch the sunshine and dry the towels faster…if this sounds like you then look for a portable towel rack.
Is it really WINDY at your place? If it is then hanging towels can act like a ship’s sails and a towel rack may blow over. A fixed towel rack – like one mounted to a wall or fence – may be a better option for a windy location.
How many towels do you need to hang at once?
And consider how many towels you’ll need to be hanging and drying at one time.
This will affect how much hanging space you need (more towels being used at once requires more hanging space).
And it’ll affect what material the towel rack is made of. Wet towels are heavy. If you hang a bunch of wet towels at once, you’ll want a strong and sturdy outdoor towel rack.
List of 15 excellent Outdoor Towel Rack Options
Scroll through all the options and see which one will work for you.
1) Outdoor Towel Tree – portable, plastic outdoor towel rack by Milliard
This freestanding outdoor towel tree by Milliard has a base that you fill with water to improve stability. It is about 5-feet, 5-inches tall.
And there are three horizontal arms that slide through the vertical support piece, creating 6 spots to hang your towels. (But because it is made from plastic, some people said it didn’t hold up to the weight very well.)
It is made of plastic so is fairly light to move around your pool deck to follow the sun if you wanted.
This is not the best choice if you live in a windy area.
Their product photo below looks Photoshopped to me, but it gives you an idea of what it would look like next to your outdoor pool.
2) Poolside Towel Tree – by Outdoor Lamp Company (3 bar model)
This a popular and well-rated outdoor towel tree made by the company “Outdoor Lamp Company.” It is made of PVC plastic, and you can fill the base with water or sand.
The sand is a nice option because if you want to use it as a hot tub towel rack in the freezing winter, you don’t want to risk putting water in the base.
This towel tree is a little shorter than then one mentioned earlier. This one is 50-inches tall, whereas the one made by Milliard is 65-inches tall.
Even though it is shorter, it could still blow over if you live in a windy area. So keep this in mind if you have the Santa Ana winds or other winds blowing through your backyard.
3) Plastic Outdoor Pool Towel Rack with wide base (by Wassers)
This towel rack is also made of plastic (PVC plastic), but it should hold up better to winds than an outdoor towel tree due to its wider base.
It has 5 wide horizontal towel bars, and shorter bars along the side that provide stability to the unit, but also provide more hanging space.
It is well-rated with the most of the complaints pertaining to the assembly instructions.
This is a good option for larger families or for people that have lots of pool accessories like goggles, diving toys, etc…
4) Freestanding 7 Bar Pool Towel Rack (by TowelMaid)
Here is another PVC plastic pool towel rack, but this one has a stylish curved design and features 7 bars to hang your towels.
It is a good option if you want a freestanding towel rack with a lower risk to blow over in the wind. And it is light enough that you can easily move it around your yard.
Because the towel bars are wide, this will work as a towel drying rack (for most width of pool towels).
If you need to hang a lot of towels at once and want something portable and light… check this out
Have you read this yet…
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5) Curved 5-bar PVC Pool Towel Rack (by TowelMaid)
Earlier we saw the 7-bar towel rack made by TowelMaid…which is a fairly large unit…and they also make this 5-bar towel rack.
It has a wider, more stable base than the towel trees, yet doesn’t take up as much space on the pool deck as the 7-bar unit.
If you think this will work for you…
Click here to see current price.
6) Make your own PVC Pool Towel Rack (DIY version)
If you’re handy with basic tools you could make your own pool towel rack. Following a quick search on YouTube I found the video below. Have a watch and see if it is something you could make to keep your pool towels dry and clean.
Plus, check out our article on:
19 awesome Above Ground Pool Accessories (make the most of your above ground pool)
7) Freestanding Bamboo Outdoor Towel Rack (can be used indoors too)
Here is a well-rated stylish bamboo towel rack that can be used outdoors next to your pool or hot tub, but can look great in your bathroom too.
It only has three of the metal towel bars – so you can only hold 3 towels on here.
The other potential downside to this towel rack, is that the bars are only about 20-inches wide: most pool towels are wider than that.
This means your wet towels will be “bunched up” on these bars. And without adequate airflow through your towels, they won’t dry as quickly. It’ll still work well to hold your dry towels next to your pool or hot tub while you go for a dip. (And since many people get out of their hot tub go inside…allowing the towels to dry outside isn’t a big worry.)
8) Wall-mounted Swinging Metal Towel Rack (4 arm model)
You mount this towel rack to a wall, fence or post so it’s a good option for windy areas. (Some freestanding pools racks can blow over and break in the the wind. For a fixed towel rack like this your towels will blow off, but it won’t topple over.)
The 4 arms swivel up to 180-degrees so you can stagger the towels to dry.
It is made of aluminum so it won’t rust and it can be installed outside (or inside if you want).
Important note: the arms are short – only about 13-inches wide.
So you won’t be able to hang a pool towel or bath towel on here and have it lay flat on the bar.
You can think of these short arms as being more like outdoor towel hooks than towel bars.
9) Plastic Swinging Outdoor Towel Holder (by Outdoor Lamp Company)
Here is another swinging towel holder, but this one is made of plastic.
The cool thing about this option is that the arms are longer than the other option mentioned above.
This one has 17-inches arms. So most pool towels still won’t lay flat, but you’ll be able to hang a larger portion of the towel over the arm.
10) Hot Tub Towel Rack
The company MySpaCover makes this towel rack that attaches to the side of your hot tub. It is an easy way to keep your towels off the ground, and it provides a convenient spot for a towel to dry your hands.
There is only enough space on this rod for one towel, but you could mount two of them on opposite sides of your hot tub.
If you are looking for a hot tub towel rack, you may want to check this out.
11) Mini Surfboard Hooks – can use as Outdoor Towel Hooks
Do you want a cool surfer vibe for your pool or outdoor area? Here are some little surfboard hooks that lots of people use as outdoor towel hooks.
You get a 6 pack of them.
If you think these look cool, click here for more information.
12) Outdoor Towel Hooks – “Towels & Trunks” Holder (Etsy)
Doesn’t this look incredible!
If you want to add style and personality to your pool or hot tub area check out this outdoor towel holder by SistersByDesign2014 on Etsy. (A very highly rated shop ran by Melinda and Jessi: they have completed thousands of sales on Etsy.)
You can buy this towel rack it with 4 hooks or all the way up to 8 hooks…great for your family’s pool.
Plus, you can get the hooks in silver or bronze. This could be a great addition to your poolside area.
13) Flip Flop Design Outdoor Towel Hooks (Etsy)
Aren’t these cute looking? How cool would these look next to your pool, hot tub or outdoor shower!
You can get these flip flop towel hooks in a variety of different colors. They come as a pair.
This picture looks good, but there are way better looking photos submitted by Etsy customers on the Etsy product page.
Click here to see more pictures of these colorful outdoor towel hooks.
14) Outdoor Towel Hooks with Mermaid Design (Etsy)
Do your kids love mermaids? Or do you love mermaids?
If you do check out this cool pool decor. Not only will it suit your style, but it also provides a convenient place to hang your towels.
What’s great about mounted outdoor towel holders like this is that it won’t topple over in the breeze like some other options on this list (yes, I’m talking about you towel trees!).
And if you buy this, you’ll be supporting a Made in the USA company.
It is available on Etsy if you want a closer look.
15) Make your own Pool Towel Holders with hooks
These are made of cast iron, so you’ll want to spray paint them with Rustoleum or similar protective metal paint.
But once painted you can easily mount these to boards to make your own pool towel holders, or screw them directly into your fence, posts, or walls of your house or pool house.
(On the Amazon product page you’ll see more pictures…ones that buyer’s submitted…there are some pretty cool ones.)
I made a DIY Farmhouse coat rack that you can read about here. If I’d chosen “beachy” hooks and spray painted them, I could have easily made a pool towel rack.
I hope one of these outdoor towel racks will help make your backyard more organized, attractive and functional.
Just remember before you buy a pool towel rack, hot tub towel rack, etc… consider your particular backyard, and your needs. Is it really windy there? Do you want to move the rack around? Do you only need to hold a couple towels, or way more?
Thank you and enjoy your day!
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