If you’re after a cheaper and more eco-friendly way of drying your washing, we recommend a rotary line consisting of a single-pole with multiple lines on which to hang your socks and sheets. While convenient, tumble drying doesn’t quite give your laundry the same fresh, airy smell that using a physical dryer does― plus it can really ramp up your electricity bills!
Read through our buying guide and check out our recommendations from online retailers like Amazon, John Lewis and Argos, including picks from top brands such as Minky and Brabantia. Whether you're after a free-standing dryer with a rainproof cover or one that slots into the ground via a spike, you'll be sure to find something suitable for your space on our list!
Quick List - Top Rotary Washing Lines
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When fully extended, rotary washing lines can take up quite a bit of space in your garden. While this may not be an issue for those with larger gardens, those with less space may find it tricky to select a decent-sized line that won't dominate their patio.
Manufacturers of rotary washing lines will usually provide information about the dimensions of the product when fully extended ― consider this along with how much clearance there'll be around the line, as you'll need to make sure there's enough room for air to circulate too!
Alongside the general dimensions, manufacturers typically give an indication of how much line space you will get from their product. This will be stated as the actual length of the line held by the frame and is expressed in metres.
This is a really key piece of information, as it tells you how much laundry you'll be able to fit on the line at once. Around 30 metres should suffice for a family of four, whereas larger households may require 50 metres or more!
Every household needs a laundry basket ― check out our favourites here!
Naturally, washing lines are fairly bulky and can be a bit of an eyesore. Luckily, many products can be collapsed and folded down to keep them out of the way when you’re not using them.
A line that can be removed from your lawn will not only keep your garden looking clearer, but will also make mowing the grass easier. Plus, keeping the line safely stowed away reduces the likelihood of it being damaged by bad weather or knocked over by excitable kids!
Not everyone in your household will be the same height ― what feels like a comfortable height to hang washing out for one person could be way too high for another.
To make hanging up laundry easier for everyone (and perhaps to encourage certain family members to do their own!), consider a rotary clothesline with an adjustable height. This will make your new line much more practical and safe, preventing any strains or sprains that could occur from overreaching.
To keep your family's clothing in tip-top condition, try a fabric softener.
Rotary washing lines will often come with certain tools, accessories or gadgets included that make them easier to install or give them more adaptability in terms of how you dry your laundry.
The most common ones are a cover for protecting your washing line from the elements and a metal stake or spike to help with installation. Others include hooks on the arms of the line for holding clothes hangers or bags to store your pegs in.
While these tools and accessories are by no means central to the function of a rotary washing line, they make a product even better value for money and may tip the balance when it comes to deciding which brand to buy.
Why not invest in a heated clothes drying rack for extra rainy days?
Products | Image | Click to purchase | Key features | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Brabantia Lift-O-Matic Rotary Washing Line | ![]() | A Sturdy System With an Amazing Range of Accessories | |
2 | Addis Easi-Lift 50m 4 Arm Rotary Airer | ![]() | Fully Collapsible and Can Be Operated With One Hand | |
3 | LIVIVO 4 Arm Rotary Washing Line With Cover | ![]() | Tough, Flexible and Totally Affordable | |
4 | Argos Home 30m 3 Arm Outdoor Washing Line | ![]() | Just the Right Size for Those With Limited Space | |
5 | Leifheit Linomatic Plus 500 | ![]() | Designed to Stay Clean, Dry And Tangle-Free | |
6 | Vileda 50m 4 Arm Rotary Outdoor Washing Line | ![]() | An Adjustable Line That Can Hold 4 Loads of Laundry | |
7 | JVL 30M 3 Arm Steel Rotary Clothes Airer | ![]() | Perfect For Smaller Households or Compact Gardens | |
8 | Minky Extra Breeze 50m 4 Arm Rotary Airer | ![]() | A Complete Set That's Ideal for New Homeowners | |
9 | Home Treats Rotary Airer Clothes Line With 4 Arms | ![]() | Lightweight Enough to Be Lifted Out of the Ground | |
10 | FunkyBuys® 50M Heavy Duty 4 Arm Rotary Clothes Airer | ![]() | Sturdy and Comes With a Rainproof Cover |
The super-smart "Lift-O-Matic" system from Brabantia allows you to adjust the height of the lines to match your own working level. The non-slip, UV resistant washing line stays taut at any of its three positions, and all the arms have hooks for hangers too!
This truly is the Rolls Royce of washing lines, being able to withstand the weight of multiple loads of wet laundry. Furthermore, it comes with amazing accessories like a waterproof cover and a bag full of pegs, making it the full package. All this from a well-known brand makes the "Lift-O-Matic" our number 1 pick!
This is a new design from Addis featuring the "Easi Lift" lever, which makes it so simple to use that you can even operate it with one hand! Made from ultra-lightweight, corrosion-resistant aluminium, it also has a huge drying space of 50m.
We love that the arms on this line have hooks for clothes hangers ― perfect for drying delicate laundry! Plus, if you don't want this product to get in the way of your gardening, it can be collapsed until it's needed again. So convenient!
The 4 arms of this airer by LIVIVO provide 45m of PVC coated washing line, making it suitable for drying around 4 loads of laundry in one go. The powder-coated steel construction ensures that the product will remain strong when exposed to the elements, and it comes with a 100% money-back guarantee ― just in case!
In addition to being very reasonably priced, this line is easy to install and has a great amount of drying space, allowing you plenty of flexibility. A brilliant buy that's bound to last you a long time!
Argos' lightweight 3 arm washing line has a sturdy steel central pole as well as an umbrella lifting mechanism. With a total drying space of 30m, this product can hold up to 2 loads of washing but is still compact enough for those with limited garden space.
The main downsides are that the lines can get tangled easily and, of course, this airer isn't suitable for larger households with tons of laundry. It'll be just the right size for couples or single people though, and it comes at a fantastic price!
Leifheit’s "Linomatic Plus 500" has an innovative retraction mechanism which means that when closed, the lines wind into the arms ― this keeps them tidy, clean, and dry! Furthermore, each of the aluminium arms has a handy hanger hook on the end.
The lines on this rotary dryer could do with being thicker and heavier, as their narrow width makes it difficult to secure pegs to them. This is also the most expensive product in our listing, although we'd say it's worth the price for a high-quality washing line from a trustworthy brand.
Vileda's washing line has 50m of drying space, comes complete with a plastic socket for easy installation, and can hold up to 4 loads of laundry at once. It can be adjusted to suit your height too, featuring a unique twist and lock lifting mechanism that makes it safer to raise the arms before securing them in place.
However, as this washing line is very tall, those who are shorter may struggle to get it into the top locking position. If you feel like you'll be able to manage it though, this is a very roomy and robust pick!
This compact product comes with 30m of line space, making it perfect for smaller households who want to dry their laundry outside. The robust, steel-coated frame is easy to move around, and the PVC line requires minimal effort to clean.
While this is a great option for a single or two-person household, larger families with more laundry may find that the line isn't long enough to accommodate their clothes without packing them too closely together. Nevertheless, this is a cheap and cheerful buy if you don't need much line space!
Minky's "Extra Breeze" airer comes complete with a pack of pegs, a peg bag, and a protective cover ― it's ideal for new homeowners! It's extremely easy to open and close, and the fully enclosed mechanism stops your fingers from getting trapped.
This washing line can be tricky to assemble when you first buy it, and it can initially be very stiff to raise and lower. Despite this, the line stays taut and won't tangle, and the product comes with a 3-year guarantee ― which is always a bonus in our books!
This large clothesline with 4 heavy-duty arms is able to handle the weight of a full load of laundry, while the powder-coated steel construction makes it durable against even the worst British weather. It can be folded away for simple storage too.
The line provided unfortunately tends to sag quite a bit when you first use it, so you'll have to spend time re-stringing it to make it taut again. Still, it's lightweight enough that it can be lifted out of the ground when you need to move it around.
Made from strong stainless steel, the FunkyBuys® 4-arm clothes dryer is sturdy and secure enough to hold a large amount of heavy laundry. The rainproof cover makes it weather-resistant and it's collapsible so is easy to put away when not in use.
In a bid to provide more drying space, the distance between the cords on this washing line is very narrow. However, this can sadly increase drying time as it doesn't promote much air circulation. Aside from this minor flaw, this is a decent washing line that's not too expensive.
Since the rotary washing line will become top-heavy once the laundry is placed onto it, we recommend opting for one with a spike base that will stay firmly in the ground rather than trying to fit it into a parasol base.
Choose a line with a spike or screw base that can be hammered into the ground or twisted into place. This is more convenient than concrete as it can be removed when you want to cut the grass in your garden.
No. 1: Brabantia|Lift-O-Matic Rotary Washing Line
No. 2: Addis|Easi-Lift 50m 4 Arm Rotary Airer
No. 3: LIVIVO |4 Arm Rotary Washing Line With Cover
No. 4: Argos Home|30m 3 Arm Outdoor Washing Line
No. 5: Leifheit|Linomatic Plus 500
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