How and how to attach clotheslines on the balcony, in the bathroom, on the street

Types of clotheslines

What is important when choosing ropes? Firstly, strength. They must be able to withstand the weight of wet laundry. Secondly, minimal stretching and sagging. You can choose from the following options:

Metal cable sheathed in polyvinyl chloride. The most durable, long lasting product. It is not afraid of moisture, practically does not deform, and does not stain laundry. The disadvantage is the high price.
Plastic cord. Moisture-resistant, does not stain clothes, comes in several colors, inexpensive. Disadvantage: soon after the start of use, it sag noticeably under the weight of the laundry.
Polypropylene rope. Wear-resistant, difficult to deform. A good option at a good price.
Jute cord. Durable, environmentally friendly, not electrified.
Cotton rope. Durable, environmentally friendly, but moisture often causes dark spots to appear on it. They may leave marks on clothing.

Steel cable in PVC braid

Polypropylene laundry cord

Tip: Before choosing a more expensive option, evaluate your needs. Why do you need an expensive metal cable if you wash things in small parts?

How to pull ropes from the street side

The only way to string clotheslines at balcony level but beyond the parapet is to use metal brackets.

It is better to buy a prefabricated kit in a store. It consists of brackets, rope, rollers for moving it along with laundry, and fasteners.

It is easy to install such a device for drying clothes. Sequence of work:

On the sides of the balcony parapet, mark the mounting locations for brackets with rollers.
Make holes there.
Secure the brackets with anchor bolts and wide washers.
Stretch between the rollers and secure the clothesline so that it can be moved along with the clothes.

Instead of a ready-made kit, you can use scraps of steel pipes and metal corners. Just make holes in them for the rope.

Drying clothes outdoors is convenient. Under the sun's rays, laundry dries quickly. The balcony is not cluttered, the insolation of the adjacent room does not deteriorate. However, laundry may suffer from external influences. This is dust, bird feces, cigarette butts and debris from the upper floors, and other troubles.

Advantages of dryers for balconies

Drying clothes outside is inconvenient: you need to monitor the weather and keep birds away. It’s a rare housewife who can sit next to you for several hours. It is easier to organize this process in an apartment, in particular, on a balcony.

the laundry will dry clean and odorless;
it won't be stolen.

If the loggia is not glazed, drying things is more difficult - you will have to adapt to the weather. But the device can be placed in another room of the apartment, where it will successfully perform its functions. The main thing is to choose the right type.

How to secure ropes on a balcony

The method of drying clothes on the balcony, known for many decades, involves bent nails hammered onto a board, through which a rope is pulled. An alternative is special hooks. They look more aesthetically pleasing and more reliable.

Wall hooks for tightening rope

Another option is metal brackets with holes. This is truly something that will last for several generations, you just need to change the ropes in time.

This is not difficult to do, but it is better to use a whole piece rather than short pieces. Tie the rope into a knot not only at the beginning and end, but also at each of the fasteners (nails, hook). This will reduce its sagging under the weight of things and ensure greater reliability of the entire structure.

A knot for securely connecting two ends of a rope

Drying washed clothes on a glazed balcony protects them from bad weather, unpleasant odors, cigarette butts from neighbors above, and birds flying past. But this is also a occupied area, and it is inconvenient to move around the balcony. Therefore, you need to prioritize in advance between the ease of use of the room and drying clothes.

Plastic and polypropylene rope - a budget option

The clothesline for the balcony, the photo of which you see below, is made of plastic. It is created specifically for drying clothes. For convenience, it is usually armed with hooks. These ropes are quite strong and cheap. Over time, they stretch a little, but without any special problems they can be tightened again. Plastic ropes come in a variety of colors and fit well into any interior design.

Ropes made of polypropylene fibers are also quite cheap and wear-resistant. They are also made in a wide range of colors, are environmentally friendly, do not electrify and are very comfortable to use.

The evolution of clotheslines – “Liana” dryer

There is a convenient, easy-to-install design on the household goods market - the Liana dryer. It consists of two functional units. One of them is attached to the wall, the other to the ceiling. A frame with rods on ropes is mounted on the ceiling. A holder for these cords is fixed on the wall. By moving them, you can raise and lower the clothes drying rods.

Wall-ceiling mount “Liana”

Note! The wall holder must be able to withstand the load of all the drying clothes, otherwise you simply will not be able to fix the rods in the desired position. The holder must be securely fastened.

The advantage of drying vines is the cascade arrangement of the rods. This allows clothes to dry quickly and evenly.

You can do the installation yourself. For this:

Mark the location for attaching the brackets to the ceiling.
Drill holes in these places using a hammer drill.
Secure the brackets with self-tapping screws.
In a position convenient for use, fix the cord holder on the wall with self-tapping screws.
Take one barbell. Secure it in the structure by pulling a long cord through the left roller, and a long and short cord through the right one.
Place height clamps (caps) on the ends of the cords.

Fastening element for installing a wall unit

The kit includes detailed installation instructions. Consider its provisions. After installation, check the operation of each rod.

Installation of the drying structure

When installing outdoors, you need to pay attention to the reliability of the fastening. The design must support the weight of wet laundry, which may increase due to precipitation (rain, snow). There must be reliable painting so that when hanging, rust does not stain the laundry.

Installation of a device for drying clothes on a balcony, which was purchased in retail chains, is carried out according to the included instructions. Usually the kit includes fastening elements (brackets, dowels). The main thing is to follow all the manufacturer’s recommendations.

If the required structure must be made independently, then success depends on the skill of the performer. As a basis, it must be assumed that the structure consists of two equally spaced planks. These slats can be made of any material that can withstand the weight of the laundry and the tension force. The shape of the plank is varied: rectangle, corner, channel, tee, circle.

Industrially manufactured rope design option

For example, one of the simplest structures is two corners mounted on opposite walls. Holes with a diameter larger than the rope itself are drilled in the corner shelf. It is then inserted into the holes and pulled tight, and the ends are tied into a knot.

How to choose a clothes dryer

When choosing, pay attention to:

Room area. The smaller the balcony, the less bulky the product should be. Mobile, sliding structures will help out.
Interior Design. If your balcony is a comfortable room in a certain style, then the appearance of the dryer should correspond to it. You can find original stylized products on sale. For example, treated wooden beams suspended on chains.
Quality of walls and ceilings. If there are significant defects, they may not withstand the weight of the structure with wet things. Do not choose wall-mounted models if the top of the end walls is made of plastic.
Manufacturer. Well-known brands produce high-quality and safe products: Leifheit, Melicone, Gimi, Foppapedretti.
Permissible load on ropes, rods, cables. Some of them can withstand only 5 kg, while others – all 30 kg.
The material from which the dryer is made. It determines its durability, safety, and the absence of marks on drying clothes.
Installation method: floor, wall, ceiling.
Extension and folding of the structure.

Ceiling models

Clothes dryers mounted on the ceiling of a balcony or loggia are one of the most popular models. They consist of two slats with crossbars or ropes attached to them, on which laundry is hung.

There are two main types of ceiling dryers for balconies:

With independent suspension of each bar. The most popular models in this group are called “Liana” and GIMI Lift. This is the same design, it’s just that the manufacturers are Russian (Liana) or foreign. They are easy to use, as they allow you to lower and raise one bar at a time, and place them at different heights. Clothes dryer with ceiling mounting
Single suspension for the entire structure. Several crossbars (from 2 to 6) are mounted on telescopic hangers. They can only be lowered and raised together.

The second option is easier to install, has a lower cost, but is less convenient. All planks are at the same height. This makes it difficult for laundry that is located closer to the wall or in the middle rows to dry. The second point: it is not so easy to lift a dryer loaded with wet laundry.

This is a “Liana” with a ceiling mount

Free-hanging dryers are a little more difficult to install. All crossbars are attached to two slats on the ceiling, but each of them has a rope, which allows you to lower/raise the rods for hanging laundry. So during installation, in addition to installing the crossbars on the ceiling, you also have to attach a plank to the nearby wall on which the ropes are fixed. The crossbars in ceiling dryers of this type can be made of plastic, steel coated with powder enamel (Gimi) or aluminum (Liana). You can find wooden crossbars from other manufacturers, but those listed above are represented by a large number of models.

What are clothes dryers made of?

Clothes dryers are made of steel, plastic, aluminum, and rarely of wood. The same materials are used for rods and cables. Sometimes thick nylon threads or synthetic ropes are pulled instead.

Plastic structures are easy to maintain, fit into almost any modern interior, do not corrode, and are affordable. But with regular exposure to high temperatures or direct sunlight, they can become deformed. The strength indicator is low.

Plastic work unit housing

Aluminum dryers are fragile and prone to deformation. They can oxidize and leave stains on laundry. Among the advantages are low price and lightness.

Aluminum tube construction is not an option for every day

The most durable are stainless steel models. They can withstand a lot of weight and leave your laundry clean. The polymer coating is not afraid of moisture, which means it does not oxidize.

Please note! A polymer coating and a layer of paint are two different things. The paint quickly cracks and chips.

Wood products can be found rarely. Despite impregnations and upper protective layers, wood remains wood. It is sensitive to moisture, from which it becomes deformed and loses its attractiveness. However, if only the body (not the rods!) is made of wood, it will last for more than one year.

Floor structure with wooden frame Foppapedretti Stendipiu

Advantages of external balcony clotheslines

In addition to the usual structures for drying clothes that are installed indoors, there are external types. They have such advantages as:

great savings in free space in the balcony;
if the loggia or balcony is used as a relaxation room, then drying things will not interfere;
the interior of the room does not visually deteriorate;
Due to street ventilation, things dry out much faster.

In order for the structure to be reliable, it is secured to the street side of the balcony using special fasteners.
The brackets are installed on both sides using dowels or self-tapping screws. After that, the clothesline is tightened so that there are no obvious saggings.

Additional functions - from lighting to disinfection

Modern clothes dryers provide additional functions for maximum convenient use.

Backlight. It is located above the strings and is usually represented by bright LED lamps. They illuminate the workspace in the dark, making it easier to hang laundry.
Wind drying. Built-in powerful fans blow air over wet clothes for a preset time.
Disinfection with built-in ultraviolet lamp.
Heating of rods with electric cable.
Remote control. Using the remote control, you can set the operating time of individual mechanisms, lower and raise the laundry beams.

Multifunctional dryer model

“Smart” dryers are produced mainly by Japanese companies, for example, SensPa. Their Chinese colleagues are not lagging behind, presenting such worthy examples on the market as the Alcona models.

The price of automatic devices with the functionality discussed above ranges from 23-46 thousand rubles.

Much more affordable are standard options with a rod heating function. The price starts from 2.5 thousand rubles. They are easy to install and connect to the electrical network. Heating can be smoothly adjusted within the temperature range specified by the manufacturer. Electricity costs will increase slightly.

Types of clothes drying devices

Depending on the working mechanism and method of fastening, there are several types of dryers. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Sliding and folding models

If a private house has a spacious balcony where a stationary dryer can fit without any problems, there is no question about its working mechanism. The area of similar premises in typical high-rise buildings is modest. Therefore, when purchasing dryers, close attention is paid to their dimensions and folding capabilities.

Some of the most compact options are sliding ones. This can be a closed stationary block with strings that are wound inside on rollers. It is mounted on one wall, and the counter plate with hooks is mounted on the opposite wall.

When you need to dry clothes, the strings are pulled out in the manner of a construction tape and secured. Their tension can be adjusted manually (with a lever) or automatically.

Option with retractable strings

Advantages of sliding models:

Compact.
Thanks to the fastening to the walls, they do not take up useful floor space.
They do not interfere with moving around the balcony when you are not drying clothes.
Affordable.

Disadvantages: fragility of the plastic block, sagging strings, cannot withstand more than 8 kg of laundry.

Sliding products also include products with a stationary block and rods folded in the manner of an accordion bellows. To put them into working condition, they need to be pulled towards you. They are durable but short, making them suitable for small balconies and small families.

Top shelf and hooks provide additional storage and drying space for clothes

Folding models are floor-mounted, wall-mounted, and rarely ceiling-mounted. They usually take the form of guides with strings or rods. When not in use, they are compact - folded or simply fixed on the wall. If necessary, they are folded out or folded back.

Various internal rope attachments

Lines for drying clothes on the balcony allow you to dry clothes without taking them outside the premises. Sometimes this method of arrangement is considered the only possible one - for example, if we are talking about a French balcony. Moreover, there are many options for internal designs - and these can be homemade or factory-made devices .

The simplest type of internal structure is considered to be a fastening of two metal corners on opposite walls. Holes are made in the corners through which ropes are threaded and pulled. Metal corners can be easily replaced with wooden beams, and hooks are installed instead of holes.

Please note that for such a design it is important to choose the right height - after all, standing on a stool every time you have to hang laundry is not very convenient.

By the way, factory wall mounts are much more convenient to use - all the design details are thought out in such mechanisms, so you don’t have to invent anything during installation. The kit of such devices includes both ropes and devices for fastening them, as well as the actual wall fasteners. All this must be supplemented with instructions that allow installation to be carried out at maximum speed.

When choosing a factory device, be guided by the maximum permissible load of the design you like.

If you choose a factory system with metal “threads,” then it is better to give preference to stainless steel rather than aluminum. Firstly, aluminum is not overly resistant and stable under high loads, and secondly, it can oxidize from moisture, leaving dark spots on clean laundry.

There are two popular types of design:

Inertial. With a housing fixed to one of the walls. Inside the case there is a drum with a rope. When the laundry is hung, the rope is pulled out of the body and secured with a special hook on the opposite wall. After drying, the threads are also easy to remove. The device is quite reliable, but over time the ropes will still begin to sag. The inertial dryer can withstand a load of approximately up to six kilograms, depending on the model.
Console. They can be fixed to any part of the free surface. Such devices operate on the “accordion” principle and are easily unfolded/folded if necessary. There are both wall and ceiling structures. Ceiling ones “use up” space very economically, but when choosing them, the length of the slats and the minimum possible height of the positions must be taken into account. Cantilever dryers are fixed on one side only, extend up to half a meter and can withstand loads of up to 10 kg. The most reliable dryers are made of thick metal with a special anti-corrosion coating.

DIY ideas for making a dryer

Those who like to craft from scrap materials can make a dryer themselves.

A hacksaw, an electric drill with a set of drills and wooden blanks provide a lot of possibilities. Example: a compact dryer that hinges from the wall and is secured with chains. The working part consists of only two side and several cross bars. The crossbars can be replaced with thick synthetic rope. Just make sure it is securely fastened.

The wood must be sanded and impregnated with an antiseptic composition

The ceiling version has a similar design.

The wood must be sanded and impregnated with an antiseptic composition

For a compact product you will need a minimum of materials

Take a look around, maybe your future dryer is nearby, and you haven’t even thought about it! Its function can be taken over by one of the sides of the crib or part of the “Swedish” wall.

A simple solution is to make a rod for drying clothes on hangers. The material can be metal pipes and fittings. Eco-style lovers can use a thick tree branch as a barbell.

What are the features of external structures

The clothesline for the balcony can be located outside - this way the interior space of the room will not be cluttered with things hung out to dry. Small loggias or glazed balconies, equipped as an office, playroom or winter garden - each of these options requires an external location of the rope.

Outdoor clothesline design

In order for the clothesline on the balcony to be mounted from the outside, it is very important to securely fasten it so that you cannot bend under the weight of wet laundry. To do this, strong metal brackets are attached to each side of the balcony (window opening), to which, in turn, steel corners with holes are attached.

Note: It is advisable to place profiles with corners at an upward angle, and not perpendicularly, - this way you are guaranteed to reach the farthest lines when hanging laundry.

It is also advisable to attach a special spacer between the far ends of the structure to prevent deformation of the loaded profiles.

Brackets for attaching clotheslines externally

Balcony ropes should also be hung correctly - you should not place a separate section in each of the holes. It is better to “lace” it without cutting it, but pulling it through each hole one by one. It turns out to be a reliable fastening with just two knots.

Find out whether it is possible to install air conditioning on the balcony. The article discusses possible options and installation locations.

We talked about electric clothes dryers here. What types are they, pros and cons.

Choosing clotheslines

Currently, manufacturers of special equipment offer a lot of ready-made structures for drying clothes, which contain all the necessary components (ropes, brackets, fasteners), and the task of the contractor in this case is only to fix the elements to the enclosing structures of the balcony or loggia. When you plan to make your own dryer, you should pay special attention to the choice of clotheslines.

Metal rope in PVC

So, today the highest quality type of clothesline is a metal cable sealed in a PVC sheath. This is due to the high mechanical stability of the material, because the service life of such cables can reach 5–6 years, and during operation their deformation and stretching are practically eliminated. In addition, due to the use of a soft PVC shell, the laundry does not get dirty and is securely fixed in place.

The only limitation of the sheathed cable is its high cost, which, by the way, indirectly indicates the good quality of the material. In view of this, when choosing a clothesline of this type, it is better not to experiment and immediately purchase products of good quality (Chinese analogues last for a maximum of a year).

Outdoor systems

We consciously put external clothes drying systems at the very beginning of our story, since the requirements for them are quite high and have a number of features. Advantages of external systems:

space saving - the drying structure is located outside the balcony room and significantly saves usable space, which can be used for other purposes;
higher quality of drying clothes - this is especially noticeable in the warm season, when in a short period of time you can easily dry bed linen and numerous belongings of a large family;
disruption of daylight in the room and balcony - due to the large amount of drying laundry in the room and on the balcony, a feeling of twilight is created and a load on the space, there is a need to use additional lighting.

Source: Disadvantages of external systems:

there is a possibility that clean items will be exposed to rain or other precipitation, become contaminated with dust, or the laundry will absorb harmful or toxic emissions from a nearby road;
the likelihood of things falling to the ground;
if your balcony is adjacent to other rooms or windows, then clean things can absorb the smell of tobacco and cooking;
openness of the process - all your neighbors (and not only) will see the process of drying clothes.

The design of a clothes dryer is visually quite simple, but it requires you to fulfill the following requirements:

choose a design, reliable brackets, steel corners: the stronger your drying system, the less likely it is for your laundry to fall;
give preference to ropes made of synthetic fibers that are not subject to stretching, are not afraid of temperature changes, seasonal precipitation and do not rot.

Preparing for work

Of course, before stretching the clothesline on the balcony, it is advisable to carry out a series of preparatory works, namely, prepare the holding brackets and install them in a given place.

Moreover, if we talk in more detail about the first part of the work, then it is more justified to use rolled metal (angle, U-shaped profile, etc.) as brackets for securing the clothesline, although in some cases (with a light load) they can be used as such elements alternative materials can also be used, be it a wooden beam, a metal pipe, or a perforated lath.

As for the preparation of the elements holding the rope, it consists in simply drilling holes in the body of the material in increments of 120 - 200 mm. Moreover, taking into account the purpose of these holes (a rope is threaded through them), they should be located strictly symmetrically on both opposite brackets. If we talk about the diameter of the holes, then it should be larger than the size of the rope in order to ensure free insertion of the material.

In addition to making perforations for fixing the clothesline, at the preparation stage you should drill holes to directly attach the brackets to the fence structures. And of course, open the resulting paintwork structures for exterior work (rust will not stain the laundry).

The installation of holding profiles should be carried out in such a way that it is convenient to dry the laundry in the future. That is, based on individual factors (type of structure, physiological characteristics of the user, etc.), it is necessary to select the most suitable location and install the brackets. Moreover, if these structures are planned to be fixed to the wall, then it is advisable to use anchor bolts or dowels with screws (with a diameter of at least 6 mm). When the brackets are located on the outside of the balcony or loggia, it is more justified to fix the material using hardware (M8, M10), using at least two on each side.

Structures for tensioning ropes

The simplest design is a wooden block with a cross-section of 40 x 40 mm with screws screwed into it or nails bent into half rings, which are attached to the side walls at the required height.

The disadvantage of this design is that it can only be mounted on a loggia, that is, a recessed balcony with walls. For open, unglazed balconies or balconies with panoramic glazing, this design will not be suitable, since there will be nowhere to fix it. Then “U”-shaped trapezoids come to the rescue, the vertical posts of which are attached to the balcony parapet, and the horizontal part is used to tension the ropes on the balcony.

Such a simple structure can be made from the same wooden block 40 x 40 mm or from a metal corner.

To attach the parapet to the fence, you can use wire or metal clamps. Attach to a parapet made of a concrete slab or brick using long self-tapping screws screwed into PVC dowels.

The second most popular method is to attach ropes to screw loops screwed into the balcony wall. Unlike a bar with loops, you will have to drill a slightly larger number of holes in the wall to tighten the ropes, but shiny, neat loops look more aesthetically pleasing.

These designs are static and do not imply any automation. If the ropes become slack, they can only be tightened again by tying the ropes again.