I grew up watching my grandmother hang laundry on a sagging rope line strung between two trees. I swore I would never do laundry that way. Then I bought a retractable clothesline for a different reason, my dryer broke mid summer, and it became the best twenty five dollars I spent that year.

I did not become a full time line dryer. But I hang a load every other day now, and my electric bill noticed.

Why a retractable one

A permanent clothesline takes up yard and looks like a string of sagging flags. A retractable line pulls out of a small wall mount when you need it and clicks back in when you do not. The mechanism is a spring inside a plastic or metal case.

What I like about it

• Installs in about ten minutes with three screws.
• Line length adjusts, mine extends to about 50 feet and crosses the yard.
• Clothes dry with that fresh smell, not the static cling of the dryer.
• Shirts come out without wrinkles when I shake them before hanging.

What to watch out for

The spring mechanism can snap if you pull the line out too far or let it retract fast with clothes still on it. Wind is the enemy, use clothespins and hang heavy items at the ends. And if you live in a humid climate, line drying takes all day. I use it mostly for sheets, towels, and jeans.

Would I buy it again

Yes, and I already did for my parents. The retractable design means it is out of the way when not in use, and it paid for itself in dryer energy within a few months. My grandmother would approve, even if she never needed a spring mechanism to hang clothes.