The Laundry Thread

[jewels]

Doing a fall cleaning of sorts today and took a break on my back patio, watching the guy who lives behind me hang his laundry on a clothesline. Watching his clothing gently swaying in the breeze, I thought about Ring's laundry hanging out and got to wondering why I don't get myself a clothesline. It's green, so it'd be the right thing to do. Plus there's nothing quite like the smell of sun-and-breeze dried fresh clothing.

I remember when I was a kid thinking it was the poor folks who couldn't afford the new dryer that hung out their laundry. It was considered an eyesore and frowned upon during the yuppie years. The only time I'd ever hung out laundry was when I had my first apartment and we had one outdoor coin washer and no dryer. If it rained I was screwed or had to bring my laundry to a laundromat.

Now I have an HE dryer and I can set it so that it doesn't overdry and destroy clothing as quickly, but why do we never hear about the comeback of clotheslines? Are we stuck in the stigma? Is it too time consuming?

So I'm going to look at just how complicated it would be to install a clothesline for myself. Save some bucks, fresh smelling clothes. I admit that I may not use it every time I do laundry. But when I'm home on a day off and the weather's just right, I can definitely do this.

Thoughts? Tips? Ideas?

I do have a tip, too. If you haven't discovered them, for your dry clean only stuff, those dry cleaner sheets can definitely save you a lot of money. Ranging from $10 - $20, a box can dry clean at least 40 or so clothing items total. One sheet does 4 - 5 items in about 15 minutes.

[allaboutmusic]

Clotheslines are great. It's a shame that here in London it feels like there are probably only a handful of days when you'd be confident enough of having good weather to risk it, unless you stay at home all day.

[Xerxys]

Clotheslines??? Good god that travesty is mans worst torture! Dryers FTW!! Laundry takes me 2 and a half hours to do. An hour to wash and an hour to dry. Twenty minutes to fold and viola!!

[canuckguy]

We use a combination of a gas dryer, outdoor clothesline and indoor drying rack depending the article of clothing.

I love the smell of clothes that are hung out to dry on the line. But really depends on the time of year and such here in my area. When the farmers are spreading their fields with manure I am not putting out the laundry.

We do it for smell, cost savings and greening.

[genuinegirly]

Many of the homeowners' associations in the neighborhoods back home wouldn't allow clotheslines because they were viewed as an eyesore.

I love washing clothes by hand and hanging them to dry. It's easier on my clothes. I don't do it every time, but I would if I had more time. I find that in the winter the clothes dry quickly indoors, though it's a bit inconvenient making our way around a fully-loaded clothesline running through the middle of our little apartment.

[spindles]

We have a dryer but it is really only used in emergencies. Clotheslines rule!

I have a Hills Hoist that can be lifted out of the ground. The installation of the base was really simple (bascially dig a hole, place in the sleeve provided and add some cement).

I also have a pretty large backyard, so definitely room for it.

I just think of the electricity cost savings - dryers are such a high energy appliance...

edit: this is what we have:
http://www.onlinedirect.hills.com.au...ducts/A1112ROT

[ring]

Living in an arid climate is very helpful for drying on the line.

When I lived in Arizona, a load would dry in five minutes on a 110+ F. degree day.

I only hung the sheets and other lightweights out, when I lived in the muggy south.
If I left jeans on the line for more than two hours, eight-legged large furry spiders
sometimes would crawl up the pantlegs.

Indoors with air-conditioning, stuff would be draped over couches and chairs,
and this little invention worked well for some items.



Clothespins are multi-purposeful treasures. They also remind me of my mom,
and grandmother.

My first five years married: We had an old wringer-washer, and multiple lines
strung in the basement. I understand the concept of, 'Laundry Day.'

[wooÐs]

Originally Posted by genuinegirly

Many of the homeowners' associations in the neighborhoods back home wouldn't allow clotheslines because they were viewed as an eyesore.

That's how it is here in my neighborhood. No go.

[ametc]

Hate clotheslines. So bad.

My favorite shirt was hung up to dry when I was 13. My neighbor was having his house re-stuccoed. It was a breezy day. I went out to gather the laundry.. there was stucco and paint on everything! ;-;

It was traumatic! D:

[jewels]

Originally Posted by genuinegirly

I love washing clothes by hand and hanging them to dry.

I hope you're talking Woolite stuff (sweaters and lingerie, one piece at a time)?

I'm picturing GG bringing a basket of her jeans and tees down to the river, scrubbing with a washing board ...

[Ratman]

In Japan we wash in cold water and line dry. Probably 90% of households if not more do this. I love it, everything smells like sunshine! Throw a bit of fabric softener in the wash, and things don't get crispy. In the humid summer, it takes a bit longer, but there's always inside with the a/c.

[little_tippler]

Hah people in Portugal rarely ever use a dryer. It's a waste of electricity and it's harder on the clothes. Clothes dried in the sunshine smell great. Also, for hard stains, a little gentle bleach and sunshine, is the ticket.

[genuinegirly]

Originally Posted by jewels

I hope you're talking Woolite stuff (sweaters and lingerie, one piece at a time)?

I'm picturing GG bringing a basket of her jeans and tees down to the river, scrubbing with a washing board ...

That's a great photo, though I wouldn't want to contaminate the streams around here with laundry soap. I'll wash jeans, t's, slacks, skirts, blouses, sheets, towels - EVERYTHING by hand if I have the opportunity. I realized how easy it was when I was doing field work in French Polynesia in 2007. Washing with a machine was an option, but it was super pricey and I didn't want to waste the money, so I washed my laundry by hand and hung it to dry outside each morning. I found the clotheslines got the best sunlight between 7 and 10am, so if I did the laundry early I'd have things dry within the hour, but if I waited until later in the day they would be damp on the line until the next morning. It's a bit more tricky in the US, living in an appartment with no outdoor space to line dry. I don't let the laundry pile up - that's the key - doing a little every day.

[Grasshopper Green]

I guess I'm going to go against the grain here. I don't think clothes dried outside smell good. Hanging wet clothes is a complete pain in the ass. I hate the stiff feel that line-dried clothes have. T-shirts and other cotton clothes dry funny and don't retain their shape on a clothesline. I don't like clothespin or hanger indentations in my clothes. I don't feel like ironing my clothes on top of hanging them out. Dryers are up there in the top inventions ever, IMO.

I hate clotheslines

[Xerxys]

^^ Now seriously are you seeing anyone??

[lostgirl]

I live in the foggiest part of San Francisco. If I hung my clothes out, they would never get dry. I do however have delicate clothing that I never put in the dryer, I hang it on hangers in my closet to let it hang dry.

[Grasshopper Green]

Originally Posted by Xerxys

^^ Now seriously are you seeing anyone??

Just my husband!

[Xerxys]

I call dibs anyway.