Line or rotary dryer in garden?

[SoMuchWaiting]

I currently have two retractable washing lines attached to either side of my house and the hooks for the other end are on the shed. We are moving house and new house is in a modern estate with flimsy fences and I'm not sure what I'd attach the washing line to if I were to put retractable lines on the house again. I've never had a rotary line and my memory of my mums from when I was growing up isn't a great one but that could have been because it would have been the cheapest one that Argos sold and very flimsy.

There is a rotary line on offer in Costco at the moment so if I go for rotary then I'll want to buy it sooner rather than later as I'll take advantage of the offer. The description says it has 60m of line, that's amazing, with my two lines at the moment I might have 12m if I'm lucky!

So I guess my questions are...

If you have a preference of line or rotary then what are your reasons?

If you have a line what is it attached to? I wouldn't want to leave a line permanently out so would want to have a retractable one with somewhere to hook it on to.

Do rotary lines have to stay out all of the time or is there a base which the line clips into and I could store the line in the shed if my dd's friends come to play?

I'm leaning more towards the rotary line at the moment but really need opinions please

Thanks

[SoMuchWaiting]

Also, are rotary lines any good for drying bedding?

[cauliwobbles]

Branbantia do a wall mounted rotary one which can be hidden away when not in use. It's fab and stopped me wanting to kill DH for his slightly leaning rotary washing lines he'd sink into the grass every time I bought anew one! 😡

[Annesmyth123]

I hate rotary driers. The stuff in the middle doesn't dry. If you could have lines either with or without posts I'd do that

[donajimena]

Line every time.

[BackforGood]

The rotary ones might have metres and metres of line, but it's all cramped in and crowded round the next layer, not free to blow in the wind and have the sun shining on it like a straight line.

They do what they have to do if you only have a little bit of space, but the clothes don't dry as quickly on them once you start filling them up.

Yes, you can set a little metal holder into concrete in the ground, then lift the drier out if you don't want it up all the time, but it's a bit of a faff.

If you have space, I'd go for a strait line every time.

[wowfudge]

We had a double retractable line at our last house. DP drilled into the concrete fence posts and fitted cuphooks for the lines to hook over. If that isn't possible, you could always concrete a metal or wooden post into the ground. A wooden one should be protected with a metal spike thing (technical term ) so it doesn't just rot where it's in the soil.

[Phalarope]

I prefer lines but our v cheap ancient basic rotary is perfectly good, even at its slightly jaunty badly-installed angle. Kingsize duvet cover has to sort of tuck over the corners to fit on, but it dries ok.

I think the length of line stated is a bit misleading, because really you need to only fill alternate lines, or everything would be too close together.

Get a cover for it, or spiders will build elaborate cobwebs whenever you turn your back.

[hairymuffet]

Duvet covers this way

[MrsMoastyToasty]

I prefer long lines strung out across the garden. We had a rotary line whilst we were having building work done and I couldn't fit all our washing on and if took ages to dry.
We have what were scaffolding poles concreted into the ground with a loop screwed into the top for the line to be threaded through and cleats to anchor the end of the line.

[BrunoJenkinsProblem]

I've got a straight line that I've inherited and I love it, it's tied between the shed and a tree.

[DragonNoodleCake]

Always always lines! I have a double retractable one from house to fence (about 12 metres)

[DermotOLogical]

Straight lines dry much better than rotary.

Why do you need the line to pack away? I'd erect permanent lines as they will be tighter than a retractable and therefore higher.

[WhoKn0wsWhereTheTimeG0es]

If you have young children, rotary lines can be a strangulation hazard when they are lowered as the loops drop down to toddler height. You need to either keep it up, put it away or put a tight fitting cover over it when you aren't using it. I much prefer long lines, stuff dries much faster on them and rotaries are ugly.

[BerylStreep]

Double retractable line every time.

1. Rotary lines are horrific looking
   

1. They don't dry stuff very well as air doesn't get around them.
   

1. They are horrific looking.

[SoMuchWaiting]

Thank you for all of the replies

Thank you to those who gave tips about how to dry bedding but the majority of people have convinced me to not bother trying a rotary dryer. I hadn't even thought about it being a strangulation hazard!

I feel silly admitting this but I hadn't thought about a hook in the concrete post of the fence, that'd work. Ideally I'd rather not drill into my nice new (new to me) house to attach a retractable line but in reality I think I will.

I don't want a fixed line, I don't like the look of lines out all of the time (my opinion, I know they're not too ugly but I wouldn't want it out permanently) and think that they get dirty just like everything else in the garden and don't want the grime getting onto my clothes and know that I couldn't be bothered to wipe it before putting washing out, my grandmother did this, always wiped the line with a wet cloth before hanging washing out but I'm a tad lazy

I guess I'll be taking my props to my new house for my new retractable washing line

[BuggerOffAndGoodDayToYou]

I would love a long line but I found I couldnt have washing out AND use the garden at the same time so I have a rotary. I have this one <a class="break-all" href="//www.amazon.co.uk/d/Rotary-Airers/Brabantia-Lift-O-Matic-Large-Rotary-Airer-Washing-Metal/B0002EXYP2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1489693003&sr=8-1&keywords=brabantia%20lift%20o%20matic%2060&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21" rel="nofollow noindex" target="_blank">//www.amazon.co.uk/d/Rotary-Airers/Brabantia-Lift-O-Matic-Large-Rotary-Airer-Washing-Metal/B0002EXYP2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1489693003&sr=8-1&keywords=brabantia%20lift%20o%20matic%2060&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21

The soil spike does not need to be concreted in, I have two spikes so I can put the line at different ends of the garden depending on what I am doing. The spikes have caps and i take the line out of the spike and put it in the shed when I'm not using it. My king size duvet covers fit on the outer line with ease. I do tend to hang stuff in every other line but it takes LOADS of washing.

[Hedgeh0g]

I admit I've never had a long line, but I don't understand the comments about the rotary not taking much or taking ages to dry. Mine takes two full loads of washing, and I can't say I've had an issue with things taking too long to dry. And things dry evenly whether in the middle or on the edge as long as you don't crowd them. The only thing I do have an issue with is our double kingsize duvet cover - but you just have to refold half way through. And they have Velcro straps to wrap round them when not in use -
so not a strangulation risk even without a cover.

[jazzandh]

I have a large rotary line down the side of my house in a sunny area. I can get two or three loads hung on it, although I do plan where items go...and I dry on it all year round.

It's quick and convenient to hang on, no traipsing through wet grass and mud, I can load it from one spot!!

It's on a patio area, and it doesn't get in the way if the children are playing in the garden etc.

[jazzandh]

..oh and I have a cover and always collapse it and cover it when it's not in use - so it stays clean and dry.

[BuggerOffAndGoodDayToYou]

Jazzandh makes a good point you can hang all your washing from one position. One of my soil spikes is positioned so that i can hang the washing without having to walk on the grass.

[xyzandabc]

Wow, I'm really surprised by the responses here. I've only ever had a rotary one, had no idea so many people would choose a straight line one.

Can't say I've ever noticed things on the inside of a rotary one drying any slower than the outer edges. I only put 2 or max 3 rows of stuff on each side so there's loads of room between the rows, plenty of airflow to dry stuff. That's about 3 or 4 loads of washing. Even I rarely do more than that many in a single day!

Am I missing something about line drying. How do you peg the washing out? Do you leave a basket of washing at the end and then walk backwards and forwards multiple times to hang the items? Or do you lift the washing basket and move it with you each time you move along the line? Either way seems like a big faff to me. Is it not?

Rotary, I stand still on the path, with the basket and just turn the line to peg the next item.

[WhoKn0wsWhereTheTimeG0es]

I put my washing on a bench next to the middles of my long lines and walk back and forth, I have a cross body peg bag so I don't have to move that. I'd say that is the only drawback of a long line, but it's really not much bother at all. I had a rotary at my old house as there was no way to fasten a long line but it looked hideous, I like looking at my two long lines flapping in the breeze much better and it definitely dries faster.

[dudsville]

Thanks for pic hairy, I will do that! I have a rotary but I also have a large airing cupboard so everything goes in there once I bring it in for a final stint.

[Smallangryplanet]

I have carabiner clips so do not need a prop. Love line dries clothes but hardly ever get to do this because every nice day someone around here​ lights a garden fire. Twats