Anyone have a homemade clothesline?

Augustmomx2

Lovin' The Homestead
Joined
Jun 23, 2009
Messages
143
Reaction score
0
Points
74
Location
Central Indiana
My dh bought and put up a metal, made in China, clothesline last summer. It was great, at first, but the first time I filled it on all sides, it broke. I know we are all :ep that a chinese product was a piece of poo.

Anywho, he has promised me a clothesline made by hand. But, I would love some ideas before he begins (in several months, I'm sure) and to nudge him along little by little and not by nagging :p

TIA :)
 

Occamstazer

Almost Self-Reliant
Joined
Nov 11, 2009
Messages
690
Reaction score
0
Points
108
Location
Prattville, Alabama
I used a clothesline at my old house, but it was just tied to the house and a tree...I'd always imagined the free standing ones would be hard to get the line tight enough...
 

Beekissed

Mountain Sage
Joined
Jul 11, 2008
Messages
12,774
Reaction score
3,943
Points
437
Location
Mountains of WV
There is such a thing as a store bought one? I have been seriously misinformed!!!! :somad

No, really....just kidding! :D

I don't currently have an official clothesline as I removed mine to make room for a garden. I do still have the original old clotheslines that were here under my cellar house overhang that I use quite frequently and there are long lines up in my attic for the same purpose.

I plan to put up a better and longer clothesline this summer that will be attached between two buildings.
 

lupinfarm

Almost Self-Reliant
Joined
Jul 23, 2008
Messages
1,276
Reaction score
1
Points
124
Location
Springbrook, Ontario
We have a 100ft clothesline that the previous owner put in, it's just a run of the mill plastic coated metal one from the hardware store but man that thing is awesome.
 

ORChick

Almost Self-Reliant
Joined
Mar 6, 2009
Messages
2,525
Reaction score
3
Points
195
At my old house I just put hooks on the fences, and stretched a line between them, over the lawn. I put a nail near the end of 2 long poles - a hook would work too - and used them to hoist the line up higher once all the laundry was hung. When everything was dry it all came down - laundry, poles, line - just the hooks remained. Of course, in California people tend to have backyard fences; I believe they are not so common in some parts of the country. Now I have a large covered deck, and have a line strung from post to post - no sun to bleach the whites (sigh) but they get dry anyway.
 

lupinfarm

Almost Self-Reliant
Joined
Jul 23, 2008
Messages
1,276
Reaction score
1
Points
124
Location
Springbrook, Ontario
We had a garden fence at our old place in the suburbs, but this place our septic and well are in the back garden so we can't really have a garden fence back there lol.

Ours is strung from the corner of the laundry room to an old telephone pole 100ft away.
 

miss_thenorth

Frugal Homesteader
Joined
Jul 12, 2008
Messages
4,668
Reaction score
8
Points
220
Location
SW Ontario, CANADA
Yes, my hubby built me one. We have really strong winds here, so mine might be a bit of over kill, but he pounded in two 6x6 pressure treated posts into the ground, mounted (lag bolted)4x4--3 ft peices to the top to form a T, and braced those with 2x4s in a v shape for stability. I'll see if I have a pic.
 

miss_thenorth

Frugal Homesteader
Joined
Jul 12, 2008
Messages
4,668
Reaction score
8
Points
220
Location
SW Ontario, CANADA
This is about the best I got.
72_img_1663.jpg
 

sylvie

Recycled Spunk
Joined
Dec 1, 2008
Messages
1,881
Reaction score
3
Points
123
Mine is strung between 2 trees. Goes around them both to give me 2 individual lines. I prop the expanse of lines with 2 long branch sticks.
Even in summer when the trees are leafed out my clothes dry quickly.
Its more about air movement. I'm not a big fan of the sun lightening my darks, so I've had this arrangement for many years.

Earlier in my hanging clothes outside era, I cut a couple 5" diameter black locust trees and erected posts for a clothesline from them with a cross tie to hold the line. They sprouted leaves and grew branches. Finally in august they gave up. Found that interesting.

My aunt ran a pulley wheel line from her back door to a tree about 30' away. Hung the clothes and pulled the line to move the clothes toward the tree. She wasn't an outdoorsy person and rarely stepped into the back yard. :rolleyes:
 
Top