Woods that will not stain damp clothing?

My wife has asked for a new clothes drying rack to replace the 40 year old model we now use. Since she is chemically sensitive, there will be no finish on the wood parts and we want to stay away from metal for similar reasons.

So, the question: is there any reference which would list woods that do/do not stain or mark damp clothing? I have ample quantities of old-growth longleaf pine, beech and Bradford pear. I am conducting some damp-cloth tests on each but don't have a good way to know how they will perform after a number of years of damp/dry cycles. I have a couple older books about various wood properties which lists their tendency to impart taste to foods (or not) but I don't recall any mention of staining clothes.

BTW, the rack will be used indoors only and will not be in direct sunlight.

Jim

You might check out bamboo, just a thought.

I don't know of any single reference. You just have to "know". Of the woods you mentioned, I would pick beech. Other good choices would be birch, sycamore and maple.

Interesting question. You might try calling the Forest Products Lab in Madison WI. They are very friendly and helpful. Part of the US Dept of Ag, your tax dollars at work.

my wife has a number of them, both the wall mount and floor versions. Most of the parts appear to be maple. One of the older collapsible wall type may have some beech pieces. The Artmoore floor standing one with round spindles appear to be maple, but some could be birch. I'd say all have maple or mostly maple parts.
None of them are all that straight.... Though it does not seem to detract from usefulness.

smt

Everything like this I've ever seen was made from birch or maple. In addition to being straight grained, they are also nearly colorless, so there shouldn't be a lot of natural dye to fight.

One thing to think about, wet maple in contact with iron can develop a purple/black stain. Don't know what zippers, overall clasps, etc are made of - are they steel? Or maybe that stain would not transfer. Do some tests.