Tag:man_made=clothes_line

Clothes lines are often found in private gardens, small versions on the single family Houses, and larger ones at the apartment houses.

This feature has been labeled as deprecated. The recommended replacement is: amenity=clothes_dryer.
The reason is documented in Deprecated features. You are still free to continue to use or interpret this tag as you see fit since OpenStreetMap does not have “banned features”.
Under no circumstances should you (semi-)automatically change “deprecated” tags to something else in the database on a large scale without conforming to the automated edits code of conduct. Any such change will be reverted.

How to map

The small ones with only one post in the middle can be mapped as a node at the center that get tagged with man_made=clothes_line. Sometimes they are fixed at the ground, these get "clothes_line=fixed". When they can rotate, add "clothes_line=rotary". If it can rotate, it's often removable for bad weather times. Then add seasonal=yes if time is unknown or another value of seasonal if you know the time. Don´t use area or way for them, because most times they can be folded so they only remain as the post.

The larger models often use two opposing laundry rods, each attached to the floor with two posts. Draw an area with the posts as corners and add man_made=clothes_line. As alternative, you can place a node in the center between the laundry rods. A laundry rod can be mapped as man_made=laundry_rod.

The whole laundry place can be mapped as area with leisure=laundry_place. If access is signed with signs, you can add it with access=*

Clothes wires

On most large models of clothes lines, people can bring their own clothes wire and connect them with the laundry rods to use them. For this reason, it is strongly discouraged to map the laundry wires without local knowledge. Instead of that you can add the number of possible wires with "clothes_wire:count", or the total length of all clothes wires with "clothes_wire:length".

If you know that the wire is permanent, you can add it, connected with the "laundry_rod" as a way with man_made=clothes_wire.

Clothes lines types

Garden clothes lines often come in different shapes. These can be specified with clothes_line:shape. Here are a few Examples:

Key	Value	Comment	Photo
clothes_line:shape	spider	Often removable, but with fixed concrete stand in the ground. Can be folded to save space. In Aerial Imagery identifiable as a white X
clothes_line:shape	rectangle	Most larger ones are shaped as a rectangle. Fixed to the ground. In Aerial Imagery identifiable as |===| .
clothes_line:shape	user_value	Please add new values with description on this site, so other people know about it.

See also

• proposal to reverse deprecation direction