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Sturdy Wooden Clothespins – Kevin’s Quality Clothespins

I love the smell of laundry fresh off the line – but I don't love cheap, flimsy wooden clothespins. They launch themselves off the line in pieces or drop wet items on the ground below the line.

Since our laundry line is on our elevated deck, when laundry drops, it really drops, falling over ten feet down. Back in 2014, I was hanging clothes and thinking, “It sure would be nice if someone started making heavy duty wooden clothespins again.”

Ask and ye shall receive, because the next time I checked my inbox, there was a message from Hilary of Kevin's Quality Clothespins. They sent me a sample of their heavy duty, American made wooden clothespins for review.

wooden clothespins comparison

7 Reasons Why Kevin's Quality Clothespins May be the Best Wooden Clothespins You've Ever Used

  1. Kevin's Quality Clothespins are hand-crafted from solid maple hardwood, specifically end pieces from a local mill that supplies wood for guitars. I like that they are able to re-purpose what would otherwise end up as scrap. The wood has a light colored grain and will not bleed tannin onto clothing.
  2. The clothespin springs are heavy duty stainless steel from an American manufacturer, so there's no rust or corrosion. They are much larger and stronger than standard imported clothespin springs.
  3. Kevin's Quality Clothespins are made in America with materials sourced from local suppliers.
  4. Each clothespin is treated with natural linseed oil before assembly to help them resist weathering. You won't find any treatment on the nekked cheapo clothespins.
  5. These clothespins are big enough to go where other clothespins can't. They are large enough to tackle heavy rugs and quilts on a standard clothesline. They can even open wide enough to accommodate a 1/2 inch dowel. No more items slipping off drying racks.
  6. No slip grooves at the end of the pins make it easier for the user to operate the clothespin.
  7. These pins are crazy strong! I tied up a 5 pound weight in an old sock and tacked in on the clothesline with one of Kevin's Quality Clothespins. It hung there like a boss – no slipping or sliding. I didn't even attempt hanging the weight with the imported pins out of fear for the windows located right near the clothesline.

Clothespins That Last

I had a bin in my junk drawer dedicated to holding parts of dead clothespins. Every so often the boys would go through and try to piece them back together.

The thing is, once the springs have been stretched, they never work quite as well. Usually they ended up right back in the junk bin after the next load of laundry. Since I switched to Kevin's Quality Clothespins, that bin only gets working bag clips and clothespins, not broken ones.

wooden clothespin holding up 5 pound weight

As long as you take them off the line when you gather the laundry, these clothespins should be around to hand down to your children and grandchildren. These wooden clothespins are made like things used to be made – to last.

They are more expensive than imports, but less expensive than similar clothespins in a Mother Earth News article. (Those pins were also out of stock when I checked the website.)

These clothespins are nice enough for gifts, especially if you paired them up with something like wool dryer balls or a handmade clothespin bag.

Buy Your Own Set of Heavy Duty Wooden Clothespins

You can buy your own set of Kevin's Quality Clothespins here.

*Update May 2021: Sadly, Kevin passed away, but his wife has taken up making wooden clothespins.

I received no compensation for this review, only a set of clothespins. I liked them so much I bought more for myself and some for friends.

Update: This review was originally posted in October 2014. It's now December 2023, and I've used these clothespins for over 9 years. They still work great, and not one has busted.

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Laurie Neverman with chickens

This article is by Laurie Neverman. Laurie grew up on a small dairy farm in northwest Wisconsin, and now lives on an 35 acre homestead in northeast Wisconsin.

She and her family combine the best of old and new for more sustainable living. They use solar water heating and line drying, root cellaring and freeze drying, annual gardens and permaculture. There's always more to explore!

Last updated in 2023.

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166 Comments

  1. These are the best clothespins! I live in Oklahoma and they keep the clothes on the line no matter what way the wind blows.

  2. Hi Laurie, I saw the picture for the heavy duty clothespins in your latest newsletter. I too have a couple of dozen of these pins made in New Brunswick, Canada. I just sent the “Clothespin Lady” (Sandra Christopher) a message asking if she treats hers with linseed oil as well. She just replied that she uses a small amount of mineral oil because she says that linseed oil can have a strong smell. I really love them, they work so well I had a quilt wrap the clothesline around so that I could not reel it in, good thing I could reach it from the ground!

    1. Mineral oil is a good neutral oil. I’ve never noticed any issues with the linseed being stinky on the pins, but no matter which oil is used, treated is better than untreated for the life of the wood. We’re back to highs below freezing at least part of the coming week and snow in the forecast 4 days out of 7, so I’m back to indoor drying for a bit.

  3. My daughter gifted me w/Kevin’s clothespins. She lives in always-windy west TX, I live in AL. I have NEVER had clothespins as great as Kevin’s. They do the job of hanging onto the clothes perfectly…no drooping, no slipping along the line despite strong winds, & most importantly, they keep their grip on thin & thick material. I wouldn’t trade them for anything!

  4. I love hanging out the laundry and quit buying new clothespins over ten years ago because, like you said, the new ones are lousy! Kevin’s look great, though the cost is pretty high. I’m blessed to have inherited some clothespins from my grandmother, and I’ve also bought old pins off Ebay. They’re the good, strong, old-fashioned ones and pretty affordable.

  5. Real made in the U.S.A. ones are hard to find (not just assembled here but MADE here) I am one of very few American family craftsmen making clothespins that are 100% Made in the U.S.A. Kevin’s quality clothespins is in the pacific northwest, The Deliberate Agrarian in Moravia, Ny and myself are three family craftsmen making good stuff- LOCALLY! I encourage you to check us all out! http://www.meffordendeavors.com and http://www.meffordendeavors.blogspot.com

  6. I have a bunch of dollar store cheapies but a single very old heavy duty one, where it came from I do not know. It keeps on going. If it could only talk. I keep a bunch in the kitchen to close up plastic bread or chip bags, or hold together glueing projects. They’re not just for laundry.

  7. I’m a new reader and really enjoying it!

    My tip: I had a project to do on my “desk”, a wooden folding lunch tray table. It was going to be messy and wet, so I grabbed a plastic kitchen trash bag and laid it flat on the table. It immediately slid to the floor. I wanted to be able to use the bag later, so did not want to tape it. I keep a hanger with clothespins on it handy for drying wet gloves. I borrowed 4 pins off of it, pinched a little of the bag at each corner of the table. They made great, light weights that did not tear the bag. Pinching them pulled them a little under the table, so they didn’t catch on anything. I put a couple of sheets of newspaper over the bag cover and splashed away,

  8. I use clothespins constantly as bag closers in the kitchen and to keep mail together in the mailbox. I’d love to hang laundry again but alas, no line at the moment. Hope to have one again someday!

  9. We use our clothespins to mainly hang up clothes but sometimes they are also used for potato chip bags, hanging washed out baggies, or just last week I used one to close the hole in the bread bag (I accidentally put it on a warm stove).

  10. Funny but true…..I once used a clothespin to hold up my sweat pants while chasing one of the children around the yard. Would love to win a set and give these a try!

  11. These look like quality clothes pins. I would love to try them. Clothes pins are also handy as a clamp when gluing small craft projects.

  12. Our little farm has a clothesline that seems half a mile long…..I never knew there were alternatives to ordinary clothespins!

  13. Thanks so much for the review. Now I know where to get a quality product made in the USA. I love hanging our clothes out on the line to dry it is meditation therapy for me.

  14. These would be excellent for airing out quilts or hanging out rugs to beat, I’d bet.

    Somethiny Gramma used to do was after Granddad had mowed the clover, she’d hang quilts out to air. They smelled wonderful when they’d come in, just like the fresh cut clover.

  15. Wow, I am excited to even be reading about quality clothes pins. I line dry year round and have 2 buckets of crummy pins. Now I know a source :). Thanks for this post Laurie!!

  16. I have never had good clothespins…just dollar store stuff 🙁
    Not sure I’ve even seen nice ones anywhere.
    I love hanging laundry – would be awesome to use decent pins for the first time!

  17. we use clothes pins for practically everything…. closing up food bags, holding papers together, coupons for the store, etc. would love to see how these hold up to others! 🙂

  18. I need some clothes pins that are strong enough that when the dog tugs on the pant legs or sleeves they don’t come right off the line.

  19. We always hung out clothes to dry when I was growing up and I don’t ever remember our clothespins breaking like the ones today do. These look like very high quality clothespins and I would love to have them!

  20. I used to use clothespins all the time, but have been so frustrated with them lately that I don’t even use them anymore. Would love to try these!

  21. When they’re not being used to hang clothes on the line, clothespins can be found keeping busy holding pantry bags closed.

  22. So far I’ve just been using clothespins to close bags of food, and I’ve had several break on me recently. I would like to start hanging laundry to dry outside once I get a clothesline. These would be awesome!

  23. would love some decent clothes pins that I can use to dry heavier items such as quilts or denim! Just like everyone else has already stated: clothes pins that don’t have splinters after 1-2 uses, don’t fly apart when trying to use them!

  24. I really need some that are sturdier than a chip clip. Right now have a baby goat indoors and blankets to wash everyday and the clips dont stand a chance in the wind !

  25. Yes! We’d definitely use these. My mom prefers to hang things outside to dry and is constantly battling with the little clothespins commercially available!

  26. We used to play a game in cub scouts with clothes pins. We knelt on a chair, then tried to drop clothespins into a bottle on the floor.

  27. I would love the chance to win a set of these! After waiting for 2+ years, I just got my clothesline built & put up this weekend!! 🙂

  28. I would love to win these! My lovely lil puppy managed to chew up most of my good clothes pins. To buy new ones … well I haven’t done that yet … they just look and feel so cheaply made. :-/

  29. I use clothespins all the time for chip clips, sack clips, tent closures, you name it. I’m afraid my children would confiscate these immediately for their room tent building if they saw them, so I’ll have to keep them out of sight!

  30. I use clothespins for all kinds of things and right now, I have some that won’t even hold a chip bag closed. I could use some strong ones.

  31. Living in Arizona it is a great place to hang your laundry outside to dry. Having quality clothes pins would be great.

  32. I would love to win these as well. I too, was just thinking the new clothespins are really cheap and junky. I think is is something I need to invest in as well. I hang my clothes out year round and with a family of five I could really use more quality pins. Thank you for sharing these with us.

  33. Good clothes pins are hard to come by. I bought some from The Delberate Agragarian/ Planet Whizbang last year, but they have to be put together and I have yet to do that. I think I better get started.

    1. Yes, I saw that Herrick offered something similar, but his are out of stock right now, come unassembled, and are more expensive. He’s a great guy (I reviewed his book “The Whizbang Gardening Book”) a while back.

  34. I have almost given up hanging out the laundry, I keep trying to find the “good” clothespins at older hardware stores or Amish shops, to no avail. So the clothespins in our house are mostly used to keep chip bags closed.

  35. I love clothespins; they do have many other uses. I use some I bought at a yard sale many years ago but would love a new set to try. Thank you!

  36. Right now I am using clothespins to secure bird netting around my berry bushes and to hang my garlic to dry. However with these new clothespins I can (will) get back to line drying my cloths!

  37. These look fabulous compared to my dollar store pins which last about a week. Would love to have quality made and could handle heavy work jeans.

  38. i would not know how to act, to have a decent set of pins to last and actually keep clothes on linw without falling apart, getting all cruddy, and whatever else you can think of. i have numerous sets in my stash only to know that eventually ill be just DRAPING over line….. thanks very much for the giveaway. good luck to all!!

  39. I need some good clothes pins. Not only do I hang clothes on the line with them but we also use them to hang our kids art work up on a string. I hate the clothespins that we buy now because their usually only good for one season.

  40. I do my wash at night so I can put it in the dryer before I go to bed, so the next morning it’s ready to fold.

  41. I use clothespins in my macrame projects to hold the different cords. I also use them to keep food bags closed.

  42. We use clothespins for bag clips as well as laundry. I would love to be able to use them on the wooden laundry rack.

  43. I love these clothespins!They are hard working works of art. So much better than the imports!
    I’ve bought two sets of ten and just ordered a third using the discount.

  44. I have looked for common sense things like this for many years. I was beginning to think there wasn’t any common sense left in the world.

    Remember, do what you will but harm none.
    Shelagh Drew (drewgida)

  45. Would love these, at home clothespins are used for more than hanging clothes.
    To seal a paper bag that has our homemade bread in it, for making sure cereal bags and chip bags stay closed. For hanging scarves on a hanger, even hanging my skirts on a regular hanger.
    Clothespins are so much more useful than most realize.

  46. I enjoy your blog. I love hanging my laundry on the line to dry and also get frustrated with inferior pins. I would love the opportunity to try the ones you are talking about.

  47. We are having some pretty strong winds around these parts… I hang my laundry no matter what… one of these days I will be sorry that I didn’t use clothespins when my husband’s very important work shirt has blown into the pig pen. These clothespins will solve many problems!

  48. I just bought some clothespins for my ‘survival’ stock. After looking at the photo of the comparisons, boy! I sure wish I had found these first!!! I just may have to invest in some anyway, even though I already have quite a few. these look SO much better, AND I LOVE that they are made here in the US!

  49. We have a roof leak right over the deep freeze on our deck which allowes the rain water to run into the freezer. You know you’re in trouble when you can’t open the freezer door because it’s frozen shut. LOL So I put a flannel back tablecloth on the top of the freezer so it hangs down on all sides. I use clothespins to secure all four corners of the tablecloth together to keep the rain from running into the freezer.

  50. I still hang out laundry. I love the smell of fresh laundry. I use the clothes pins for many things too, bag closures, recipe holders etc. Could use some sturdy ones too.

  51. When you’ve had the cheap ones, you know that quality makes a difference! I sometimes use clothes pins for hanging skirts on regular hangers. You can also use them as “stays” to keep spaghetti straps on the hanger.

  52. I love to hang out my wash! Nothing beats the “fresh air” smell! When the weather is bad I use an Amish made dowel type dryer. I’m too cheap to use the dryer, ha! The heavy duty clothes pins look great! I’d be so tickled to win some!

  53. My best laundry tip is something I learned when taking sinning classes – never use Woolite (spelling may be incorrect) Instead use a few (very few) drops of a mild liquid, non-degreaser dishwashing soap, like Palmolive Original. Fill your basin with tepid water. Then add the drops of soap. Move the soap through the water with your hand – gently. You don’t want suds. Place your garment in the basin. Let it sit about 10-20 minutes. Don’t ring out your garment when you take it out of the basin. Drain the basin and fill it with clear, tepid water. Place the garment in the water and let it sit 10 minutes. You may have to repeat this if you have put too much soap in the first basin. Finally remove garment from basin and carefully press out the water. Roll the garment in a dry towel to remove the remaining water. Lay flat to dry.

  54. WOW! Clothespins were actually on my list to buy this week! How great to have a better alternative than the awful ones that you but at Wally’s!!

  55. You can’t beat American-made. I can’t think of any tips, because all I have are the el cheapo ones and they can’t even hold clothes on the line very well! Even if I win, I’m sure to be buying more. 🙂

  56. Made in the USA! The older clothes pins were the best! I am moving to a
    home with a big yard and my plans are to put up a clothes line immediately. These clothes pins will be perfect!

  57. My mother-in-law gave me her bag full of clothes pins 30 years ago, and I still have several of them. You are right, newer clothes pins are flimsy and if you don’t pick up all they pieces and then mow the lawn, you launch dangerous projectiles when the clothespin hits the blade.

    My best tip when hanging clothes on the line is to use plenty of pins, to keep the clothes from coming loose in the wind. Also, bring the clothes pins in the house after use, to keep them from weathering and staining clothes.

  58. These look amazing! Speaking of laundry, though, I use dried soapberries instead of laundry detergent. They work great, and are a wonderful natural alternative to chemicals! Someday I hope to plant a soapberry tree…

  59. I love to hang my laundry out in the fresh air. Nothing smells better than a bed made up with fresh line-dried sheets!

  60. I don’t know much about laundry or clothespins. We just started exclusively hanging our clothes a few months ago, and I do know that it would be wonderful to have some good quality clothespins!!

  61. Love these! Count me in for the contest. I hate it when clothes pins come apart in my hands as I’m hanging things up! I also love that they are using quality materials and parts that might otherwise be wasted. Awesome!

  62. I totally love this! I often wondered (seriously) if there was anything better out there. They look like they would feel amazing! What a great idea.

  63. I’d love to have a set of good quality clothes hangers. Drying clothes on the line makes them last longer and saves us money.

  64. To make our clothes last longer we hang dry all of our shirts and slacks (no clothes line in this apartment complex, so we hang inside). Socks are all clothes-pinned to wire hangers. This also saves us 25% on our laundry by not putting these two loads into the dryers.

  65. We keep clothespins in a kitchen drawer to reclose chip bags and anything else which takes to that application. So glad for the opportunity to win some good ones.

  66. I hang out my clothes as the weather in upstate NY permits. I use clothes pins to secure things on hangers that some times slip off.

  67. these would be great for making old fashion inner tube guns the current cheap clothespins won’t hold up like these should….thinking back to when my dad made the gun for me now I can do for the grand kids

  68. These look great! We hung our clothes out to dry when we lived in Costa Rica because electricity was so darn expensive for the dryer and I really loved it. Now that we’re back in the state we’ve gotten lazy about just using the dryer (gas is cheap!) but these are enough to inspire me to take advantage of our great Utah sunshine!

  69. I have a few of old old pins and they keeping working. You’re right, the flimsy ones just don’t last and do not hold.

  70. This is so awesome! I have been searching ALL OVER for real cloths pins!!! I purchased some at a dollar store but they are like the ones used in crafts- so small. I was going to try and use them this weekend but I’m afraid to do my laundry just to have it all fall to the ground and have to do it all over again. I do my laundry all by hand so that is a lot of extra work! I’m so excited to see someone still makes the real thing! Thank you for this amazing opportunity!

  71. We would love to win these. I line dry as much laundry as I can and this has really helped reduce our electric bill. Our old pins (hand-me-downs from my grandmother) are starting to look their age…

  72. I use clothespins to close chip bags. I also use them on metal clothes hangers to hang skirts (doesn’t work well with poor quality clothespins).

  73. Guess I’m not very creative. I only use clothes pins for hanging clothes. 🙂 (I used to use them for chip bags, but the metal binder clips from the office supply store work a lot better for that.)

  74. I haven’t ever had any trouble with the ones I bought from WalMart 12 years ago and use twice a week, but would love to see the difference!

  75. I use clothes pins for so many things it is hard to pick the most useful. One is hanging grandchildren’s artwork and cards we receive.

  76. I would love to have these pins. We hang laundry out everyday that is possible. Yesterday, I was singing “I get to hang laundry today.” I LOVE hanging laundry, and knowing it saves us $$$$$

  77. One reason I rarely hang dry our laundry is the wimpy clothes pins. They often break before I can even use them! So glad to see Americans working to make a quality product! Yes, I’d love to enter the contest for a package! Thanks for the opportunity!

  78. It was so strange to see this pop up on my pinterest today. I had *just* complained to someone that my clothespins sucked. They always snap in half and I throw them in the fire pit. It drives me nuts!

  79. Nice to know where to get a nice quality product made in the USA. Thanks for the review! I love line dried clothes!

  80. I use clothespins to close up cracker, cereal, and other type containers so they won’t spoil. I also use clothespins in craft projects all the time. I would love to have some good ones.

  81. Now those are some sturdy clothespins. I’ve been having trouble finding ones that can even hold themselves together. Thanks so much for the link!

  82. Not only do these seem to be a much sturdier clothes pin but they are beautiful to look at with their almost art deco appearance to the top. 🙂

  83. How funny it sounds to say I’m excited about clothespins! My MOM would love these. Of course, I could enjoy them too. 🙂 Thanks for sharing great info!

  84. I’ve been hanging clothes outside for over 30 years, my best tip is to briefly put items like jeans in the dryer…they dry wrinkle-free & softer. I’d love to have these clothes pins – no more clothes on the ground!

  85. I thought I was the only clothes pin snob around! I just got some of my mother’s clothes pins and they are much stronger than what you can get now.
    I would love some of Kevin’s pins!

  86. I absolutely LOVE hanging my laundry out on the line.
    Just this summer, when my automatic washer went kaput, I bought a used Maytag wringer washer, and am totally in love with laundry again!!!
    We are even considering hanging a clothesline with a pulley across the upper story of our living room, in the cathedral ceiling part, because it is always warm up there, and it would be a perfect place to hang clothes to dry.
    I would love to have a set of these clothespins.
    The imported clothespins available ANYwhere for sale now, are junk. They twist and come apart.
    Who can use these really to hang clothes??
    I remember the awesome pins I had in the 1970’s that were so durable easy to handle.
    Thank you for the opportunity to see these new ones!!

  87. I got tired of the cheap crappy clothespins so stopped using them altogether. I rarely have anything fly off the line but if I get my own place with a really long line, I don’t want to chance it.

  88. I used to be able to get the large, strong clothespins and they last a long time. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find them in a couple of years and the ones I had have almost all disappeared. I hang clothes out to dry to save money and to get that “country breeze” smell that everyone else pays extra for!

  89. I hang out clothes as much as I can and run into the same problem with cheap clothespins. Excited to finally find some that will totally do their job!

  90. These look like good sturdy clothespins. I go through so many sets of the cheap imported kind hanging out my wash.
    Here everything is always so humid and my clothespins just don’t hold up well.
    I love hanging out my wash but hate spending so much on clothespins that don’t hold up.
    These look amazing.

  91. I hang out most of our laundry as weather permits with cheap clothespins. I should have just bought good ones as much as I have spent on cheap junk ones. :/

  92. I have a few of my husband’s grandmother’s clothes pins mixed in with new one I have bought over the years. The new ones have never been the same quality as the old ones. These look like they would last a long time, maybe a few generations.

  93. I purchased a set of these FABULOUS clothespins a few months ago. And they are AWESOME. Everything stated is true, true, true. So glad to have a found a quality product not made in China.

  94. I’ve used them to hold up wicks when pouring candles. Admittedly, this has not always had the best success. It works, though, for smaller candles. 🙂

    Laundry tip: add some essential oil to laundry balls before drying to make the clothes smell nice! I especially like lemon!

  95. These look amazing! Very impressive picture of them holding a 5 lb weight. Mine won’t hold air it seems. Frustrating that so many things aren’t made to last these days. Thank you for this post and this find. <3

  96. My clothespins are constantly coming apart. I just gave a stack to hubby to put back together yesterday. Not only do I use them on laundry, I also use them in my craft room and I love to hold a tag or card to a gift with a little clothespin.

  97. I use clothespins for everything from hanging laundry to chip clips! Would love some that would actually hold my throw rugs.

  98. Chip clips always seem to break on me so I keep a few clothespins in my kitchen to close bags of items that would spill easily without a clip: chips, crackers, bread, cereal, lettuce, carrots, flour, dried fruit, etc.

  99. I need to order some of these. I get so frustrated by the flimsy ones I have. It would be even better to win a set!

  100. Most items nowadays just aren’t made to last! We inherited an old clothesline from our grandparents and plan on putting it to good use :). I researched clothespins not too long ago and was saddened at how cheaply most of them were made. Thanks to your review I know exactly where to get quality clothespins that will last for multiple generations!

  101. I hang out almost all our laundry and would love to have some clothspins that I don’t have to reassemble after each use. Thanks for the giveaway.

  102. I have a few of my grandmother’s clothespins and would love to have some decent ones to use along with them. You are right about the newer ones, they are garbage.