I have worn out several clothesline! The coated wire broke down I guess from heavy loads!! And all the rules that were mentioned, I follow them. I guess I learned them from my mother and she was taught by her mother. My son-in-law would love to hang their laundry out but does not have clotheslines. He uses the wooden drying racks. If it's ugly, he sets them in their spare room and opens the windows a bit. I'll email him on particularly good wash days and tell him what he is missing!! (My daughter-in-law married a good guy! He likes to cook too!!!) I also remember the sprinkler bottles and wringers - how many times I ran my hands thru them!! My sisters and I started to iron because we liked to do the sprinkling. Started with Dad's hankies and moved on up. We were having fun at the time.