How to Install a Clothesline Pole

Clothesline poles secure the line on which you hang your laundry to air dry.

Drying your laundry in the open air on a clothesline conserves energy and helps trim the household budget. You can choose from assorted styles of clotheslines, such as pulley-drawn and umbrella-style. The most popular clothesline remains the traditional T-post made of metal or wood, and buried in rocks and cement. You'll want to site your clothesline poles so the laundry on the line can catch both wind and sunlight. After your clothesline poles are in, screw or drill eyehooks into the pole's crossbars through which to string the clothesline.

Things You'll Need

• Post digger or auger
• Pea gravel or rocks
• Shovel or spade
• Wood props
• Quick-set cement
• Bucket
• Trowel
• Garden hose
• Level

Instructions

1. Dig a hole at least 24 inches deep and twice as wide as your clothesline pole. Excavate the soil and set it aside.

2. Widen the area at the bottom of the hole until the bottom is slightly wider than the hole opening. Fill the bottom of the hole with about 4 inches of pea gravel or small rocks. This will help improve drainage.

3. Situate your clothesline pole in the middle of the hole. Prop it with large wooden props, or have someone hold the pole upright. Level the pole so that it's standing completely upright.

4. Mix a batch of instant cement according to the manufacturer's instructions. Pour the cement into the hole.

5. Smooth the area around the base of the pole into a slight mound. Cover the cement mound with excavated soil and tamp down hard. This will help rainwater run off the area and away from the pole.

Tips & Warnings

• Site your clothesline close to a door where you can easily reach it. Install your line where your drying clothes will receive a lot of sunshine. Avoid placing poles near the street, or near trees that can leave leaves, seeds and bird droppings on your clean laundry.

• Plant grass seed or a shallow-rooted spreader such as mint or ivy at the base of the clothesline pole to help prevent erosion.

• If you're served by municipal utilities, always contact your local utilities officials before digging in your yard. Know and mark the locations of buried wires and underground connections.

References

• TheDollarStretcher.com: Clotheslines for the Frugal Soul
• Rona Renovation: Installing a Clothesline Post
• Life in a Nutshell: Build Your Own Clothesline