Air Dry arms: how to get a left and a right

Got two arms that look exactly the same? You haven't been sent a matching pair by mistake. Both arms came out of the box flat and identical, and one of them has been opened out the wrong way round. Five minutes and you'll have a left and a right.

Why it happens: an Air Dry arm isn't a left or a right until you open it. The side it becomes is decided by which way you fold it out, so opening both arms the same way leaves you with what looks like a double-up.

Leave the bolts aloneYou won't need any tools for this. Nothing gets loosened, unscrewed or pulled apart — the arm folds back flat on its own and opens again from the other side.

Is this what you're looking at?

Two Air Dry arms both bending the same way, incorrect
Not right
Both arms bending the same way. This is the problem, and it's the first thing most people notice.
Two Air Dry arms mirroring each other as a left and a right, correct
That's it
Where you want to end up. The arms mirror each other, so you have one for each side.

See it done

Prefer to read it? The same fix is written out below.

Two ways to tell an arm is the wrong way round

Check the sticker and check the spring. They'll always tell you the same thing.

Arm opened the wrong way with the BACK sticker visible and the spring on top
Not right
The BACK sticker is facing you and the spring is sitting on top.
Arm opened the right way with no BACK sticker visible and the spring underneath
That's it
No sticker showing, and the spring tucked underneath.

Putting it right

  1. Look for the BACK sticker

    There's a small sticker marked BACK on the mounting bracket of each arm. If it's facing you when you stand in front of the arm, that one has been opened the wrong way round.

    Close-up of the mounting bracket with the BACK sticker facing forward

  2. Now look at the spring

    Step around to the side of the arm. A spring sitting above the arm means it's the wrong way round. Opened correctly, the spring sits below it.

    Side view of an arm opened the wrong way with the spring sitting on top

  3. Fold it all the way back

    Close the arm right up so it's flat again, the way it arrived. No tools, no bolts.

  4. Flip it and open it from the other side

    With the arm flat, turn it over so the BACK sticker is pointing away from you, then open it out again. Run the two checks above: sticker hidden, spring underneath.

  5. Line the pair up

    Put both arms down next to each other. They should mirror each other now instead of bending the same way, which gives you your left and your right.

Before you mount them

You've got it right when:

  • The BACK sticker points away from you and can't be seen
  • The spring sits under the arm rather than over it
  • Side by side, the two arms are mirror images

Still not matching up?

Lay both arms flat beside each other, take a photo and send it through — we'll take a look and confirm it for you.

Email sales@simplyclotheslines.com.au or call 1300 525 434, 8:30am to 4:30pm weekdays.