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Original poster

Outdoor clothes drying - washing line or rotary drier?

85 replies

LadyMetroland · 15/04/2013 14:34

Love the smell of freshly dried washing from outdoors but currently all I have is a clothes horse on the lawn with things draped over it. Obviously then clothes often get blown off or entire horse collapses onto lawn.

Rotary driers seem expensive and a bit of a faff with concreting in the base

But washing lines are a mystery to me - have been googling them and can only find two flimsy posts sold by homebase or argos. No decent info online about them eg how they are put in ground etc. Also, although i have a large garden, there aren't any useful trees or walls to put one end of the line onto - so would probably have to have two posts which might be a bit of an eyesore.

Does anyone have any outdoor drying recommendations? Are there other options I'm not considering?

OP posts:
dizzy77 · 16/04/2013 20:13

Our line came with the house: is fixed to the top of the back wall and at the top of a scaffolding pole supported by what I assume is an RSJ set in concrete, with pulleys at each end. Not terribly photogenic but tbh nothing in our garden is. I considered replacing it with a rotary when we moved in but in our long thin terraced house garden it would not get much sun for much of the day. It's v high and things need pegging very robustly (6 per bath sheet, etc) but I do love it and stuff dries quickly even on dull days. We amended one of those multi peg sock hangers to include a carabiner so it clips securely on the line which is great.

Madamecastafiore · 16/04/2013 20:15

Brabantia wall mounted rotary drier. Fecking life changing!

MsPickle · 16/04/2013 20:28

I just need to share that I read 53 posts about this, completely enthral led.

I don't have garden, only a small courtyard so I've a line out there but it's only really useful when v hot as it's too sheltered.

I have washing line/rotary envy.

I didn't think that was possible. Thanks MN.

HousewifeFromHeaven · 16/04/2013 20:33

Agree with madamec. Failing that I used to have a rotary that I put in a parasol base.

YoniMcShoni · 16/04/2013 20:35

Theres nothing to beat the sight of white sheets against a blue sky and bright green leaves on the trees.

I have a double long line and each line has its own prop.The wooden one is over 30 years old and cost about £1 I think. The other one is a metal extending effort that is just about up to the job and no more.

I have had rotary lines but they take too much faffing about to make sure everything fits onto the line. I decided to take mine down following several tragedies in the papers though.

ThatVikRinA22 · 16/04/2013 20:43

you dont have to concrete a rotary drier in if you have some grass.

we have just had out garden landscaped - i have put a rotary drier behind the garage. Its just a soil spike well into the ground - its holding up just fine and its a large drier - i have lots of washing.
its much less intrusive than the line we had before and i can fit more on it.

WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes · 16/04/2013 20:46

That's another good point, if you have a rotary and young children you need to either keep it up and make sure the DCs can't climb up to line height on anything or put it away in between uses, I remember having to tell my DM about this when the DCs were younger and spent a lot of time in her garden.

Original poster
LadyMetroland · 17/04/2013 08:52

Hadn't even considered safety aspect of rotaries. Have got 3 preschoolers so maybe I should...

On a slightly random note, I also never knew that direct sunlight will remove stains from whites. My million told me last year so I washed loads of manky white babygros and bibs and ta dah! They were transformed.

OP posts:
Original poster
LadyMetroland · 17/04/2013 08:53

Million = mother in law

OP posts:
Thewhingingdefective · 17/04/2013 09:04

I have washing line envy. My neighbour has a fab line. Really strong, high poles with line that you can raise high above the garden.

I have a pathetic rotary washing line. It tilts because it's worked its way loose. I hate the fact that it sags if there are heavy wet towels on it and there is no room for sheets.

Do you think it would be possible to dry sheets and duvet covers on the mesh enclosure cage around the trampoline? Peg the sheets around the edge so the trampoline is like a den? Never thought of it until now.

Original poster
LadyMetroland · 17/04/2013 09:05

Oh also have found www.linepost.co.uk (links too difficult on this phone) which appears to sell solid post to post lines AND does installation... (lazy) Will be investigating.

OP posts:
Original poster
LadyMetroland · 17/04/2013 09:10

Trampoline idea is ace thewhingingdetective. No reason why it wouldn't dry them effectively assuming you position it in maximum sunlight.

OP posts:
dinkystinky · 17/04/2013 09:11

We have a fab Australian eco line - its retractable but has 5 lines which go across our little garden so can get loads on it! Got it online. Also got posts to attach it to.

WhispersOfWickedness · 17/04/2013 10:38

I would go for a line. Had to make do with a rotary when we were redoing the garden and I hated it, nothing ever dried properly. I accept this is because I wasn't doing it properly, but a line is fool proof, even a novice can use one Grin
I would say you would be better with a prop as well. If the washing line is mounted low enough for you to reach, heavy stuff will drag on the floor. If you have it higher and pull the line taut, you'll never reach it to hang the washing on Hmm Well, unless you're very tall or have very long arms (neither of which apply to me) Grin

WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes · 17/04/2013 10:55

I use the trampoline if the line is full, but it is quite a high reach for me.

Showtime · 21/04/2013 00:22

So glad I don't have to have rotary dryer again, and even gladder that only last week I bought an extending (almost double) clothes prop from Morrison's supermarket for just £2. It lifts the line about another 5ft, which seems to double the amount of air movement around the clothes, and even stores neatly and almost invisibly alongside drainpipe on garage. (Never thought I'd be so enthusiastic about such an item...)

OrangeLily · 21/04/2013 08:21

WTF! Have just found out via the Australian Ecoline website and then some googling... In America drying your clothes outside is banned for a lot of people! ShockShock

Freddiemisagreatshag · 21/04/2013 08:26

My gran had straight lines but one end had a winder upper thing that you turned and it lifted the line. My grandpa worked in the shipyards in Glasgow, though, so I wonder if it came from there?

I would love straight lines, the stuff dries tons faster.

MrsHoarder · 21/04/2013 13:35

I know orangelily. Land of the free...

echt · 21/04/2013 17:35

I've just looked on that Aussie Eco line site and ours is like the folding one, bolted into the garage wall. Because ours is an older house, the line is hidden from view, as it was in every house we rented. It's as if it were some by-law that you mustn't see the washing.

A noble exception is, of course the legendary Hills hoist, which really can take weight of kids treating like play equipment.:o

Snowgirl1 · 22/04/2013 10:30

Brilliant thread! Thank you OP. I was just saying to DH a couple of nights ago that I'd like to get a retractable washing line as was sick of dragging the rotary out (I don't like how it looks, so tuck it down the side path when not in use). Australian Eco retractable lines look good - but I'm contemplating getting a cover for my rotary line. I had no idea that you could get a cover for them. Decisions, decisions.

unlucky83 · 22/04/2013 11:26

I'm surprised that people have got away with ground spikes in grass - mine has always toppled over and I've done concrete in a bucket buried under the grass...maybe depends on your soil type?
I use a line at my parents but find you can only fit one or two loads on - rotary I can fit 3-4 loads on...
I looked into covers for rotaries - (someone on dragons den did one years ago ) then got distracted - but remember someone had theirs under a gazebo and used it all year round...
Finally (copying neighbours here) -it you have big things like sheets/duvet covers to dry on rotary -hang them upside down - so one seam on third line in and the other on outer line -in a kind of u shape -really hard to describe - but dries much faster...(and you can do it so the open bit of the duvet cover hangs down

WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes · 22/04/2013 11:55

I got away with a ground spike in grass but my rotary was one of the small 3 sided ones, not the enormous 4 sided type. I wash most days so it is rare to need to dry more than two lots in one day.

Shesparkles · 22/04/2013 12:00

I'm too tight to buy a special stretcher for the washing line, mine is a screw in a length of 2x1 I found in the shed-classy Grin

Ibe always had washing line envy of my parents' garden, it's big enough that they have a dedicated seperate "drying green" complete with a metal pole in each corner!

PigletJohn · 22/04/2013 12:40

has anybody found a source yet of beach-umbrella covers for rotary lines?