From the most expensive, to the cheapest now, with our choice for best budget retractable washing line- the Beldray LA026996, which will give you a good bit of change from a tenner, and won’t disappoint you as long as you don’t expect too much from it.

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:The nylon rope itself is nice and strong and can support a fair amount of weight. We didn’t test it to the maximum 45lbs, but it held up well with a couple of towels, some wet shorts, and a few t-shirts while being hooked up between a couple of trees. There’s one feature of a traditional rotary washing line that this one doesn’t have though. It’s the rotary part! Due to the compact construction, you can’t spin this washing line around, meaning you need access to all of it to hang your washing up. One of the benefits of the spinning washing line is being able to stand in one spot and hang everything in front of you. Whenever drilling through walls, you must also make sure that you’re not in danger of drilling through any pipes, electrics, or important infrastructure as well. Airers that retract, collapse, or fold up will naturally save space. Anything that doesn’t fold up may get in the way when not in use, especially if installed in a narrower alley alongside the house.

The only time you may need to cement a rotary washing line is if you are placing it on a hard surface such as a patio. In this situation, you may need to create a hole in cement or cement in place a ground spike or tube capable of holding the rotary line pole. The majority of retractable washing lines will be housed in a plastic casing like what you can see in the following photo- , although some have metal too, like the Wallfix model. Obviously, metal is more resistant to impact damage and temperature variations, but rust is always a threat to any metal object left outdoors. Plastic housing, on the other hand, won’t rust but it can be affected and degraded by UV and frost, depending on the quality of the materials used.These retractable lines save space, by folding up against the wall when not in use, and are simple to pull out and use when required. 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.

One downside of this line is that it’s not very stable in strong winds. Due to its aluminium construction, the arms can bend if they are overloaded and/or subjected to other forces – such as wind. Because of this, it’s best not to use this line if there is more than a slight breeze. If you are a one or two-person household, look for a wall mounted line with a weight capacity of at least 8 kg . This equates to roughly one load of washing. To hold more than one load, or heavier items like towels, look for a weight capacity closer to 20 kg . So in terms of use you have to say this basically matches right up to the Minky. I can’t actually find a difference with them other than the Minky is a few quid cheaper. So I’d still take the Minky in terms of price, but I think they are both equally as heavy duty. This extra weight is just a byproduct of the very solid build quality that this retractable washing line has. Even when all five lines were filled with wet and heavy clothes, towels, etc. it showed no signs of sagging. 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.Steel plastic coated bars are mounted on an aluminium frame so this washing line is suitable for indoor or outdoor use. Aluminium rivets fix the bars to the frame and the unit feels well-made like it will stand the test of time. If you don’t have a lot of room, you need to consider how much space the extended line will take up, as well as the type of washing you want to hang out. Often a compromise can be made by hanging larger items, like sheets and towels, elsewhere – on an airer or over banisters. Autumn Statement: State pension confirmed to rise by 8.5% from April 2024 – while some benefits will go up by 6.7%

Worth a look: Soreli Retractable Washing line 12M What you should know before buying a retractable washing line Whether you’re using the best free-standing rotary washing line or a really good ground or wall mounted one, you’ll still need to ensure it is well stabilised. Installation is straightforward with the supplied template and fixings. Once it’s up, the washing line feels surprisingly solid. If you have cavity walls, make sure you swap the fixings for hollow wall anchors or plasterboard fixings. NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and Ulster Bank, which are all part of the NatWest Group, will now shut at least 172 of their bank branches in 2023 and 2024.Many rotary washing lines include spikes that can be screwed or driven into the ground. These should be provide an adequate base for long-term use providing you are sensible about not using the line in high winds.