I want to put up a clothseline to cut back on my electric usage...

[Lisa0825]

But I don't want to go through all the hassle of calling to see where it's safe to dig, digging, pouring cement, plating the post, etc. I know I would screw it up somehow... I am not all that good at DIY stuff. So I found this:

http://www.spacesavers.com/alumdryrack.html

It looks big enough for a single person's laundry, and no digging or cement. I just thought I'd ask here if anyone has this or something similar before I spend the bucks.

Thanks for any input.

[Longhorn]

1. Wow, we just put up a clothesline today!

I was looking at umbrella clotheslines, similar to yours, and a five-line retractable clothesline from www.clotheslineshop.com. However, I needed to do laundry TODAY and I didn't want to wait. We stopped at both Lowes and Home Depot and they both had a 40-foot retractable clothesline. We decided to get two of them and my husband put them up between two trees. He attached a board to each tree and then installed the spools on the boards. We can remove them when we're not hanging clothes outside and later, he can do a similar installation inside the garage so I can use them there when it's raining or cold (you know how often that happens here! ;))

Each one was $15. I was able to hang up a new load and take down the clothes that were dry without ever filling up both of the lines (about 30 feet each.) It's just the two of us but it was also two weeks worth of clothes. I can't believe how much laundry I got done in three hours. I even made it rain! ;) -- the first rain we've had in weeks (after 21 days of 100-plus temps!) However, we were able to get the clothes in before they got more than just a couple of sprinkles.

My only concern with the one you're looking at is that a stiff breeze could topple it over when it's outside and loaded with clothes. Perhaps you could figure out a way to secure it with a bungee cord or a rope, if that turns out to be a problem.

I actually had fun doing the laundry today! The towels dried stiff but I put them in the dryer on the air setting for about 15 minutes and they were fine. I just put the clothes away and I noticed a few things felt damp when they had felt dry outside. But I just hung them up to finish drying and they'll be fine. Drying clothes outside is also going to reduce the amount of ironing I have to do.

We have an electric dryer and our electric bill was more than $400 last month because of the AC so it felt good not to run the dryer today. Have fun! :hi:

[Lisa0825]

3. I thought about the retractable ones...

but I am really NOT good at installing things properly.

I have a handyman coming in a few weeks to do some home repairs, so maybe I will get him to install something like that for me too. I know what you mean about them being stiff. I figured I would dry outside, and then stick things in the dryer with a softener sheet for 10 minutes. I would still be saving about 30 minutes of dryer time that way.

My electric bill was only $187, but that included doing about 12 loads of laundry (I hadn't done any in over a month due to awaiting a major plumbing overhaul, and also doing linens that had been stored too long and were musty). So I started thinking of how much less it might have been if I had dried them on the line.

[kestrel91316]

2. Dryer racks are great for indoors. I have had a wooden one from

Lehman's for about 10 years. When I was in the house I also got one of those retractable clotheslines that you mount to your house exterior. I had it run across my patio and used it CONSTANTLY.

I set the dryer rack in the bathtub to drip and then when things are not dripping anymore I move it (yes, it's awkward) into the bedroom or living room. Nice to be single and have no one to bitch about it, BTW.

[Lisa0825]

4. I have no one to bitch about it.....

but I have 8 foster kitties who would wreak HAVOK with it! :rofl:

[trotsky]

5. The thing that comes to my mind is, what happens when you get a gust of wind?

It's got a nice tripod base but if it's loaded with laundry it's going to be top-heavy. A stiff breeze might just topple the whole thing. A couple of rocks on top of the legs might take care of that though.

[Lisa0825]

6. I think it would be less trouble to weight down the legs

than it would be for me to try to install another kind myself, because I just do not have good DIY skilz.

That being said, I think I have decided to hold off until the handy man comes in 2-3 weeks and have a better one installed.

[trotsky]

7. Our backyard is poorly suited for a traditional clothesline.

There's really no good place to put it. So I got one of those retractable single-line deals and strung it up next to the garage, inside the fence. Works great, however I can't dry much more than one load at a time. Needless to say, the clothesline becomes the bottleneck on laundry day. I've been thinking about installing a unit like that for awhile - I do have a place where it would fit. So thanks for bringing the topic up - it got me thinking again and now I'm going to go ahead and get the kind that fits in a sleeve in the ground.

[Warpy]

8. OK, if all you want to dry are socks and undies

but there's no way to put a sheet on that thing and a full load of clothing is pretty iffy, too.

My clothesline in New England ran from a hook on the house to a hook on the garden shed with prop poles along the way to keep it from sagging to the ground when loaded with wet laundry.

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

9. Prop poles - that brings back memories !

As to towels being stiff - are you adding liquid fabric softener to your washer ? That does help a bit. I found a lavendar/vanilla scented one that I love.

[Le Taz Hot]

10. I bought two of these:

http://www.amazon.com/Polder-8310-05-Chrome-Accordian-Clothes/dp/B000095ZGH/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1215135376&sr=1-3

several years ago and they're still going strong. To dry comforters, sheets, rugs, or other large items, I just put the two together and they work just fine. Between the two drying racks and the trees in my back yard, I can hang out three loads at a time.