Cord-o-clip Reinvents the Clothesline
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03.31.08
We go on about clotheslines and about how great they are for the environment. The technology of them is pretty basic and one wouldn't think there would be much room for improvement, but in fact one loses clothes-pins, and it can be a lot of work putting out the clothes. Now a Canadian inventor has reinvented the clothesline with a system that makes loading a clothesline 60% faster and removing the clothes 90% faster, and you never lose a clothespin again. We saw it in action at the Cottage Life Show and were impressed, that such a basic thing as a clothesline could be improved so much.
The business end has two reels instead of the usual one; the clothespins go round the inner one and the wire round the outer. One just pushes the clothing into the gap and the pins pick it up automatically. Fast and easy, there is now one less excuse for not hanging up the laundry. Cheezy retro website, but impressive product at ::Cordoclip
See also Treehugger on Clotheslines Hung Out to Dry
A redesigned clothes peg.
Do clothes lines devalue properties?
National Hanging Out Day 2007
Ontario Bans the clothesline ban
this is amazing. well done. I am getting one for sure.
wow, it's like a zipper.
I am old enough to remember the days of hand crank wrining washers and clotheslines I do remember how good the clothes smelled. Tho in winter and during rainy seasons its not so easy to dry.....
I am all for going green only problem is there is a stigma about clotheslines specially my neighborhood of million dollar "MC" mansion estates and equestrian trails I'm sure it would raise a big "stink" if I tried to use a clothesline!
Also nowadays in Los Angeles with all the fwys and smog im not sure how "clean" the clothes would be??
My plan to go solar will have to do to power the energy star dryer instead.
@ John:
Quick comment. Your plan in general is sound (solar power to offset dryer). However there is no such thing as an energy star dryer.
The EPA (or DOE, I can't remember) analysis showed that pretty much all dryers use the same amount of energy, as thermodynamics shows you that it takes X amount of energy to convert water from liquid to vapor form (which then can be exhausted) regardless of dryer brand.
They only give energy star ratings to washing machines, and the primary factor is the amount of water they wring out of the clothes BEFORE you have to dry them (think super spin cycle). To minimize dyer energy, start with a nice efficient washing machine.
I still don't get why you can't use a normal clothes rack indoors.
Why would I want my clothes outside, subject to rain, bird poop, pollution, UV light, dirt, theft, and voyeurism?
The response to this TreeHugger review was amazing, crashing the cordoclip.com homepage servers/bandwidth all Monday.
This is an invention organized by the Canadian manufacturer, ERA-Group in Montreal. It has taken 10 years to bring to the latest iteration. The pegs themselves stay the same.
It can be hung indoors or outdoors, and apparently costs about the same as putting together a traditional pulley clothesline.
If you find the cordoclip.com page still inaccessible, just send cmcleod@biodegrader.ca a mail with your address and phone number and I'll arrange for ERA to contact you.
It looks funky but it is actually quite convenient and holds the clothes on really strong. Hanging clothes out is a statement that one expects clean air.
The Amazon price for this in the U.S. seems to be $150. That is a lot for a clothesline. A clothesline and reel at Home Depot is about $US 30. Has anyone else gotten a price?
I think the cost of this item is far too high, there are other quality products available. I am glad however for the surge in people drying outdoors (for someone who wants to do it indoors, unless you live alone the moisture from the clothes would cause mold and moisture damage to your belongings and drywall/wood interior unless you took steps to prepare and utilize a special area, say a sun porch with screened windows or an exhaust fan, preferably solar). For the person living in Mcmansionville, I think you should put together some research and and a captivating powerpoint show and take it to your homeowners association and try to change your rules about laundry. If some of you live in condo's or apartments, do the same. Many such places ban laundry on balconies. Be prepared to accept rules about it, hours to hang or quantity or something, just as long as you can get it back on the table. For those of you living in the city as noted above, your best bet is early in the morning and you may want to keep an eye on the weather channel for wind directions for the day. Before you know it a schedule will become clear for your area.
Hanging laundry out was a stigma of people who couldn't afford a dryer, the fact is nearly everyone now has or has use of a dryer on a regular basis. We need to change the image of hanging out laundry to stand for what it is, an efficient way of dealing with a daily task. Maybe someone could come up with a fancy laundry banner to hang out with your laundry proclaiming the greeness of it all!
@Durbrow
When considering prices it's helpful to compare "apples to apples".
LA: I was going to say the same thing, this is not a regular clothesline, and given the custom mouldings and patent costs involved in any new invention, and the local manufacture, price is the least of the issues.
@ nate
i always thought UV light was good for your clothes. you know, it being a disinfectant.