The product is wall mountable and is supplied with robust fixings to attach it. The Bella is fully retractable so it can be stored away neatly when not in use. The casing is thoughtfully designed and is entirely waterproof. The mechanism is automatic so you will need to be cautious when you are retracting it for the first time. It would be best if you remembered to keep hold of the line at all times otherwise it will fire off potentially breaking the plastic cap at the end resulting in the line getting jammed inside the waterproof plastic casing. However, the purpose of the neat plastic cap is to store the cable out of the way safely and to keep the unit waterproof. Spool retractable washing lines can sag which can make them frustrating to use, especially if clothes start to drag on the floor. Here are a few tactics that you can employ to stop your spool washing line from sagging: Certain retractable washing lines can be placed above radiators, making it easy to dry washing without the help of a tumble drier in the winter. The Artweger is visually more appealing than most retractable washing lines, and that alone is a good reason to choose this option.

A second question, by extension, is how much line do you need? This often depends entirely on you and your household. If there are a lot of you, or if you have more clothes than you know what to do with, then a 2 or even 3-line unit might be what you need. It may be the case that 2 shorter lines are more useful than 1 long line, to maximise usable space. Line material If you’re looking for heavy duty and durable family washing line that will provide years of service, the Hills Extenda fits the bill. The lines are housed in a strong and corrosion-resistant cabinet and because of a line tensioning feature that actually works, even heavy articles such as jeans and towels won’t cause the lines to sag. When retracted, this washing line looks neat and understated, folding almost flat against the wall. It’s casing is made from plastic, and is relatively sturdy and has good weather resistance. To prevent it weakening due to frost however, it’s best stored inside during the winter months. Fortunately, this is easily done as it can be taken down in seconds. When choosing a retractable washing line for use in the house, a major factor for me is how well it can fit into the room that I set it up in and not grab too much attention when in its retracted state. Basically, I want it to be inconspicuous. A lot of retractable washing lines are compact these days, the Minky and Bedray products featured in this article are two good examples of that, but even they can’t compete with Tensor’s retractable 3-line clothesline in that department.The fitting instructions are clear and come with a template for positioning the fixings, making it easy to set up. The 5 lines are well spaced so there is plenty of airflow around the clothes for rapid drying. A great value space-saving solution. We’re not so keen on: Because I already have three retractable washing lines on test at my home I decided to buy one for my good friend Mark. His wife had been on his case for a retractable washing line for months – mainly because Summer was coming up, they had just made a fantastic job of their garden and wanted to enjoy it. Having a fixed washing line in place was a problem for space – it’s not a huge garden. However, when I recommended the Vileda his wife was adamant one 15m line wouldn’t cut it. Given I had already reviewed one retractable line that appears to be very similar and the Minky, here we are testing it in Mark’s garden: We feel bad including this as one of our cons but the only downside is that this retractable line is a little pricey. However, we do feel its worth the money and we think its one of the best retractable washing lines.

So, you’ve aways got a large load to dry at once, but you can’t bring yourself to shell out for the Brabantia Wallfix. Not to worry, this 35 metre heavy duty retractable washing line from Better (yes, that’s the name they chose for their brand, and not my opinion) is an excellent alterative. Let me just be clear about the 35 metre thing. It’s not one single line that runs for 35 metres, but 5 parallel lines of 7 metres each. This keeps things quite compact, and so you don’t need to have a garden the size of a tennis court to use this model.We all want the things we buy to last more than just a month or two, and so, the durability of any product is always important. However, there is one flaw to this design that stands out, and that is when you have a lot of clothes on each line, the inner lines won’t get as much air flowing through to them and might dry at a slower rate. Best quality & features – Go for the Brabantia WallFix for overall quality. It’s unmatched in terms of build quality among the lines on test, thanks to its steel/aluminium construction. Easy to install as well, the 24m of line should provide ample space for all but the largest amounts of laundry – the rotary-style shape means that the line will stay taut no matter what. Those with between 25 – 30 m of drying space can hold one large load or two small loads. Those with 50 m of drying space will be able to hold multiple loads at once. Its a matter of personal preference whether you choose a single or double lined washing line, but the available space you have for hanging washing will likely force your hand. Double-lined just means you have two lines that come out of one body which means you have double the hanging capacity. They are a fantastic invention, but they do come at a higher cost, so it’s worth considering how many lines you need before you buy one. Line construction

At Washing-Line we love simple but effective products that just do exactly what the customer wants. Art Moon has designed this washing drying contraption to be so simple yet so effective. The compact holding box houses a single 12m clothesline that is strong enough to hold a reasonable amount of wet laundry. The retractable washing line consists of a double line: two PVC lines that measure 13 m each. They provide space for a couple of loads of washing and can handle up to 25 kg in total, but a pole to prop up the lines will likely still be required. If you want to dry your washing naturally in the fresh air, yet only have a small garden, this outdoor retractable clothes line is ideal. The Minky provides a full 30 m of drying space on two lines, so it can be used to span a balcony or patio. And, because there are two lines, each line can point to a different section of your garden to really maximise drying space – which is ideal if you have a large family and do a lot of washing. I used an adjustable spanner to grab my hook and just twisted it into the timber – install complete!When it comes to retractable washing lines, there are a few things to be aware of that will no doubt affect how long your chosen model will keep on working at its best, and those things are- the housing, the internals, the line, and the fixings. At 8 metres long this is far from the longest washing line in this list, but considering it is completely portable, it’s a good size and more than enough for a small family on a caravan holiday or camping trip. It’s not going to be enough for huge loads like the Better heavy duty washing line of the Wallfix, but then again, it’s not meant to. The washing lines are kept taut by wrapping them around an anchor point on the base of the unit. However, when fully extended (over 12m), the lines can slip causing your washing to sag in the middle. Of course, manufacturers and designers have found ways to limit the weaknesses in these materials, and you can get weather resistant plastics, and metals like aluminium that won’t rust and steel with corrosion resistant coating. Toctax’s camping washing line comes with an aluminium alloy hook for just this reason. There are two primary differences between this DRYZEM line and the Minky retractable washing line. This DRYZEM washing line can rotate on its axis, making it easier to connect to different areas of the garden that aren’t directly in front of the unit. However, it is not as easy to remove from the wall as the Minky unit; whereas the Minky unit can be simply unclipped for easy storage, the DRYZEM model requires screws to be removed.

This is one of the primary benefits of a spool retractable washing line. The other main benefit is how compact the main unit is, and how little space they take up. Buying a spool line that is housed in casing is a good idea to keep the line clean and dry, even if it does make the wall unit slightly bulkier. Worth a look: Soreli Retractable Washing line 12M What you should know before buying a retractable washing line With just one line, the carrying capacity is less than with a double or quadruple line, for example.

Hills Extenda 6 Heavy Duty Retractable Washing Line

They often have around 24 – 26 metres of drying space, which is generally suitable for one load of washing. I’ve decided to throw a bit of a curve ball – this is a retractable clothes line but does so againt the wall rather than a spool. The upside, it’s robust and compact making it extermely easy to put all washing out without moving or messing around so much, the down side is the price.