Brabantia Retractable Indoor Washing Line review: our verdict on this space-saving indoor laundry solution

Price on writing: £30.99 | Buy now from Amazon

How we tested

Our tester Lucy installed the Brabantia Retractable Indoor Washing Line in her utility room at her home in south Birmingham. She tested the washing line over a six-month period, including the cold winter months and during early spring, where unpredictable weather made it challenging to dry clothes outside. 

As a household without a tumble dryer, Lucy and her partner used the Brabantia washing line to dry their family's never-ending laundry pile, testing out all the features and considering factors such as its ease of installation, user-friendliness, quality and overall value for money.

Read next: The best rotary washing lines for drying clothes outdoors

Our verdict

One of Mumsnet users' best retractable washing lines, the Brabantia Retractable Indoor Washing line is a discreet space-saving washing line designed to fit between two walls in your home (up to 4.4 metres apart). With a sturdy, corrosion-resistant design, it makes a convenient choice for your kitchen, bathroom or utility room. Unlike free-standing airers and dryers, it doesn’t get in the way or take up valuable floor space.

With a smooth pull-out system and automatic locking, this discreet dryer can create up to 22 metres of drying capacity across five robust and durable lines. 

I found the Brabantia Retractable Washing Line very easy to use, with ample space for a full load of washing straight from my 9kg washing machine. While the clothes take some time to dry while the room was unheated, they dried incredibly quickly during winter, with residual heat from the room getting clothes dry enough to fold by the following morning. 

During testing, some of the lines occasionally started to sag, but I found this easy to resolve by pulling the washing line out the entire length before retracting it back into the main base unit. With a weight limit of 2.5kg, it’s also important not to overload the lines, so you may want to hang heavier items such as duvets or towels elsewhere. 

Read next: The best steam generator irons for effortless ironing

How easy was the Brabantia Retractable Indoor Washing Line to install and start using?

The Brabantia Retractable Indoor Washing Line was very straightforward to install, with a clear instruction manual and all the fixings included.

While there are some DIY skills required (including the use of a drill), installation is as simple as drilling holes and adding rawl plugs, before screwing a large clip on one wall and two hooks on the other. The main unit slides over the clip to hold it securely in place. 

Due to one of the walls being an external wall, my partner chose to use slightly longer screws than the ones provided in the box to ensure it stayed firmly in place, but in most cases, the screws and rawl plugs provided should be sufficient.

Read next: The best steam irons, according to Mumsnet users

What’s the Brabantia Retractable Indoor Washing Line Like to use day-to-day?

The Brabantia Retractable Indoor Washing Line has been a big hit in our house and is now used several times each week, With a discreet and contemporary design we love that it is barely noticeable when not in use, tucking back into the main unit out of sight. 

I found it quick and easy to start using, simply pulling out the line, hooking it onto the opposite wall and turning the dial to the left of the main unit to lock the lines into place. The lines roll out consistently, allowing you to pull out and secure in less than a minute. 

While you may wish to hang your clothes with pegs if using them in a bathroom environment, I didn't feel the need to use them, simply draping items of clothing across each individual line. With five lines secured between the two walls of my utility room (around three metres apart) I had plenty of space to hang an entire load from my 9kg washing machine. 

When the washing is dry, you unlock the lines by releasing the dial on the main unit, before unhooking the far end of the line and gently allowing it to retract  It’s worth mentioning that you mustn’t just let go, as the high-speed retraction could result in the lines getting twisted or damaged.

The cords are thick and durable and can withstand a total weight of up to 2.5kg. While they coped well with heavier jumpers and dresses, I would feel a little less comfortable hanging larger weightier items such as towels and jackets.

While the vast majority of the time the automatic locking system meant the lines stayed taut, I did notice that occasionally the lines would start to sag, usually after removing the clothes. I found this easy to resolve however, simply taking a moment to pull the line out the full distance before retracting back into the base unit. This wasn’t a major inconvenience.

Related: The best washer dryers for space-saving laundry

How effective is the Brabantia Retractable Indoor Washing Line at getting clothes dry?

During the spring months when our central heating was turned off, the clothes didn’t dry particularly quickly, however, hung up out of the way in my utility room, I simply left them hanging and the washing was dry enough to put away within 24-48 hours.  

During the winter months, particularly when used with our underfloor heating, the clothes dried incredibly quickly using residual heat in the room. I would hang up a load in the afternoon and by the following morning it would be dry and ready to put away - without the additional costs of running a heated clothes airer. Conscious of energy prices, I have been quite happy to continue using the Brabantia Retractable Washing Line as an alternative to purchasing a tumble dryer at this time. 

Related: The best dehumidifiers for drying clothes

Does the Brabantia Retractable Indoor Washing Line offer good value for money?

At £31 the Brabantia Retractable Indoor Washing Line is more of an investment than some of the budget-friendly floor airers or outdoor rotary dryers. There are also similar cheaper ‘dupes’ available however they generally come with worse consumer reviews or less hanging capacity than the Brabantia Retractable Washing Line.

Based on its overall quality, ease of use and the ability to dry clothes efficiently without additional energy costs, I feel that the Brabantia Retractable Indoor Washing Line is a sensible purchase that offers good overall value for money.

About the author

Lucy Cotterill is a mum of two and a Content Writer at Mumsnet, specialising in baby/child and lifestyle product reviews and round-ups. Having written product reviews on her own blog Real Mum Reviews since 2012, Lucy loves to research and explore the pros and cons of products, scrutinising expert guidance and consumer feedback to help people make confident purchases.  

In addition to her research about the best washing lines, Lucy has written numerous Mumsnet round ups about laundry care including the best heated clothes airers and best clothes pegs. 

About Mumsnet reviews

All Mumsnet product reviews are written by real parents after weeks of research and testing. We work hard to provide honest and independent advice you can trust. Sometimes, we earn revenue through affiliate (click-to-buy) links in our articles. However, we never allow this to influence our coverage.