How to Install a Clothesline That Doesn't Sag
A sagging line is almost never the line's fault
When somebody comes in about a droopy clothesline they've usually decided the wire has stretched, and nine times out of ten the wire is fine and one of the two ends has moved. A post that was set too shallow leans in a little further every time the line is loaded, and once the two ends are closer together than they were, the line has nowhere to go but down. So the fix starts at the ends, not in the middle.
Pick the spot before you pick the gear
You want sun and you want moving air, and in a Strathalbyn backyard that usually means north facing and clear of the fence line, because a line tucked in behind a shed will still be damp at four in the afternoon. Then look at what you're anchoring to. Two solid points is the whole job. A brick wall and a properly set post will hold forever. Two tired fence posts will not, and neither will a tree, because a tree moves and it moves in the wind exactly when the line is loaded.
Setting a post so it stays put
Dig at least 600mm deep, and go deeper in sandy or loose ground. Put about 100mm of gravel in the bottom so water can drain away from the timber or the galvanising rather than sitting against it.
Set the post with concrete, and get a level on two faces before it goes off, because a post that is out by a couple of degrees now will be out by a lot more once it has a season of wet towels pulling on it. A magnetic post level clamps onto the post and reads both faces at once, which frees up the hand you need for the shovel.
Then leave it. Give the concrete a full day before you string anything up, and longer in cold weather.
What to string it with
Poly coated line is the one to use. The plastic coating keeps the steel dry so it doesn't rust through, and it means the line isn't marking your washing. Old rope out of the shed stretches and holds water, so sooner or later it drops your sheets in the dirt, which is a bad afternoon for something that costs a few dollars to do properly.
Fix a clothes line hook at each end rather than wrapping the line round the post, because a wrap slips and a hook doesn't.
Taking the sag out, and keeping it out
Put a turnbuckle at one end. It's a threaded barrel with a hook and an eye, and winding it in pulls the line up tight a few millimetres at a time, so you can retension the whole thing in about a minute without unthreading anything. Galvanised is fine inland and stainless is worth it closer to the coast.
Two things after that. Hang a full load of wet washing on it and leave it a day, because the line will settle and it needs one retension after it does. Then check the turnbuckle at the start of each drying season, since everything loosens off over a hot summer and a wet winter.
If your yard is on a slope or the run is very long, a set of pulleys takes the weight off both ends and off your arms.
If the line itself has gone
A snapped or rusted line is a restring, not a new clothesline. Bring the old one in or measure the run, and we'll sort out replacement line and the fittings to go with it.
Shop related products
- Forged Galvanised Turnbuckle Hook and Eye 6mm. The thing that takes the sag out.
- Forged Eye Bolt M12 Zinc Plated. A solid anchor point into masonry or timber.
- Supercraft Magnetic Post Level. Clamps on and reads two faces while you shovel.
- AdBri Speedset Cement 30kg. For setting the post when you want it done today.
- Adbri General Purpose Concrete Mix 20kg. The standard bag for a post hole.
Did you know we also keep poly plait clothesline wire in 3mm by 9m on the shelf in store, along with the zinc plated 45mm clothes line hooks and the stainless M5 turnbuckles. None of those are listed on the website, so give us a ring on (08) 8536 4333 to check what's there.
Where to get it sorted
Cement is heavy and nobody enjoys putting a 30kg bag in the back of a clean car, so we deliver. It's $5 in Strathalbyn and $10 across the regional run, on goods bought from us, and the runs go Tuesdays and Thursdays. Have a look at the local delivery service.
We also stock the Austral clothesline range, so come in and ask if you want a whole new unit rather than a restring.
Keep reading
- 3 maintenance checks every new homeowner should do first
- Home maintenance checklist, season by season
- Why skipping the gutter clean catches up with you
I'm the one who tightens a turnbuckle by feel and then goes back out with the spanner twenty minutes later, so take the retension step seriously, it is not optional.
Cheers,
Candeece
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