Brabantia Lift-O-Matic Rotary Washing Line review: our verdict on Mumsnetters' most trusted rotary line

Price on writing: £85 | Buy now from Amazon

How we tested

Our parent-tester Kelly put the Brabantia Lift-o-Matic through its paces in her large garden in the Essex countryside. Kelly took detailed notes on the assembly process, ease of use and how effectively it dried the her family of five's washing.

Our verdict

Name-checked by Mumsnetters as the best rotary washing line out there, our tester Kelly was not disappointed by the Brabantia Lift-o-Matic washing line. While the initial set-up is quite time consuming - you need to really bang the spike into the ground to ensure it's secure enough to hold 50m worth of washing - the washing line is quick and easy to use and does the job of drying Kelly's family's washing efficiently and with minimal faff.

With an easy up-and-down mechanism and a cover that means you can leave it out in all weathers, this is a sturdy rotary dryer you can depend on. The 50m Lift-o-Matic can hold up to an impressive 4 loads of washing at once, and it's also available in the slightly smaller 40m or larger 60m versions too.

Read next: The best retractable washing lines, tried and tested

How easy is the Brabantia Lift-o-Matic to set up and start using?

A 45mm ground spike comes included with the washing line, and you'll need a mallet or sledge hammer to get it firmly into your lawn. There's also a version with a concrete tube suitable for installing in a patio or driveway.

Kelly found the installation quite time-consuming, as it's quite tricky and needs a lot of dedication to hammer the spike fully into the ground. Thankfully, this is a one-time job so once it's done, you're able to slot the washing line into the ground spike when in use, and take it out for storage. As long as the rim of the ground spike is flush with the ground, it shouldn't cause a problem when mowing your lawn.

Read next: The best washing machines, as recommended by Mumsnetters

What's the Brabantia Lift-o-Matic like to use day-to-day?

With three children under 7, Kelly gets through plenty of loads of laundry each week. She found the washing line had more than enough space to meet the needs of her family, effectively drying laundry across the space of a day in the spring sunshine.

There's a cover and peg bag available to match the Lift-o-Matic, or you can buy them as a bundle with the washing line. Depending on your garden layout, size and whether you have storage space, you might like to put away your rotary washing line overnight. However, Kelly found the cover provided great protection from the elements, so much so that she felt she could leave the folded-down washing line out in all weathers. The cover also keeps the washing line looking neat and unobtrusive on her lawn when not in use.

The Lift-o-Matic can be adjusted to your ideal height, so it's very easy to put up and down for loading and unloading with laundry. This is a brilliant feature for saving your arms and shoulders from getting sore, if you find other rotary washing lines to be set higher or lower than is comfortable for you.

Read next: The best tumble dryers for families

Does the Brabantia Lift-o-Matic offer good value for money?

At £85, the Brabantia is on the more expensive side for a rotary washing line. It's about twice the price of the Vileda 4-Arm Rotary Dryer, which Mumsnet users also rate. However, the Brabantia Lift-o-Matic is by far the most and highest-recommended rotary dryer on the Mumsnet Talk forums.

Here are a few examples of Lift-o-Matic fans:

"Brabantia here too, going strong still after 15 years." - BiddyPop

"We bought a 60m Brabantia rotary washing line 14 years ago, and it is solid and dependable. It is heavily used for about 8 months of the year, in a garden with children playing football etc. Definitely worth the expense." - Dilbertian

"Brabantia here as well I think it's a good 10 years old now still works brilliantly." - mommybear1

To sum up, while it may cost a little more than other rotary washing lines, the Brabantia Lift-o-Matic is top quality and will outlast cheaper alternatives by many years.

About the author

Poppy O'Neill is a Content Editor at Mumsnet and a mother of two. She's been researching and reviewing home and parenting products for 3 years, with a particular focus on laundry and cooling. From washing machines to baby monitors and dehumidifiers to cooling pillows, she loves to deep-dive into research and find the best products out there.

Poppy is also an award-winning, best-selling children's and parenting author of books such as Don't Worry, Be Happy, The Extraordinary Book That Makes You Feel Happy and Mother Power. She specialises in children's mental health and her books are used by therapists, teachers and SENCOs across the UK. She won a The Week Junior Book Award in 2023, her books have been translated into several languages and she's been featured in The Guardian, The Sunday Times and The Sun.

After earning a BA in Creative Writing from the University of Leeds and a PGCert in Fashion and Lifestyle Journalism from University of the Arts London, she worked in fashion for most of her 20s. When her children were young, she undertook an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Chichester and re-trained as an author and freelance writer.

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