Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I've wanted an outdoor clothes dryer for years and after doing some research decided upon this model. I had grown up with parallel clotheslines but my current yard is sloped and mostly shady, so I wanted an umbrella type that I could place in the sunniest area.
The dryer arrived with machine lubricant on it, which I was pretty much expecting (based on other reviews of the larger model of this item) but it was fairly easily cleaned off.
I knew there were going to be problems, though when I set it up. The line itself is cheap plastic that sags and stretches, and it's a bit of a pain (to say the least) to tighten it, and it's very difficult to get it taut. Also, the top itself did not seem square even though I set it up exactly as the directions stated. I was careful to balance the clothes on either side and started in the center. After hanging three loads of not very heavy laundry (T-shirts and lightweight items) I heard a kind of sickening "pop" and an entire side was sagging. One of the hinges on the arms had bent. Since the clothes were only half dry, I let it go until later when I was able to pack it up for return.
After reading some other reviews on a different site, it seems this is a fairly common problem...the hinge and arms are made of aluminum, not steel like the center post, and evidently can't take the stress. So disappointing. I had read glowing reviews of this product with people stating they place four large loads of laundry on it each week. There was still plenty of room on the rack on which I could have done this, but three light loads was clearly the maximum that could be held. Perhaps these other folks were hanging baby clothes and lingerie?
I got a refund on this item and I think I am going to next try the umbrella type with the slanted arms. Another issue I had with this dryer was that the lines seemed awfully close together. After almost 8 hours in mostly sun, on a 100 degree day, the clothes in the middle lines were still fairly damp. (This was not due to the rack breaking, as the clothes were sagging but not touching). I was not drying anything particularly thick and heavy (jeans or furniture covers, for example) so I think it was mainly due to a problem with air circulation.
All in all a very disappointing experience. I would love to be able to find the kind of solid, old-school, permanent umbrella type that I remember from my youth, but sadly those seem to be gone. I'm guessing with the current recession that more and more people are going to be drying clothes outside, so perhaps there will be more choices available in time.
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Household Essentials H-150 30-Line Outdoor Parallel-Style Clothes Dryer with Steel ArmsThe benefits of air drying clothes are many--fabrics last longer, energy bills run lower, and clothes and sheets naturally smell better when hung outside--not to mention the health benefits of spending a few minutes outdoors in the sunshine. This eco-friendly parallel-style clothes dryer features 30 vinyl-coated lines that provide 182 feet of linear drying space. All the drying lines come pre-strung and ready to use. The unit offers durable construction with steel arms, a high-impact plastic post cap and slide, and a two-piece post made from corrosion-resistant galvanized steel. A plastic ground sleeve anchors the post into the ground, and the arms can be folded down for compact storage when not in use. The clothes dryer measures 72 by 72 by 72 inches.
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