retractable clothes lines...

[bea]

thinking of getting rid of the poles in the garden and replacing with a retractable line...

are they strong enough to withstand a wash of sheets and damp wet towels? or are they more for light loads???

all you washing line fiends will undestand how essential it is to have a goos washing line!!!!!

bump...

maybe you all have tumble driers???

... and a bump for the morning crowd... i don't want to pull up my old washing line only to find out the retractractable one doesn't hold a tea towel!!!

I have one from argos that has two lines..it seems fine.....as you twist it round to tighten it ot the roll end. To be honest my gardne is short though and I use 2/3 of each line cos otherwise the clothes are in the shadow of the garage! I also share the heavy stuff between the two lines.

I know a few people who have had them break....but over long gardens..and a full line of heavy stuff.

I like it though cos with a small garden it's nice not to have lines up all the time.

Thanks monstrousmummy... oh dear i have quite a long garden.... i wonder how it would cope then?

could you not zig zag it down the agrden...so that it several points to hold the weight???

that would probably work!

I string mine between the existing posts, the trick is to loop it around each hook or pole as you go to stop it pulling, you need to have a hook or pole near the retractor bit or it will just pull out if not fully extended. If you have long runs they will droop try using good old fashioned stretchers, you get ones in argos.

Does that make sense?

I use one and its brilliant. It does dip with the weight of heavy stuff like bedding, towels and jeans but easily fixed with a clothes prop.

Mine stretches right across the garden - unit on fence post and hook on conservatory! Have put a seperate pleat (sp?) on post as plastic hook bit sometimes breaks on them. Use all sorts of washing on it and just put pole in middle.

I use one that extends about 40 feet ! The unit itself is on the back wall of the house and the hook is on a fence post. There is a little nobble on the bottom of the unit that has the washing line reel in it which you are supposed to wind the line around a couple of time to keep it taut. It's pretty good, tension is good and it's nice to be able to retract it and only have to see it when we need to dry anything on it. I also use a prop in the middle

Prop that's the word I was looking for - not pole sorry

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