Residents' Concerns that Laundry Rack Designs under Home Improvement Programme may be Impractical and Problematic

Mr Yip Hon Weng asked the Minister for National Development (a) whether the Ministry will look into residents' concerns that laundry rack designs under the Home Improvement Programme may be impractical and problematic; (b) whether residents can opt out of having the new laundry racks; and (c) whether future designs can be developed with inputs from residents to meet their practical needs.

The external retractable clothes drying rack (ER-CDR) was introduced under the Home Improvement Programme (HIP) in 2020. This was in view of past fall from height incidents involving usage of bamboo poles laden with wet laundry, and occurrences of falling bamboo poles due to reasons such as strong winds.

With the ER-CDR, residents no longer need to lift heavy laundry loads on bamboo poles out of their windows and slot them into narrow pipe sockets. This is particularly beneficial for seniors and is increasingly important with our ageing population. Furthermore, as the installation of ER-CDR involves adding an external fixture to HDB flats, it is better for HDB to carry out the works across the board in one exercise. Therefore, the ER-CDR is an essential rather than optional component. Essential improvements under the HIP are fully funded by the Government for Singapore Citizen households.

HDB has actively engaged residents undergoing HIP to explain the benefits of the ER-CDR, conducted demonstrations on its proper usage and gathered user feedback. In response to residents' feedback, HDB has made several improvements to the ER-CDR design, including increasing laundry capacity and improving ergonomics of the pole. HDB has also uploaded an instructional video on YouTube to provide residents with a step-by-step guide on using the rack, tips to maximise laundry capacity and advice on how to quickly collect laundry when it rains.

Recent surveys conducted at selected completed HIP precincts showed that over 80% of residents considered the ER-CDR safe, while close to 70% found it easy to use. Some residents noted that they needed time to adjust to this new method of drying laundry. However, many have since adapted and accepted the ER-CDR's design and its benefits.