Best clothespins?

[Groundhog]

I finally installed my clothesline yesterday and realized I neglected to buy clothespins! What better way to spend a rainy Sunday afternoon than sitting on the porch researching clothespins online?

I would prefer wood, but it seems hard to find good quality ones. Some report that the wood can mark the fabric after a while. I'm not opposed to plastic if it's of good quality and will last a long time. I do a LOT of laundry - mostly towels it seems lately.

So what do you use? What have you tried and not liked?

Thanks for any info you can share!

[dbsam]

I don't know if they are considered good quality but I've have no problems with the inexpensive wood clothespins from Menards. I use them often and they do not break or mark the clothing.

My children also keep some they use to build tents in the house; sometimes they break when they use them.

We also keep some in the the kitchen to clip bags and my husband just took a bank deposit in that was clipped with one - couldn't fine a paper clip!

[laohaire]

I'm new at line drying but honestly so far, in my 3 dedicated months of line drying (I ONCE dried a load when it started pouring soon after I hung it all up) I haven't had any problems with the cheap wooden ones. I don't see any marks.

I do know that you can create indents with the pins, especially if you pin the same area every time. If I had something delicate I might just drape it instead of pinning it, or just put it on a hanger and hang it on the line. I don't have anything delicate though so I just pin away.

Also I pin DH's shirts from the tail instead of the shoulder. Since he tucks in the tail, the indents don't matter. Could look weird on the shoulders after a while.

I don't see how plastic clothespins would improve the indents... just seems a matter of placement - or resorting to clotheshangers for special items.

[bigteamug]

With regard to wooden clothes pins, I have found that they will leave brownish stains on white clothing sometimes. The stains can be really hard to remove - I all but ruined one of DH's shirts on a wooden drying rack.

I think it depends on your climate and your care of the pins - if you're careful and never leave the pins out in the rain, and get them dry, I'd contemplate wooden ones IF you live in a drier climate.

If you live in a Seattle-type rainy climate or a humid one, I'd get plastic to avoid problems with the pins getting mildew.

DH's relatives in Europe, where line drying is the norm, use plastic pins and a folding Brabantia clothesline.....but it is humid/rainy there.

I may try plastic when I buy pins this time - not sure how they'll hold up, as sun does degrade plastic over time.

[sunnysandiegan]

I have both. The spring-loaded wood ones (as opposed to the type that you just slide down) have lasted far longer than the plastic ones. I live in a dry climate, though. The sun has just deteriorated the plastic clothespins and one snaps nearly every time I hang laundry now. I haven't lost a single wood clothes pin.

As for marks and dents, I drape directly over the line or hang on hangers to mitigate this for important clothing items. Otherwise, I use whatever pins are closest and place them strategically. The only dents we've had is when DH casually tossed a wet t-shirt over the line without moving the pins out of the way. We've been line-drying for years (although not exclusively) and have not had any marks from the wood pins. I leave my pins out 24/7, too. Like I said, though, we live in a dry climate and rain is rare (average is 10 inches per year).

[Groundhog]

Thank you all for taking the time to reply!

I picked up some "heavy duty" plastic pins when I was at Lowe's the other day: www.dunelm-mill.com/shop/mega-grip-pegs-67300
and they were fine for the few towels I put out to dry. I think they'd be great for heavier things like bathmats or large towels.

Someone pointed me in the direction of Lehman's, a store in Ohio that caters to Amish and others who need products that support non-electric living.
www.lehmans.com

I can't believe I'm spending so much time thinking about clothespins! I do appreciate all the input -I'll post if I find something fabulous!