Do it Yourself Wood Clothesline

A clothesline can be installed in a short time with minimal equipment.

A wooden clothesline can have many benefits for you as well as the planet. Hanging your clothes outside to dry on a wood clothesline can help save you money on your energy bill. Using less energy also benefits the planet by reducing your carbon imprint. You may also enjoy the smell of sun-dried laundry. Installing a simple crucifix-style wood clothesline yourself is not very difficult and the rewards of your efforts are well worth it. Soon you will be getting lower electric bills and doing your part to help the planet.

Things You'll Need

• Shovel or post hole digger
• Cement
• Two 6 foot 4x4 posts
• Two 2 foot 2x4 pieces of lumber
• Nails
• Hammer
• Clothesline or vinyl coated wire
• Staple gun

Instructions

1. Dig two holes for the posts. These holes should be big enough for the post to be inserted and secured with concrete holdings. Each hole should be 2 feet deep and 8 by 8 inches wide. Purchase pre-treated all weather 4 x 4 posts and pre-treated 2 x 4 lumber so that your clothesline can withstand the elements.

2. Mix the concrete according to the directions on the package. Insert the posts into the holes in the ground and pour the mixed concrete around the posts. Hold each post straight up for several minutes to allow the concrete to begin to set. Allow the concrete to dry and cure for 24 hours.

3. Place a 2 x 4 inch precut 2-foot piece of lumber on top of each post. The 2 x 4 should be centered and make a perfect "T" shape, this will hold your clotheslines. Secure each 2 x 4 with several nails by placing a nail on top of the "T" and hammering it down into the post below.

4. Purchase vinyl clothesline for heavy loads or commercial clothesline for lighter loads. Vinyl is better for things like jeans, heavy linens and blankets while commercial clothesline is fine for light shirts, dresses and sheets. Run two or three pieces of the clothesline on the ground from one post to the other, leaving 10 inches on each end of both lines. Wrap one end of each line around each end of the 2 x 4 until you have wrapped 10 inches around. Secure each of the lines with a staple gun all the way around the 2 x 4. Lines should be 5 to 6 inches apart on your clothesline to allow room for clothespins to attach your laundry to the lines.

5. Wrap the loose ends of the second line to the other posts 2 x 4 in the same way you did on the first post. Pull the lines as tightly as you can before wrapping it around the 2 x 4 and securing it with the staple gun.

6. Secure the third line by wrapping it in a figure-eight motion around each side of the post and around the "T". Secure the line with the staple gun directly in the middle of the "T" and around the figure-eight wrapped line. Lines should be 5 to 6 inches apart on your clothesline to allow room for clothespins to attach your laundry to the lines.

Tips & Warnings

• Call your electric company to ask for locations of underground lines before you begin digging to avoid accidental injury or death.

References

• Mother Earth News: Convenient, Sturdy Outdoor Clothesline
• Burkes Back Yard: Clotheslines