How to Build Clotheslines

Making your own clothesline saves you money in the long run.

Although many people use a dryer to dry off their clothes, these machines use lots of electricity which costs money. An alternative is to return to the days before dryers, and use a clothesline. Using them is pretty simple: Hang up your clothes with clothespins, and allow the breezes to dry your clothes naturally.

Things You'll Need

• Post hole digger
• Tape measure
• 2 pine 4X4 posts
• Saw
• Drill
• Wood drill bits
• 2X4 of pine that is 18-foot long
• Wood screws
• #6 eye bolts
• Flathead screwdriver
• 6 bricks
• Hammer
• Level
• Tamping pole
• Clothesline

Instructions

1. Find two points in your yard to mount the clothesline. The points should be 10 to 12 feet apart. Dig your first hole 2 feet deep using a post hole digger, then dig your second hole with the post hole digger to the same specifications approximately 10 to 12 feet away from the first hole.

2. Cut the 4X4 posts down to 7 feet tall using the saw, then cut the 2X4 in half with the saw as well. Secure one of the 2X4 to one post using the wood screws and drill, so that it forms a "T" shape, then repeat for the other pole.

3. Drill five holes across the length of the 2X4s using the drill and a wood drill bit that is the same diameter as the core of the eye bolts. Install the eye bolts into the holes using your hands and a flat-head screwdriver.

4. Break the bricks into small pieces using the hammer. Lift one of the posts up into place and drop the bricks and dirt into the surrounding hole. Check to make sure the pole is plumb using the level, and make sure the 2X4 on top of the pole is facing the same direction as the second pole, so the two 2X4s will sit parallel when complete. Add water to the dirt and bricks, and pound down the dirt to compress the pole in place using the tamper. Repeat for the second pole.

5. Run clothesline from the eye bolt on one pole to the corresponding eye bolt on the other pole until you have five clotheslines running between the two poles. Install half-hitch nots in the line if you prefer, and make sure each line is fairly taught so they can support the weight of the clothes.

Tips & Warnings

• You can also use concrete to set your posts if you prefer. Mix up the concrete in a wheelbarrow, and then pour it into the hole instead of the dirt and bricks. Allow it to set, then cover with dirt if you want it to blend in.

References

• This Old House: 15 Green Projects for Under $500
• Lite Green Living: Reducing Energy Consumption is Money in the Bank