For daily wit & wisdom, get the Almanac newsletter.

How to Choose the Best Clothesline: Cotton vs. Nylon vs. Plastic

Image Credit:
Photo by Pixabay
Written By: Jennifer Keating Digital Editor

Use a clothesline instead of a dryer to dry your clothes in warm, dry weather. You save money and energy, and the clothes smell great after drying in the fresh air! One reader says, “You get a little exercise, too!” Here are tips on how to choose an outdoor clothesline.

  • The average load of wash uses about 35 feet of line; your clothesline should accommodate at least that. Unless the height of a pulley-style line is significant, the clothesline shouldn’t be a lot longer than that, as the sag factor increases with length.
  • A load of wet wash weighs about 15 to 18 pounds (assuming it is spin-dried). It will shed about a third of that weight as it dries. This may not seem like much weight, but it won’t take long for your new clothesline to get stretched out a bit. By leaving a little “tail” when you tie your knot for either style of clothesline, you’ll be able to undo it, pull the line tight, and retie it as often as you need to.

Three Common Clothesline Types

  1. Basic plastic clothesline has the advantage of being waterproof and cleanable (you can wipe off the inevitable mildew). With wire and fiber reinforcement, it is stretch-resistant—and it’s cheap. You can find a 100-foot roll for less than $4. However, it is thin, which means that it will be harder for you to grip, and the clothespin is not going to hold as tightly as on a thicker line.
  2. Multifilament polypropylene (nylon) is tempting because it is lightweight, water- and mildew-resistant, and strong (our sample was 640-pound test). However, its slippery texture deters a firm clothespin grip, and it doesn’t tie well.
  3. Our top choice is a basic cotton clothesline. It’s about the same price as nylon, which is about $7 to $8 per 100 feet. In theory, it is weaker (only 280-pound test in our sample), but unless you’re hanging out pots and pans to dry, it should hold up fine.
Clothesline TypeProsConsBest For
Plastic Clothesline- Waterproof and easy to clean (wipe off mildew)- Reinforced with wire/fiber for stretch resistance- Inexpensive (about $4 for 100 ft)- Very thin, hard to grip- Clothespins don’t hold as tightlyBudget-friendly option; light laundry loads
Nylon/Polypropylene Line- Lightweight- Water- and mildew-resistant- Very strong (640-lb test)- Slippery texture makes clothespins slide- Harder to tie knots securelyDamp or humid climates where mildew is common
Cotton Clothesline (Top Pick)- Easy to grip- Clothespins hold securely- Affordable ($7–$8 for 100 ft)- Weaker than nylon (280-lb test)- May mildew if left dampEveryday laundry; best overall balance
Cleaning

About The Author

Jennifer Keating

Jennifer Keating

Digital Editor

Jennifer is the Digital Editor at The Old Farmer’s Almanac. She is an active equestrian and spends much of her free time at the barn. When she’s not riding, she loves caring for her collection of house plants, baking, and playing in her gardens.

Read more from Jennifer Keating

More Like This

Comments

<span>Mrs Kitty</span> Sun, 06/28/2015 - 23:21
If your dryer dried towels are not absorbing properly, you may be using too much fabric softener. My dryer dried towels absorb just fine and smell great.
<span>Rebecca Lynch</span> Tue, 03/30/2010 - 20:14
Response to Marsha Knatcal - I also live in an area where a full clothesline isn't possible. However I bought a folding drying rack from amazon.com and I hang clothes on it and put it in the yard right behind the house. Large racks will fit almost a whole load, and I can even drape sheets over it. I don't know if this will help you but just thought I'd suggest as it has worked well for me. I can't stand to run the dryer when the weather is nice out!
<span>Heather Morijah</span> Tue, 03/30/2010 - 11:38
We've installed a clothes-drying tree at every house we've owned; I like it much better than stringing a line. Takes up much less space and can be folded up and stored for the winter. Not too expensive, either.
<span>Marsha Knatcal</span> Mon, 03/29/2010 - 09:54
I really miss hanging our clothes out to dry, but a few years ago we moved to a woooded area and there is no place to put up a line. Even so, the pollen from all the trees would stick to the wet clothes - yuck. Sure wish there was a way...
<span>Aschenbrodel</span> Thu, 03/25/2010 - 12:53
I love line dried clothes, but as a Washington State resident, we don't get to till August thur Sept. Mighty short drying season!
<span>Jayne Stubbs</span> Thu, 03/25/2010 - 11:09
I too hang out my clothes to dry. Being a senior, 68 this year, I remember using the the wringer washer and hanging the clothes out..Also, I recall my Mom using the curtain stretcher to dry the starched curtains. WOW..the early 50's..what a way to live..fresh smell of bed sheets..fresh grown veggies and so much peace and neighbors so willing to help each other. It seems this day in time people want too much in the way of materialistic items..will not save for them and to get a young teenager to mow the lawn or shovel snow...no way. the world of video games, cell phones and pc games have taken the children out of the sunshine, which provide the Vitamin D and has caused so many over-weight youngsters and Diebetics at such a young age. To hear my parent and grandparents speak of their days of growing up and I thought "um" well, I now can see what they meant.. We never left the door unlocked, however, as a youngster I could walk down the street and my parents did not have to worry about kidnapping/molestation and murder. However, change must happen..Just look at how far medicine has come and the longevity of us now.. In closing, I am thankful every day that I experienced the quieter, easy life with God's creations and I still can "sing in the sunshine" and hang out my clothes.
<span>Carrie Mccormick</span> Sat, 11/09/2019 - 06:59
Love your comments- and I agree with you totally. I was born in 62 - my grandmother & great grandmother always had a clothesline. Everything smelled so good. My mother never had one - everything in the dryer. I will set up an old fashioned t-post one on my land like I remember. I currently live in Arkansas & I get lots of breeze from a nearby lake. It’s out in the country & I love the simpler ways versus the technology so many depend on. It has its uses, but one needs not to totally rely on it. Leaves one helpless when those systems fail.
<span>49Hillbilly</span> Thu, 03/25/2010 - 10:57
I live in Alabama and hang out year round. When it's rainy I just don't do laundry or just enough to 'get by'. I wait untill I can hang out again. The smell of line dried clothes is one of my favorite smells!
<span>Little Rit</span> Thu, 03/25/2010 - 08:45
It still isnt nive enough here in northeastern ohio but I love to hang the clothes out, they come in smelling so fresh, you dont have to use the iron. My only problem is finding the old time clothepins, my grandmothers are about gone and the new ones dont hold up, anyone out there have any place to buy the old time wood clothpins?
<span>Kathy F.</span> Mon, 09/10/2012 - 20:25
Have you tried craft shops? They sometimes have the old-fashioned clothes pins. I live in southeastern Ohio and enjoy hanging out clothes too.