Lets talk clotheslines

Thanks for all the different ideas and information. I am now thinking either a pulley system (amish type) right outside the back door or a standard (two poles w/ wire between) on the north side of the house. I will have my DH read this when he gets home this weekend and decide which is more feasible for him to install.

Angela

I have lines strung from the rafters on our 40' long front covered fronth porch. 3 lines, 2 are 30 feet and one is about 15' long. This was supposed to be a temporary thing when we first went dryer free but for a variety of reasons we never got around to installing anything else and I actually like that the area is covered and I don't have to go up or down stairs with loads of laundry. The porch is west facing and gets wind constantly and sun from about 10 am on. Things that might fade from the sunlight I hang on the back lines and the unmentionables go on these little whirly rack things I bought at Dollar General...look like a regular plastic coat hanger with arms that have clothepins attached. These whirlies hang on plant hooks behind and at the end of the lines.
If it were me, I'd try to place my line where it got a nice breeze and mid day sun at least...I don't worry too much about things fading since our fancy clothes (I use the term lightly) are washed infrequently and the everyday cottons and what not are colorfast. I can tell a big difference in dry time on cloudy days v/s clear sunny ones. Distance from the house is pretty important to me too but if the line is in the way its better to haul laundry further than to have to deal with a constant obstacle...
Just my two cents. Hope you like whatever you decide...
Andrea

My dear cousin welded me some big "T" style posts when we moved here last spring. There are 4 lines and he cemented the poles about 2 feet down into the ground. I have it on the east side of the house...far enough away that the sun is on it until late afternoon in the summer. It is on the crest of a hill, so there is good air flow too.

My clotheslines run between the house and a shed on the north side of the house (the backyard). They are cotton lines tied to large screws with a round end on them - I don't know what those are called - and are just screwed into the buildings. I have tensioners on one end of each line. I used to use 1x1 lumber with a notch in the top to prop up the lines but recently found some adjustable metal poles with tops that keep the lines from coming out when its windy, which is almost always here. I got the poles at Do It Best. I think the sun makes a big difference in drying time, so I would go for a sunny area.

My clothsline is right behind my house, where I can see it. If it were out of sight, I think I'd probably be forgetting and leaving clothes on the line overnight or when rain showers popped up. It gets afternoon sun, but shade in the mornings.

This time of year is a good time to work out drying stuff indoors.

I wanna endorse the info about the breeze vs. the sun: breeze beats sun.

I wanna endorse the info about the trees: not only bird poop and fruit, but a lot of trees kinda spit sap and stuff.

Some ropes will sag. It would be wise to get something designed to be used for a clothes line. It usually contains some steel cable threads in it that won't sag.

I had an australian fella describe something to me where .... apparently ... most ozzies would have an umbrella style clothes line thing in their back yard. Once they loaded it up, they turn a crank and it goes way up, above the roofline to get the best wind. Everything will be dry in an hour or two. I thought this was one of the most brilliant things I've ever heard of and immediately researched it. Well, it turns out that he was exaggerating a bit. They go up about 18 inches.

Still ... I really like the idea of jacking the laundry up in the air. I might need to create something that does that ....

We have a retractable 5 line clothesline. Permanent "T"post types are ugly !
Bought ours several years ago at a 'fleet' store for about $35.
Check these out.

http://www.nextag.com/retractable-cl...ne/search-html

P.S. I need the support poles 'cause the lines are kind of low. The hooks were there when we bought this old farm house and I didn't want to move them to make the clothesline higher. I agree with the others, away from trees and out in the breezes and sunshine! I use a big drying rack indoors in the winter or an over the door hanger rack over a floor vent.

I have an umbrella type. It has a permanent sleeve set in concrete and the pole lifts out when I need to mow. No more maneuvering around a permanent pole.

Agree with the bird/tree sap issue.