Wooden clothes props

A local chap advertised them on Facebook a few years ago at £6 each. I bought 3!
One for me, one for DD and one for my friend.
I love mine.

We bought a length of wood from the timber yard and cut it down to required length and width then chiseled out a notch, sanded it down and that was probably 20 years ago and is still going strong

I like the idea of a branch with a fork at the top, but in all the walks through the woods I’ve been on, I’ve never seen one lying on the ground that will be long enough to use as a prop for our washing line.

My Dad made one out of a piece of 2x2 with the V cut out. If the sawing of the V is too much for you, you could just hammer a nail in at an angle a couple of inches from the top.

My husband made mine. I’d been moaning about nit having a decent one and sick of the plastic ones.

We call them 'stretchers' in Scotland....I still have 2. Yes the metal clothes props are not great.

Granmarderby10

I don”k know where my mum or anyone else got their wood line props from - they were just there.
We had a hardware shop that sold all sorts. But I. Can’t imagine them being the easiest thing to carry from the shops and even in car quite difficult.
SOI am assuming that my Dad must have cut the necessary shape out of a long length,
Have you got any such wood lying around in a shed say or garage that some “handy person” could make one?

My SIL made one for my DD by making a cleft stick from an old branch, really effective.
Back in the day everyone had a wooden one so it must have either been made at home or bought at a store.

I used to love hanging all my washing out on the line but I have mobility problems now and can't manage to do it
I now put a clothes airer out on my patio for the washing and MrR carries it back in in the evening (or if it starts raining). He is very good at remembering to bring it in too!
But Oh how I miss the days of washing lines, props and pegs and standing back to admire the washing blowing in the breeze....

I am also a keen dry outside person and even though there are times when it gets rained on, as my mother used to say, well its had a rainwater rinse and it certainly smells so much nicer and also is softer than horrible expensive tumble driers. When people talk about buying big cars or houses if they won the lottery ,I have quite a different wish. I would like to have fresh linen bed sheets that had been dried outside and then ironed and have them changed every day for that wonderful moment when you get into bed into those lovely and sweet smelling sheets. But of course if I won the lottery I could give someone a job doing all the ironing and remaking the bed. Ah what bliss - but wont hold my breath. Ah well my washer is just finishing and it is lovely and sunny so will be putting it out on the line shortly.

You can find loads of suppliers on ‘line’ - scuz the pun….

If you havea Men's Shed near you ask if they will make some for you. The one near where I live did this and they were swamped with orders. Think they sold a lot at a open day.

Buy a length of timber from B & Q and cut the V out on one of the ends no problem.

crazyH ..."In weather like this" (thinking you mean downpours?) I wouldn't be putting my washing out anyway My husband has made a couple out of wood in the past but my latest one I made from an old floorboard. Love putting my washing out whenever I can as my Mum did before me oh and before the advent of any plastic or metal ones.

We needed a new clothes prop and my Husband bought a long piece of wood from that famous DIY shop that is in every town. He then cut a V out of the end and it works a treat.

Gosh, that brings back memories; When I was a child - in the 1940s - 60s all the washing went on the line right down the garden and was supported by two very long wooden props. I've no idea what kind of wood was used but they certainly didn't rot.
It brings to mind the washing regime - we had a wash house with large sink, a heavy iron mangle, and what ( in Yorkshire) was called a posher. It was a tub into which the clothes went, obviously with water and soap, and then my great aunt ( who lived with us) had a posher to bash the clothes with - it was rather like a walking stick with a copper upside down bowl on the end.
I've just googled and found that they are still available but are called possers.

I’ve had my Brabantia dryer for years, very sturdy. I got it from John Lewis, it was expensive but definitely worth it, and you can also restring if necessary but I’ve never had to.

Back to the tree it is then- what a minefield lol! I hate buying stuff like this on-line anyway...

When I was young I worked in the reception of a timber merchants and joinery manufacturers and we made wooden line props or washing sticker uppers as I heard them called. Many a wife called to buy one five shillings ready planed and with the V cut and would quite happily go walking off carrying the 12 ft length often some distance. I still have two of them and they will probably outlast me 😅

I'm at a bit of an advantage as we live on a farm, and mine is a long thin branch off a tree which has a natural fork at one end like a catapult.
It doesn't telescope of course. I've had it years and I guess it'll break soon as its quite brittle, so I'll have to get DH to go and cut me another one.

DIY wooden clothes props are the bees knees imo. The metal telescopic ones are a poor substitute and I once purchased a wooden one (don't recall where from) which was in two parts with metal 'brackets' that held one against the other - you had to slide them apart and push a peg through two holes to secure the full length - it lasted a couple of months, if that. It was useless.

Go to the nearest timber-yard or DIY store and buy a suitable spar about 4 inches wide and 2 in depth, You can probably have it sawn to the right length at the DIY store.

Once home, draw a V at the top and saw the middle out. If you are not handy with a wood saw yourself, find some man who is.

Alternatively, go for a walk, if you are in the country, and find a cleft branch you can use.

I honestly do not think you can buy clothes props anywhere.

Beware of wooden clothes props off the internet! I bought one, and it was delivered 'in half' and had a sort of hinge on it to bring it up to its full length. However, the hinge was useless and it

dogsmother

I haven’t had a problem with the metal telescopic one, I’ve been using the same one for years. Yes it’s a bit rusty and ropey in parts but very usable still. I always put it again a dry shed between uses maybe that has helped.

Yes, well I put it away in the shed every night. Maybe my shed just isn't dry enough because the hollow bit got full of water. I think the one you have was just made better- I'm finding the ones I buy are just cheap and not fit for the job.

My son said it will take him a while to make one so I may just invest in something substantial I can buy on-line.

I can't have a rotary drier (which I've had in the past) because my yard is paved and a hole would need to be drilled.

Thanks for your replies- not that big a deal in the scheme of things I suppose...

I too used to buy those telescopic clothes props which used to bend all the time so I invested in a Wooden one which I bought from Amazon, it is fantastic and you can make it as long or short as you want to.

There are lots on line, from Etsy, Ebay etc., all around £40.