Laundry Line Details

Now that I've tested the laundry line for awhile I thought I would share how we strung the line and other details.  I've hung a lot of blankets and such out to freshen in the sun.  Below is the first full load of wash that did not go in the dryer at all.  I am quite pleased with my clothesline.  I think that modern appliances are an absolute miracle, but for some things the line does work better.  Bandanas for instance.  When I work in the garden I always have one over my hair and one in my pocket.  The dryer rolls the edges and drying them flat takes 24 hours.  The clothesline is the ticket!  And I never liked throwing my bib overall in the dryer because of all of the hardware on them beating up the dryer.

They do make line tensioners for laundry lines which would be handy if you had a store bought metal laundry pole and individual lines tied off to eye bolts.  My husband thought this method made more sense because you can tighten it any time you want.

  Actually, I think he was still worried about my reaching the line and thought it would be useful to lower the lines and then tighten them back up.  

So we ran one continuous line and installed a cleat on one pole to tie it off.

I left some excess and just coiled it up.

Of course heavy sheets and blankets can still weigh the line down quite a bit so it helps to have a prop pole available.  This summer, at an estate sale down the road, my husband spied four laundry prop poles for a dollar a piece.  Two for us and two for the neighbors.  

I don't remember whose idea it was to snap them to the pole, probably his.  We have a similar set up in our pantry cabinet and the basement to snap brooms and things to the wall.  They are called "terry clips" and you can get them at the hardware store or online.  The neighbor was actually rearranging his prop poles each time he mowed so I gave him some terry clips too.

I've also seen people add a shelf to one pole to set a laundry basket and a hook for a pin bag, but I just carry out an armload or put laundry in a my large enamelware dish pan and fill my pockets with pegs.  I used to have a nice old wicker laundry basket, probably the first thing I ever bought at an estate sale, but they take up a lot of space when they aren't in use and I sold mine years ago.  I may keep my eyes open for another one.