One of my favorite things about spring (there are so many) is that I can begin to use my clothesline again. My home is very small, so during the winter I use my clothes dryer almost exclusively. However, as soon as the weather is bearable and above freezing in the spring I begin to line-dry our laundry. There is still about 18 inches of snow under my clothesline as I write this post but as long as the weather is warm enough, and espcially if it’s sunny, I put my winter boots on and hang my clothes.
Does it sound funny to you? A New England Mama in her unlaced boots trekking out in the snow to dry her laundry? If it does then I’m glad. I like to make my readers smile now and then. Here’s why I’m fine, even happy, adopting the above scenario:
- I’m thrilled to use the natural wind and the sun to dry my clothing as opposed to creating the same artificial conditions indoors. No use reinventing the wheel, right?
- I’m thrilled to use less electricity and save a noticeable amount of money.
- I love the scent of line-dried laundry.
- Hanging clothes outside requires so little thought but a little extra time, so my mind has a chance to daydream (or think and plan and organize).
Those are some of my reasons for using my clothesline. Maybe you’re still skeptical. Don’t like scratchy blue jeans and towels? Think your clothes dry too wrinkly? You’re in luck. Here are some tips for the beginner clothesline user:
- Wash similar clothes together. Not just lights/darks, you have to think of how linty your clothing is. You can’t wash something black and fuzzy with all your cotton shirts and then be upset when there’s black lint all over everthing. Wash the dark, linty things together and the light linty things together.
- Wash similarly weighted clothes. If you’d like to be able to empty your clothesline all at once then wash all your heavier things together and all your lighter things together. You might already do this anyway. Towels, jeans, sheets, etc.
- Shake it. There are certain things you’ll want to give a good shake before hanging them: towels, blue jeans and anything else that’s all crinkled up. This will help them dry softer and not as scratchy (a very breezy day helps with this too).
- Don’t shake it. There are some things that need to be handled lightly when they’re wet or they will lose their shape. A lot of jersey knits are like this. I have several shirts and tanks that are like this. Just handle them gently – no shaking.
- Pick windy and sunny if you can. The best days to line dry are sunny, breezy ones. The breeze will get rid of a lot of wrinkles and help clothes retain their shape. In a pinch though, I still line dry if it’s only sunny or only breezy.
- Use hangers. I wash a LOT of dress shirts. My hubby wears a suit (minus the jacket) every single day. His dress shirts are not exempt from the clothesline. To make my life slightly easier I buy wrinkle-free shirts as often as possible. I hate to iron. Back to the subject … put the dress shirt on a hanger, then on the clothesline. Clothespin it in place if needed. Be sure to straighten the shirt – shoulders square, collar and cuffs straight.
- Unclip and fold. If you’re going to take great care in hanging your laundry then don’t ruin it by dropping it carelessly back into the laundry basket after it’s dried. Fold each item as you take it off the line.
- Dry for 5 minutes. There are a few pieces of clothing that just won’t hang right no matter what you do. Wash them all together if you can and toss them in your dryer for just 5 minutes, only long enough for them to get their shape, then take them out to the line.
- Undies in the middle. Don’t feel like advertising your granny panties or your skimpier pieces to the neighborhood? Hang them in the middle so they are hidden by other things.
Some final thoughts:
You don’t have to be a stay-at-home mom to line dry clothes. When I worked full time outside my home I hung them at 7 a.m. and when I got home they were nice and dry.
You don’t have to dry everything. If you’re still skeptical, just start with your sheets. If you don’t fall in love with that fresh scent and feeling when you climb into bed … then I don’t know what I’m going to do with you.
It’s your turn. Weigh in on this one. Do you line dry? Why or why not? Do you have any tips to add to my list?
I wrote this post as part of the fantastic Tightwad Tuesday over at Being Frugal. Head over there to find more tips to make your life and your budget a little easier to handle.
Why I do what I do ~ Not too happy today … the monkeys won’t stop jumping on the bed. They broke Chloe’s twin bed frame for the second time. Looks like kiddo is going to have her bed on the floor for a little while.
photo credit: billy verdin
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Yep… I cannot wait to get my outdoor clothesline hung. Right now, I hang everything in my laundry room, and there is not enough space. It dries fine, but I want that “scent”!
Great post, Nicki!!
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I really haven’t thought much about line-drying my clothes. For one reason, I don’t even have a clothesline.
However, reading your post did take me down memory lane. My grandmother always hung her clothes to dry, and although I hadn’t thought about it in a long time, I do still remember that fresh scent of her clothes.
She also used to use a fabric softener when she washed the clothes to help avoid that stiff feeling from line-drying.
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My dryer is currently on the fritz (going on a month, now) and since I live in rainy Portland, drying outdoors in the spring isn’t really an option. However, I have become adept at finding places inside where I can hang clothing and linens. So far I’ve been able get most of the ‘crucial’ items cleaned and dried, although I’ll admit to hesitating on the ‘big stuff’ like sheets and blankets. Can’t wait for sunny days so I can dry my laundry outdoors!
My husband has terrible allergies. His mother told me that line drying the clothes may aggrivate this due to pollen and spores. Do you know if this is true?
I actually do think this is true. I have allergies too, and when the pollen count is high I’m careful about drying my sheets outdoors.
Has your hubby tried Claritin-D? It really helps me. You have to make sure it’s the “D” though, the other versions aren’t strong enough.
Excellent, I’ve never known just how to hang up my clothes (never having had a clothesline before). I think I’ll link to this from my post about how to make your clothes last. Thanks!
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I live in China, and most apt. are made with some kind of porch to hang laundry on. My porch is enclosed so we don’t have to really have our clothes outside. We don’t have a dryer and hang our clothes all year long.
I loved the tip on what to shake and what not to shake, it makes sense to me!
In the winter when it is really cold on the porch and I need things to dry faster than two days, we hang a travel line in the bathroom or use the shower curtain rod and hangers.
I do miss a dryer for bath towels, but using fabric softner helps keep them softer.
Hi there!
I found your blog through your comment at “Cents”able Momma. I wrote the guest post today about cloth napkins. I just thought I would check the comments and found your blog. I love it! This is a great post, as I have been thinking of putting up a clothes line. Thanks for the info!
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I started hanging my laundry outside last week. I start line drying laundry when my daughter was born 6 years ago and we were cloth diapering her. I have even hung laundry out in the winter time. Add salt to the wash to prevent it from freezing. I also toss the laundry in the dryer for a few minutes after line drying to soften them up on those sunny, but not windy days.
I am so glad to see the salt mentioned. My Dad told me about that years ago, but I wasn’t sure if he was pulling my leg…
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We live in a retirement community and aren’t allowed to have a clothesline outside. My solution was to hang a line in the garage where my washer and dryer are and have two drying racks inside the house. It works great- the garage is at 90 degrees in the afternoon and evern quite warm in the winter- we live in the southwest. Clothes dry quickly and I feel like I’m doing something positive.