Drying clothes on a clothesline is an environmentally friendly way. A tumble dryer is one of the most energy-consuming household appliances, so using a clothesline will not only help the earth, it will also save you money. Making their own clotheslines is an innovative and practical way for those who are environmentally conscious or want to save money.
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Part 1 of 4: Preparations for Making Clotheslines
Step 1. Find out if you can have a clothesline
Not all housing, regions, and cities allow the presence of clotheslines. Some people believe clotheslines make the yard or home environment look bad. Check with the Home Owners Association or city ordinance.
Step 2. Mark the area where you want to install the clothesline
Most laundry requires a rope of 10 meters long. The length of the rope must be able to accommodate at least one wash. It's best not to set up the clothesline in a crowded place. Make sure you don't set up the clothesline in a place where people or dogs often pass. Also, don't hang clotheslines over anything, such as flowers, swimming pools, or bushes.
- The clothesline cannot be longer than that. The longer the clothesline, the easier it will be for the clothesline to sag.
- Do not hang clotheslines under trees that are dripping sap, dropping leaves, or other objects. It is also not recommended to put a clothes line under a tree where there are many birds.
- If you want to dry colored clothes, make sure there is a shade where the colors don't fade.
- You can attach a clothesline between several posts or trees if you plan to dry a lot of laundry at once.
Step 3. Decide what height the post will be
When constructing a clothesline, make sure it is the right height. Don't hang the clothesline too high as you'll have a hard time hanging your clothes. On the other hand, don't hang the clothesline too low so that larger items, such as blankets and sheets, don't touch the ground.
The wood for the posts should be taller than the height you want the clothesline to be. Some of the wooden poles will be embedded in the ground. For a 1.8-meter-tall clothesline, you will need at least 2.4 meters of wood
Step 4. Purchase the ingredients
To make the right clothesline, you have to buy the right materials. You will need:
- 2- 1,2 x 1, 2 x 3 meters preserved logs
- 2- 0.6 x 0.6 x 2.4 meters of preserved logs
- 8 - 0.6 x 15 cm hot dip galvanized screws (and screw rings)
- 8 - 0.6 x 15 cm galvanized bolts with taper ends
- 8 - hook
- 2 - clothesline fasteners
- 2 - simple hook
- 30 meters of clothes line
- 2 Quikrete (cement) bags
Step 5. Gather the necessary tools
To make a clothesline, you'll need to saw wood, drill holes for bolts, and dig holes into the ground. To do this, you will need the following tools:
- Sitting saw
- Drill and drill
- Clamp
- Wood flatness measuring tool
- digging tools
- Bucket (optional)
Part 2 of 4: Making Clotheslines
Step 1. Measure the pole
Most clotheslines reach about 1.8 meters high. Two 3-meter posts are very suitable as they are of sufficient height and about 0.6 to 0.9 meters of wood can be buried in the ground. You can also use 2.4 meters of wood instead. If the logs are too long you will have to cut them. However, these two wooden poles may not have to be cut at all.
- If you live in an area that experiences freezing winters, be sure to plant the posts below the frost line so they don't shift. Decide if you want to plant it 0.9 or 1.2 meters deep, or more.
- If you live in an area of sand or unstable soil, you'll also need to bury the post even deeper.
Step 2. Cut the corners of the wooden bars
Take two 2.4 meters long wooden blocks and cut them in half. That way you will have 4 wooden bars. Take two 1.2-meter wooden blocks and divide them in half so that there are four 0.6-meter pieces of wood. This piece of wood will be used as a cross-shaped retainer.
- You should have one 1.2-meter-long wooden bar and two 0.6-meter-long retaining bars for each clothesline.
- Cut the end of a 0.6-meter block of wood at a 45-degree angle. To do this, adjust your sit-down saw to a 45-degree angle. This block of wood will serve as a retainer. Make sure you double-check the angle before you cut the wood. The wrong angle means you will have to use one more block of wood.
- The crossbars can be about a meter in length if you prefer. You can also cut the ends across at an angle if you don't want the ends of the wood to be even.
Step 3. Drill holes
Measure and mark the midpoint of the bar and the midpoint of the top of the post. The midpoint mark will be on the edge of the top bar facing the sky. The midpoint of the pole will be at the top, the edge that is the support for the retaining wood. Drill a hole slightly narrower than the point of the bolt at the center point you marked.
- Connect the bars to the posts using point-tipped bolts.
- When finished, the bars will rest on top of the posts in a T shape.
Step 4. Screw the retaining wood to the post
Make sure the retaining wood fits snugly against the posts and bars. Drill a hole near the bottom of the corner that will connect it to the post, then in the top that will connect it to the bar and retaining wood. Drill holes into these areas, making sure the holes are in the center of the wood.
- The retaining wood will fit snugly against the beams and posts because they form an angle at each end.
- Clamp the retaining wood to make it stable. Drill holes into the joists and screw the bolts.
Step 5. Attach the latch
Measure the space for the hook evenly along the bar. Make sure not to start too far. Start at about 15 cm from the edge. To attach 4 hooks, leave about 25-30 cm apart. Drill a hole and then turn the hook into the hole.
- You can use the handle of a screwdriver to turn the hook into the wood.
- You may be installing 3 hooks instead of 4 hooks, depending on the length of your bar.
Part 3 of 4: Digging a Hole
Step 1. Make a hole
Use the digging tool to make holes in the places you marked earlier. The depth of the pit should be around 0.3-0.6 meters if you live in a warmer climate, and 0.9-1.2 meters if you live in a frost-prone or sandy area. The width of the hole should be about 30 cm.
Before you dig a hole in your yard, check to make sure there are no gas, water, cable, or telephone lines in your excavation
Step 2. Measure the flatness of the wooden posts
Insert the clothesline into the hole. Place the flatness gauge on the pole. Make sure the wooden posts are level before you pour the cement mixture. Get someone to help, or add soil and level it into the hole to help hold the post up while you adjust it.
Step 3. Pour in the cement mixture
Pour one bag of dry cement mix into each hole. Add water from a garden hose. Mix the cement with a stick to mix the cement until the consistency is uniform. Use the leveling tool again to make sure the posts are level before the cement dries. Allow the cement to dry for 24-72 hours.
- You can pour the cement bag gradually. That way the cement will be easier to mix and the wooden posts will remain flat.
- As you add cement, continue to compact it with each new batch of cement until it is as dense as possible.
- You can also mix the cement in the bucket before you pour it into the hole.
- Use rope or rope to keep the posts straight while the cement is drying.
Step 4. Cover with soil
Once the cement is completely dry, shovel back the soil on the surface to cover the concrete. Make the soil compact to make sure the hole is secure.
Part 4 of 4: Attaching a Clothesline
Step 1. Install the fasteners
Connect two clothesline fasteners to the outside of the hook on one of the posts. You can buy them in building shops. The fasteners allow you to ensure that the clothesline stays tight without sag, and also allows you to tighten the rope if it starts to sag after years of use and exposure to the weather.
Step 2. Attach a clothesline
Purchase a 30 meter long clothes line at a hardware store. Cut the clothesline in half. Tie one end of the rope to the inside of the hook next to the fastener.
- If the poles are too far apart, you may need to purchase two 30-metre long clotheslines and tie them together. Trim the excess rope when you are finished.
- If you don't want the ends of the rope to unravel, tape the ends of the rope or burn them with a lighter.
Step 3. Tense the rope between the two posts
Pull the string to the opposite pole, and tie it on the inside of the hook. Continue to pull on the outside of the hook. Stretch the rope back across the original post, which will bring the rope together with the fasteners.
- Pull the rope through the fastener. Tighten the rope. Cut off any excess rope.
- Each rope must go through all the hooks on each pole: one on the inside and one on the outside.
Step 4. Install pulleys instead
Another option is to attach a pulley to the hook and tie the rope directly to the hook and knot it. Pulleys can be purchased in building shops. Attach to all hooks.
Roll the clothesline around the two pulleys on the two posts. Tie one end of the rope to the hook at the end of the fastener, and pull the other end of the rope through the fastener. Your clothesline will be able to move, knotting both ends of the rope on each pulley. Make sure to knot both ends tightly, and trim off any excess rope
Tips
- If you don't have a pole, clotheslines can be attached to the roofs of sheds and houses, trees, window sills, or anything tall. Look for these possibilities.
- Tie the rope from north to south to get lots of sun
