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How to Replace Clothesline Cord
Replacing the clothesline cord of your clothesline is a very simple, straightforward process which involves replacing a completely worn out line with a fresh one.
This can be done using just a few basic tools and can be accomplished quickly if you get the steps right so you can avoid having to spend on restring service/rewire service.
Knowing how to restring clotheslines yourself is a great way to prolong the service life of your fold down or rotary clothesline without having to pay for clothesline restringing.
After reading this article, you should be able to properly restring your clothesline in no time -- giving it a second shot at providing you with many years of hassle-free service.
Put quite simply, all you need to do is remove the old lines, cut a new length of replacement cord/wire to the appropriate size, install the new cord, tighten the cord, and you're good to go.
Read on to find out how to get everything done as smoothly as possible.
Topics in This Article:
Tools Required to Replace Clothesline Cord
Tools Needed for Restringing a Clothesline:
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A fresh pack of replacement clothesline cord/wire of your preferred brand
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Scissors or a utility knife to trim the clothesline to the appropriate length
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Pliers to remove the old line and to tighten the new line
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Replacement clips (if required, type of clips required depends on clothesline brands/model)
Other Essentials for Clothesline Restringing/Rewiring
Clothesline Cord/Wire
A fresh pack of your preferred type of washing line or wire is a good foundation for ensuring years of worry-free clothes drying.
Spending a little more money on high quality cord or wire is a must and can result in greater savings in the long run.
We recommend replacement cord packs from Hills or Austral due to their reinforced design and UV-resistant coatings.
For rewiring, the Austral Galvanised Clothesline Wire is a very high quality replacement wire that has proven to be very reliable thanks to its Bluescope Galvanised Wire with hemp core.
Folding Rotary Replacement Clips and Tie Offs
If you own an Austral folding rotary clothes line, consider purchasing a new set of Austral Foldaway Rotary Replacement Clips for replacing old, brittle ones.
This ensures that your new line will be secure for a longer period of time instead of having to do it all over again when the old ones break.
For those with folding Hills Hoist or Hills folding rotary clothesline, the Hills Line Clip might be what you need to properly secure your fresh drying lines for years to come.
You might also want to consider replacing an old tie off using Hills Line Tie Off to keep the drying line tauton your Hills clothes line.
Preparing the Clothesline for Restringing
Now that we're done preparing the things you will need, it's time to get down to business.
Do bear in mind that the steps to rewire or restring clotheslines may vary from one manufacturer to another.
The steps we've provided pretty much covers most types of clothes lines that are out on the market right now.
Steps to properly prepare your clothesline prior to clothesline rewire or clothes line cord replacing:
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Cut and detach the worn out line from hooks or tensioner holding it in place. If you have a rotary clothes line, detach the arms from the centre pole (it's best to refer to the user's manual for this step)
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Inspect hooks, tensioners, or centre pole to make sure they are secure and in good condition. Replace if there are signs of weakness, fading, or damage.
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Clean the hooks, tensioners, or centre pole using a stiff wire brush or sandpaper to clear them from rust or debris.
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Consider applying a coat of rust-resistant paint to the hooks, tensioners, or centre pole to protect them from the elements if replacement is not possible.
How to Restring a Clothesline
How to Restring Folding Rotary Clotheslines:
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Cut the new cord or wire to the appropriate length required for your specific model of clothes line.
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Lock a free end of the replacement cord to one of the tensioners or tie off.
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Fasten the cord onto the next clip moving from one arm to the next, pull the cord as you go to maintain tension until you reach the final tie off or tensioner of the clothesline.
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Be careful not to apply too much tension between two arms.
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Lock the other end of the line to the final tensioner or tie off, ensure that it is tightly secured to prevent line sag.
How to Restring Fixed Rotary Clotheslines or Hills Hoist:
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For those with fixed Hills Hoist or Austral Rotary clothesline, unravel the wire and push a free end through the outermost hole/ring of one arm.
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Work your way through the outer row of rings/holes on the other arm until you reach the first one where the wire was first threaded through, ignore the looseness of the wire for now.
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Cut the wire, leave a few extra inches for knotting the wire later on.
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Secure one end of the wire by looping it around the arm then tightly wrap the wire around the "neck" of wire.
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Create a knot using the pliers to secure the first end of the wire.
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Pull/stretch the wire from one arm to another until you reach the first ring/hole to keep the line taut. Be careful not to apply too much tension between two arms.
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Secure the other end of the wire by looping it around the arm in the opposite direction (against the first loop you've created) then wrap the wire around the neck of wire.
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Create another knot using the pliers to secure the other end of the wire.
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Repeat these steps for the inner rows of rings/holes, make sure to keep the cord tight with the final steps.
How to Restring Wall Mounted Clotheslines or Fold Down Clothesline:
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Lift up the frame from the wall and lock it in place. (If using a dual-frame clothes line, it's best to work on the inner frame first)
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Thread the new cord through the first hole on the clothesline frame, starting at the inner ones then working on the outer holes.
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Secure one end of the cord using one of the tie offs/tensioners.
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Apply tension from starting from the secured end of the line then work your way from one line to another.
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Secure the other end of the line using the other tie off/tensioner, cut the excess cord then screw on the cap.
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If you have a double frame fold down clothes line fold the inner frame towards the wall then repeat the steps for the outer frame.
Adjusting Clothesline Tension to Keep the Line Tight
Adjusting the tension of a clothesline is an important step to guarantee perfectly dry clothes every single time.
As the cords wear out, it's normal for some sagging or slack to occur, if you neglect the first signs of line sagging, clothes may start to droop towards the centre of the lines.
This will result in partially damp garments or wrinkled clothes which nobody wants.
Follow the Steps Below to Adjust the Tension of Your Clothesline:
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Locate the tensioning mechanism of your clothesline and unlock/release the cap on just one end of the line, if your clothesline is a retractable, this can be done with the tension lock lever.
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Apply tension starting from the secured end of the line then work your way from one line to another.
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Once you have tightened the cord, keep it in place using the cap of the tensioner, check the lines to make sure that it is straight and level.
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Test the cord by hanging a few items on it to make sure that it can hold the weight. If the line sags or feels loose, you may need to adjust the tautness further.
Conclusion
The cord is the heart of every clothesline. Knowing how to properly maintain your clothesline helps avoid unnecessary expense on clothesline rewire/clothesline restring service.
It's important to know that improperly tensioned wires or cords cause almost half of the clothesline failures since the cords also help keep the unit stable when in use.
Another good thing about being able to rewire or restring your clothesline unit is the fact that you can get it done in just a few minutes.
Should your current clothesline fail, you no longer need to set up an appointment for a rewire service and wait for days to be able to use your airer again.
We hope that with this article, we were able to help you prolong the lifespan of your investment.
Also, we do understand that not everyone has the DIY spirit in them.
If you think that this process is too daunting for you, we can lend you a hand.
Feel free to get in touch with us if you need restring/rewire service, our awesome team of clothesline experts will be more than happy to help you out with this.
