Clotheslines

[SpitfireXIV]

i think we have an ordinance against clothes lines in my town.

i use a drying rack for most things; it does save on electricity and i don't have to worry about pollen or pollution from outside.

 

[olive bleu]

We have a clothesline out back and I've never seen it used in the 2 years I've lived here. I figured I might as well give it a go, since I have a washer, but no dryer anyway, it's a nice day, and I didn't feel like schlepping to the laundromat.

Do any of you have rules that you use when hanging clothes to dry? Do you hang shirts from the middle, or from the shoulders? Do you have heavy items near the end of the line? I'd love to hear your little tips!

Oh, i have rules, alright.None that really have anything to do with ensuring your clothes dry properly, however. I have to have the sheets on first.then pants, then shirts, dish towels, socks etc.and if i have dark and light of one particular item(like pants) the dark stuff has to go first.I guess i arrange them by size first, then colour.There is really no purpose to this.This is how my Mother did it, and in fact, all our neighbours (the ones who hung their laundry correctly-according to my Mother) did it in the same pattern.I've seen my Mother forget to hang one of my Father's shirts with all the other shirts,and take down half a line of clothes to put that shirt in it's correct place on the line.And i hang my clothes in the same pattern.It's nuts.I once told this to a group of friends who absolutely roared because I am so extremely laid back in every other category and do not have an anal bone in my body.except for this.lol

 

[olive bleu]

i think we have an ordinance against clothes lines in my town.

Seems kinda nuts doesn't it when we are constantly being told to try to conserve energy.[huh]

 

[Joie DeVive]

Seems kinda nuts doesn't it when we are constantly being told to try to conserve energy.[huh]

Doesn't it? But rules and restrictions against them aren't that unusual. In the area of California I grew up in they were practically non-existent. They were banned by covenants and some local laws.[huh] Out here, clotheslines are everywhere. Of course, that could have to do with our average of 300+ days of sun per year...

 

[jayem]

We use our clothesline often. We have to use the laundromat for washing and drying, so it is just so much easier (and cheaper) to dry the clothing outside. For certain items, like towels, well put them in the dryer on high for 8mins (25 cents) and then just dry them after that. I live in a highly Hispanic neighborhood, and I've noticed more Hispanic people use clotheslines than anything else... so it's not very uncommon to see clotheslines in the backyards of many houses or on the balconies of apartments. To make sure they smell fresh and clean, we use a rose-scented linen spray and spray it on each item while its still damp. The clothing smells better than it would've have if it had been dried in a dryer. For bras and panties, we hang them out to dry on our sun porch. You should never put bras in the dryer anyways, gals. I would be a little bit shy to hang my lingerie outside for the world to see!

About the dishwahers, kabuto, I agree. We've only had a dishwasher once (when I lived in apartments) and we never used it. Ever. My mom claimed it racked up the electricity and water bill too much. We've always hand washed out dishes (a pre-soak in a basin and then a scrubbing and rinsing). Not only do they get cleaner, but they end up lasting longer (especially fine chinas). Except, we don't and have never used cold water. Always hot, it kills the germs.

 

[adamjaskie]

I don't even have room in my kitchen for a dishwasher.

I haven't used my washing machine yet, but I don't have a drier, so I am going to have to string up a line. I certainly can't afford to spring for a drier right now, so line it is for the foreseeable future.

 

[SpitfireXIV]

Seems kinda nuts doesn't it when we are constantly being told to try to conserve energy.[huh]

the village code is 3 whole binders wide! (talk about conservation!) it doesn't permit certain things that would ruin the aesthetics of our fair little hamlet... that includes having sheds, or clotheslines... :eusa_doh:

 

[Caroline]

At our local dollar store they sell these:

They're really hideous but if you don't have room for a line, they're great. We hang them from a tree branch. You can even use them on a porch. And, one of the things you can do with this is bring the whole unit indoors if it starts to rain. I actually used this in winter too, for the children's clothing. You will save money if you start drying on a line! I do about 50-75% and have cut my gas bill by quite a bit!

 

[olive bleu]

At our local dollar store they sell these:

They're really hideous but if you don't have room for a line, they're great. We hang them from a tree branch. You can even use them on a porch. And, one of the things you can do with this is bring the whole unit indoors if it starts to rain. I actually used this in winter too, for the children's clothing. You will save money if you start drying on a line! I do about 50-75% and have cut my gas bill by quite a bit!

oh i have seen those..i really need to pick up a couple for undies at least, to hang inside. For some strange reason, my kids don't want their batman and spongeBob underwear out on the clothelinelol

 

[sixsexsix]

we have a line from our kitchen window to a tree at the end of our (tiny) downtown backyard. i use it all the time! i always check the weather forecast before i go to bed, and if it calls for clear skies i throw my clothes in the wash when i wake up and put them out on the line before i leave for work. by the time i am home from work they are dry.

if your municipal area doesn't allow clotheslines, send a letter to your provincial MP or state politician. in ontario, the current government, in its attempts to make the province more green, has introduced legislation that will supersede any municipal laws banning clotheslines.
http://www.thestar.com/News/Ontario/article/415836

 

[jgilbert]

I have a great wooden drying rack. So all my socks t-shirts and underwear go there and then I unload it as I iron.
Some places do say no to clotheslines so that can be an issue.
Growning up we only used the dryer in winter. So most things were on the line. Towels were always a little stiff.

 

[KittyT]

At our local dollar store they sell these:

I have a couple of these and I've been using them for years for drying my undies, bras and stockings (which I always handwash) in the bathroom. I don't like hanging my stockings over metal hangers to dry, because it creases them, and plastic hangers often have rough ridges on that part of the hanger, so I find these little clippy hangers to be the best!

 

[Mrs. Merl]

I have also heard that with the current environmental/energy situation that a lot of places are being forced to forgo the rules/laws against clotheslines. I say hurray!! I haven't dried a single item in a dryer in years (and I live in a little apartment!) Drying racks are great for awkward situations (no yard, bad air, winter, nosy neighbors...) And I can't wait to have a clothesline like my mom's. Yay for clotheslines!

 

[olive bleu]

i just want to add that other than the benefit of being kinder to the envoirnment... drying your clothes on a line ,whether indoors or out, is infinitely kinder on your clothes. of course nothing vintage or delicate ever sees the inside of a dryer anyway,but i avoid it for everything when i can, it really destroys the colour and quality of the fabric.

 

[Real Swell Gal]

We use both.



I have a lot of laundry with two girls. Nuff said.

 

[olive bleu]

ok..let me back up..i shoulda said "MY" clothes hardly ever go in the dryer...I have a hubby who cooks and two teenage boys who are little pigs.They're lucky i wash the stuff. Do you think I'm crazy??lol lol

 

[Pink Dahlia]

Just in time for monsoon season! I haven't moved to the new house yet so no backyard...yet. But about half of my clothes go in the dryer and the other half I hang indoors. It's too dusty here to hang clothes outside.

 

[Minerva]

Our house doesn't have enough continuous hallway for a clothesline, and the condo board doesn't allow them outside. :eusa_doh: 'Course, they also like to randomly spray chemicals on the lawns, so I'm not sure I want my laundry out there.

We always hung the little one's diapers on a drying rack, though. They would take forever in the dryer otherwise.

 

[BegintheBeguine]

The thing that I can't understand is dishwashers. In Japan we just wash our dishes by hand (in cold water--just as effective) and put them in a drainer. While cooking a meal there are many little periods when you can just wash that you've used during the meal preparation process and put them away. And washing the serving dishes is just not that hard. I watch my mom going through the routine of using a dishwasher and I ask myself, Where is the labor saving? This is just a case of mass self-deception, I think. You have to in effect "pre-wash" dishes to prepare them for the dishwasher half the time, then carefully put them in the dishwasher, then listen to that hideous noise continue for an hour, then throw away the stuff that the dishwasher has melted or broken. Then of course is the little signal everyone has to agree upon to know if the dishes in there are washed or not, or else you end up using unwashed dishes until you hit a really cruddy one and realize they're dirty.

I used to think the same thing, except the part about the cold water, until I was informed that dishwashers use very little water, much less than washing by hand either continually or by the sinkful, and is more sanitary. [huh]
Back on topic, I don't want to :deadhorse but I'm so jealous of y'all who have nice fresh air to dry your laundry on an outdoor clothesline! That was a joy in my life until I realized my dried laundry smelled horrible because of bad air. Thankfully, I have two clothes-drying racks indoors.

 

[InspectorMorse]

You know I'm almost embarrassed to admit that I do not have a clothesline, and haven't thought of one for ages!!! I remember when I was a "wee lad" that everyone had a clothesline in the back yard. (We had to be careful when we chased one another thru everyone's yards at dusk not to get "clotheslined!"