For ages before the advent of the clothes dryer, people relied on clotheslines. A warm breeze and plenty of sunshine are all it takes to dry your clothes quickly and efficiently.
And, not for nothing, there’s something undeniably charming about watching your clothes, rugs, and other textiles sway gently on the clothesline. It just has such a homey charm!
Whether you want a clothesline as a backup to your dryer, a money-saving option, or because you have no other choice for drying clothes quickly, you’ve come to the right place.
Below you’ll find 20 easy DIY options for installing your own clothesline. Grab your basket and your clothespins and let’s get right into it!
A-Frame Clothesline
An ultra-simple clothesline is built using an A-frame made from a couple of poles or branches and some conveniently placed nearby trees or posts.
Sometimes referred to as a Shelter Island clothesline, it is quick and easy to set up and take down if you have a working knowledge of knots. If you need to get some clothes done in a hurry, this is one of the best designs around, and it is also easily height adjustable.
You can use it until you have the time and opportunity to install something more permanent! Learn how to make it here.
Easy DIY Clothesline
A simple, no-frills multi-line clothesline that’s easy to put up in an afternoon.
Using common posts, clothesline, or paracord and some basic fasteners along with simple hand tools, you’ll soon have enough space on the line to dry several loads worth of clothes, towels, and other cloth goods.
Chances are pretty good you’ve got the materials you need for this one lying around already.
Classic Metal Clothesline
Wood is certainly the traditional material for building your own clothesline, but it’s got some significant disadvantages.
No matter how well protected it is, wood will slowly and steadily degrade in the elements, and it is the constant target of termites which can greatly accelerate its decay. A better option if you want something permanent and easy to maintain is metal.
Using metal might be intimidating for some folks, but it’s not as hard as you think. Our article will walk you through it step-by-step!
Multi-line Clothesline
Single and double-line clotheslines are far and away the most common and popular, but if you have a large family or just like to do all of your laundry in one fell swoop, you’ll need a multi-line design.
This video will walk you through building your own and making it strong enough to support a huge load of clothing:
It might sound like a small thing, but a typical load of wet clothes can weigh upwards of 15 pounds! Hang several of those on the same posts and they had better be up to the challenge!
Wooden T-Post Clothesline
Another classic, time-tested, and simple design. This family went with a long span and three lines so they have plenty of room to take care of all of their kids’ clothes at one time.
Notice how tall they made their clothesline? That’s because the lines will droop under the weight of a wet load of clothes, and you don’t want them to brush against the grass!
All you need is some lumber and very basic hardware, and soon your clothes will be drying in the sun.
Amish-Style Clothesline
A great upgrade over a traditional type of clothesline is this old-fashioned Amish style. Using a hook-mounted pulley and plain posts along with a line tightener so you can get the height and tension of the line just right, this is versatile and easy-to-build:
You’ll need to spend a little more on hardware compared to the other classic designs on our list, but the greater capability and ease of installation are worthwhile trade-offs for most of us.
Farmhouse Style Clothesline
A sturdy, simple, and totally charming design. This easy farmhouse clothesline has just two lines, but the addition of line tensioners makes it flexible and easy to use.
Painted white, it is the perfect addition to a hard-working homestead backyard, and is still more than capable of handling large pieces like curtains, drapes, tablecloths, rugs, and more.
4×4 Post Clothesline
Yet another common and classic clothesline design, this one’s made from ubiquitous 4×4 fencing and deck posts:
The hardware is stuff that you could get at any home improvement center or small-town hardware store, and once again we see line tensioners used to make adjusting the drape of the line easy depending on what you are drying or the height of your family members.
Foldaway Deck Clothesline
This super clever design is one of my favorites, and a great choice if you don’t want to walk all the way out into the yard to dry your laundry. This clothesline relies on nothing more than common lumber and heavy-duty hinges to operate, and it’s installed on existing deck posts.
All you need to do is flip it up and pull the line from one side to the other before connecting it to the hook and then you’re ready to dry some towels, shirts, or anything else. Aside from practicality and simplicity, this is one of the easiest projects on our list!
Easy Indoor Clothesline
Not all clotheslines are outdoors! If you simply don’t have the outside space for it or you don’t want to hang up your clothes to freeze solid in the wintertime, an indoor clothesline is what you need.
Hey, don’t laugh, people have been doing it this way for a very long time when needs required it! Basic hardware and a couple of sturdy mounting points are all you’ll need. Here’s the design.
Bamboo Clothesline
Bamboo is a remarkably rugged and long-lasting natural material, and it’s no wonder it is still used for all kinds of things around Asia.
If you can get your hands on some here in the US, it can easily be repurposed as a clothesline. It works wonderfully because it is so mold and rot-resistant.
You can hang up a long section using cord or brace it on a fence, posts, or anything else to make a practical and simple clothesline. Here’s how.
Florida-Style Clothesline
Certainly one of the most attractive and unique designs on our list today is this Florida-style clothesline:
Part gazebo, part clothesline, it has enough capacity to hold several large loads of clothes. The roof might seem counterintuitive at first, but it will help keep off pollen and other airborne contaminants that might stain your clothes.
This one obviously works best in areas where dust is an issue, but warm weather is constant.
Pulley Operated Clothesline
This pulley-operated clothesline looks intricate but is surprisingly elegant and simple and also highly functional. It lets you to quickly and easily adjust the tension on the fly to accommodate different load sizes or the inevitable lengthening of your clothesline in use.
Best of all, when you want to clear up yard space, you can take down the entire line and stow it in a neat bundle until you need it next. As long as you’ve got a tree or sturdy fence post to work off of in addition to one corner of your house, it’s a great low-profile design.
Heavy-Duty Portable Clothesline
Clotheslines don’t always need to be a permanent fixture in your yard, or even permanently attached to anything. This portable model is made from lightweight aluminum tubing that has lines strung between either end:
It works just like a normal clothesline, but you can move it anywhere that you want to put it or get it out of the way in a hurry when the time comes.
If you don’t want to commit to a permanent installation, this is another fine choice, though it lacks the charm of the traditional models we’ve looked at so far!
Folding Indoor Clothesline
Another indoor clothesline variety, this clever and cute foldaway rack is perfect for installing in a laundry room, storeroom, or anywhere else that stays warm and dry.
Even with multiple lines, it is only good for a medium-sized load at a time, but for singles and couples, this is usually more than enough. Get the design.
Family-Friendly Clothesline
This so-called family-friendly clothesline is an easy twist on the typical reinforced T-post design we’ve looked at. It just has a much lower line so that kids can help out by hanging their own clothes.
It’s a great way to get the kiddos involved and teach responsibility, and the additional space is genuinely useful no matter how old your helpers are! For hand towels, underwear, and other small garments, it is picture-perfect…
Cheap and Quick Clothesline
Sometimes you just need a clothesline in a hurry, and you can’t spend a lot of time, money, or energy on it. In that case, you’re still in luck because the clothesline is just a sturdy line strung between two fixed points!
This lady shows you a down-and-dirty but undeniably practical method of making that happen in a small backyard using dollar store hardware, her fence, and a wooden trim board on the side of her house. Easy-peasy!
Long Pulley-Operated Clothesline
Another pulley-operated model, but one that does not rely on clothesline spreaders and additional tackle to operate smoothly and effectively. This is a wonderful design for running across a long span thanks to its oversized, heavy-duty pulley.
The video walkthrough is great because he goes into detail on how to properly adjust the tension of the line using the tensioner in conjunction with the pulley.
Budget Clothesline
It’s possible to install a classic clothesline for very little money. In this case, well under $100! This walkthrough will show you how.
It isn’t the tallest or the longest, but it is more than satisfactory for a couple of people or a small family. It doesn’t spare much room if you are drying larger pieces like blankets and comforters, but it still works!
Rotating Clothesline
Rotating clotheslines look a little bit like a giant antenna or satellite dish and used to be a lot more popular in suburbia back in the seventies.
They’ve gone out of style for being eyesores, but they are undeniably space-efficient, and are a great way to build a clothesline closer to your home since they can fold up and out of the way like an umbrella.
If you want something different or don’t want to commit to sinking posts in your yard, this might be the approach for you.
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Tom has lived and worked on farms and homesteads from the Carolinas to Kentucky and beyond. He is passionate about helping people prepare for tough times by embracing lifestyles of self-sufficiency.