Long washing line or rotary dryer?

[JumpJockey]

Sorry, unfeasibly dull subject... The house we moved into has a long washing line (about 15m) which is run from the end of the shed to a large metal flagpole type thing halfway down the garden. Said pole is a pain in the neck, and laundry when hanging takes up a large amount of the dds's running about space, but washing line is very handy and gets stuff dry in no time in the summer.

I want to replace it with a rotary, and dig out the pole as it's just in the way and doesn't look especially great (old and rusty). DH is dead against rotary dryers (his mum thinks they're terribly common). Is a rotary as quick to fill / efficient at drying as a long line?

[Millipedewithherfeetup]

www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/8540414.htme
had both and much prefer the straight line, I have a line that retracts into a little housing, one like above.

Have this attahed to the house and just a hook on a fence panel at the bottom, keeps everything out of the way and rolls up nicely when not in use.

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes]

I much prefer a long line too, although the washing does get in the way of the Dcs games of football. The retractable ones are handy but whatever sort you have you do need secure walls/posts, we pulled a fence post over using one on it. The retractable ones all seem to be 15m, our garden is 16m, so we have a fixed one.

I would say a rotary is quicker to load and unload though as you don't have to keep walking back and forth to where the laundry bag is. But stuff dries faster on a long line.

Rotaries can be strangulation hazards for young children if they are lowered and left in place, either leave it up or put it away when not in use, or get a tight fitting cover. I don't know about common, and wouldn't care, but they are ugly.

[BiscuitsAreMyDownfall]

I had a straight line before we moved, but now in our new house we need to erect something to put an end to (we have something at one end, just not at the other) but found it easier to buy a rotary for a quick fix even though we've been here 2 years I do prefer a straight line by a mile, I just need to get around to doing something about it. So thanks from me to push me into thinking of looking into getting something to fix to the other end

[Pregnantberry]

I have never had a problem with my rotary driers, they dry fast as long as your don't overfill them and hold more than just a line which is great when I'm trying to catch up on the laundry because I've been lazy. I never would have thought of them as 'common' - they're for getting your clothes dry, not a hat you'd wear to a wedding.

I actually think they look much nicer than having a line draped right across your garden.

Although the retractable line that Milli posted would also do the trick nicely... In fact, it's even more discrete, so maybe I will think about one as well for the future!

[BrownSauceSandwich]

Agree with berry... Rotary driers at least confine the drying washing to one part of the garden, which I much prefer to strands of washing running he entire length of the garden. And anybody who describes anything as "terribly common" sounds like the kind of knob I can't help but contradict!

[Fluffycloudland77]

I've got a retractable washing line from John Lewis & I find it better than a rotary.

Next door has a rotary that takes up garden space & they haven't used it all winter, I've dried outside all winter.

[WhatAFeline]

I have a brabantia wall mounted washing line which looks like a rotary when unfolded, but is bracketed onto the back wall of my house. Very highly recommended if you have a small garden and don't want to look at washing, or need space for dC to play. I got mine off eBay cheap.

[HoratiaDrelincourt]

I have both. The long line is retractable and zigzags across a narrow space.

I put small things on the rotary (baby clothes, underwear, nappies, etc) and big things on the line (sheets, adult clothing except underwear, etc).

[JumpJockey]

Righto, retractable sounds like a good idea. Do you have to attach it to a proper fence post at the other end? Our borders are made up of the neightbours' hedges mostly...

MIL is Hyacinth Bucket in disguise, what more can I say...! She got very upset when her next door neighbours installed a rotary, even though she could only see it by leaning out of an upstairs window.

[Fluffycloudland77]

Yes you'll need something solid to attach it to, ours is fixed to a fence post.

[MrsJohnDeere]

Had both and much prefer a rotary. You can fit lots more on, much quicker to put washing out and collect it again, and it confines washing to one area of the garden rather than all along one side.

[AmpersandRea]

I have both and much prefer my long line. Have just told DH that I'd like a longer line and ditch the rotary.
I've used the long line all through the winter as things don't seem to dry as well on the rotary.