The clothes dryer is something I never want to give up but mine won’t get much action til about October. I love hanging clothes on the line and I love the feel of clothes that have been on the line. For those items that are a bit crunchy, I toss them in the dryer for 5 minutes and they come out feeling nice and soft again. Vince and Chad don’t like crunchy towels but I love them.
I find myself looking for dirty clothes just so I can hang clothes on the line. That’s not right, is it? 🙂
Julie says
I, too, love to hang clothes on the line and the smell after they are dried. There is nothing better in my life than sheets that have been line dried!! Unfortunately, the HOA does not allow lines here – such a waste of the wonderful Arizona solar dryer….
Jackie Hicks says
If it’s right for you – then it’s right. Just think how “green” that makes you today.
Are you schedued to be anywhere in Paducah on Sat? That’s the only day I will be there this year.
JudyL says
No. I’ll be home on Saturday!
Kare in OH says
I like the crunchy towels too – I think they are more absorbent!
Mary-Kay says
I love the smell of line-dried clothes especially sheets.
JudyL says
Me too! 🙂
Cindy B says
For me, line dried clothes are over rated. I grew up with long clotheslines hung full of laundry every week. It was a lot of work getting those wet heavy clothes lugged out to the lines and pinned up. I have a round clothes pole in my backyard and use it to dry items that clang in the dryer.
JudyL says
Really? I don’t find it work at all. I love being outside and the feeling that my clothes are drying and I’m not using any electricity or gas.
Judy D says
I love the clothes line and hope to put mine to used today too!!! Sheets and towels…….love them!
JudyL says
Even the jeans aren’t crunchy if I bring them in just a tad damp or throw in a damp dishtowel or wash cloth and dry them all together for a few minutes.
Judy D says
You are nice than I am, I just fold the clothes up, put them away. They uncrunch after a little wearing. 😉
CJ says
Your laundry is crunchy because you’re using too much soap. I use Charlies Soap, and use about a tablespoon of detergent per load. My laundry is always soft!
JudyL says
I make my own, and I use 1 T. and it’s still crunchy when hung on the line.
Jane says
Hi Judy, can you post the recipe for clothes detergent. I have tried to make my own but the clothes did not come out as clean.
I like the fresh smell of lined dried sheets.
Thanks
Karen says
Yes, it’s absolutely right. I love hanging my clothes on the clothes line. In fact I never put my jeans in the dryer. I’m too afraid the length will shrink. And crunchy towels are the best! Not to mention the smell of sheets fresh from the clothesline.
Kelly Ann says
Crunchy towels are the best…crunchy jeans no so much…I sure do miss our clothesline, it came down because of bird issues…meaning we have way to many around here which meant I spent a fair amount of time re-washing some clothes…
Sue H says
Oh, you’re making me miss line-dried sheets! We’re in a townhouse where clotheslines are not allowed. I hung all the clothes out while the boys were growing up. I loved how their T-shirts got; they looked like they were ironed. *sniff*
Cynthia H., El Cerrito, CA says
Electricity is $$$ in California. We have “tiered” rates. The lowest tier is $0.116 per kwh, and it goes up to $0.306 or thereabouts for the fourth tier. (If there’s a higher tier, I don’t know what the price is.) So there’s a powerful incentive for line-drying clothes, even during the rainy months. I have a wooden drying rack and a retractable clothesline in the house, and I use (laugh, ladies, but it works!) the top of my doggie ex-pens for hanging laundry outdoors.
I put laundry into the dryer for 10 minutes (15 minutes in rainy weather) to knock the animal hair off of it and to get a little stiffness out of towels. Then I hang shirts on hangers and put them onto the line; saves tons of space! DH’s T-shirts go onto hangers for drying, too; saves space again! Then I start using clothes pins or the drying rack, depending on the weather.
This did wonders for our electricity bill when I instituted it as a regular practice in August 2006 (right after the Utah mining disaster). Not only was it a financial assist for my own household during a time of need, but I felt that it made a statement to mining families that I appreciated their risk and sacrifice and used electricity as responsibly as I could. (And, yes, sewing machines *are* responsible–just look at all the community service quilts all of us make! no kidding…)
Evelyn says
I have a folding rack over my tub that I use all winter and a smaller folding rack out on my balcony that I use when the weather is nice. I hardly ever use my dryer if it is just us. Of course – then everything needs to be ironed, but my DH does most of the pressing around here! Cheers! Evelyn
Caryl Wilson says
Oh Judy….thanks for the reminder of clothesline clothes!! We used to live in Iowa and I loved hanging clothes on the line. With four boys I had plenty of diapers, towels and sheets to fly in the wind….what great memories. 🙂
Perry says
When I lived in Springfield Missouri 30 years ago I loved to dry my clothes on the line. The sky was always so clear and there was no pollution, and I loved the smell of the “clean”. The only other place I ever found that was in Meridian Mississippi. I do miss that smell.
Julie says
Your clothesline reminds me so much of when I was small. Everything went out on the line! We did not have a dryer. The clothes were so sweet smelling, and we would sprinkle them, roll the clothes, and iron them. Are you an ironer??
Liz says
I have a small powder room by my washing area and I put a shower curtain rod in there to hang clothes to dry. Works really well, but everynow and then I shut the door and then forget where the clothes are until a guest shows up!
maria says
There is nothing that I like more than hanging my clothes to dry outside in the sun.
Can’t beat that smell.
It also reminds me of my dear mom who unfortunately is not with us anymore.
Maria
Maria Stahl says
Judy, I’m with you. Nothing like crunchy towels.
The greatest thing about summer is working hard all day, getting lots accomplished, then taking a shower and sliding into a bed where the sheets were on the clothesline all afternoon and have the wind and sunlight in their fibers.
Mmmmmm.
Maria Stahl says
Well, that and rootbeer floats.
katie z. says
I love hanging put the laundry. For my b-day, my mom even bought me one of the revolving lines, which is great since my previous “line” was rope hung near the ceiling of my porch. Hooray for fresh, air-dried laundry.
Lynley says
I do one or two loads of washing every day and it all goes on the line because that’s just what you do round here. So my life goes … hang it out, get it in, fold it … hang it out, get it in, fold it. It never occurred to me to become rhapsodic about it, but after this discussion I’ll give it a go.
Although it’s not all drudgery – the biggest laugh I ever got out of washing was one frosty morning, watching a cat run full tilt into a frozen solid towel that she thought was floppy. You know how cats get really put out when they do something stupid, and annoyed that you’re watching?
eve in ga says
I miss a clothesline. I think I’ve told Don every year of the 15 I’ve been in this house that I want one. I, too, prefer line-dried towels and sheets—only place I get those now is at Mama’s, on the rare occasions I go down there and stay overnight. Eve
Taryn says
It is a little odd to hunt down the dirty clothes for the fun of clothslining them. No crunchy towels for me but I do like crunchy sheets. No clothesline for me–it’s a no-no in the neighborhood. It makes me long for the country.
Sue Powell says
Judy, You and I are definately kindred spirits! I LOVE using the clothesline, and I especially love crunchy towels! My husband is not so enamored with them but humors me on this subject. He is glad to see soft towels in October.
Carol says
This brings back memories. As a newbie hanging out clothes, I make the mistake of hanging everyone underwear on the outside for all the neighbors to see. I didn’t think it was a big deal but my mom did. I had to take everything down and hang the underwear in the center.
You can get the crinkle out of jeans by ironing them – a hot steam iron works great.
Becky R says
I miss a clothesline too. My favorite is sheets to dry outside on the line – love that fresh smell when I get in bed. Plus I will hang a few things outside – hanger on the carport. I think towels though are just to rough dried a la natural!
Jane says
That’s what I did yesterday!!! I LOVE the whole thing…the process, the smell, the feel….ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!
Jane says
Oh and I don’t find things too crunchy if I use liquid fabric softener……
Patti says
I loe sheets and quilts and mattress covers hung out. But SOMEONE cut down my clothesline poles last week. It seems he had put them years ago under some small cedar trees and a blooming wild cherry tree. Over the years the trees grew and grew, over the clothes lines. Not good for fresh CLEAN laundry.
Patti
myrna says
I’m here in south east Florida where the sun shines ALMOST all year round. Right now, I am holding off doing a laundry for the past couple of days due to small, intermittent showers!
The forcast is for sun tomorrow! Yea!
When my partner and I bought our home about 30 years ago, the washing machine and fryer (not a typo, the thermostat was broken and not repairable!) were out in the garage. It is not connected to the house and that was OK but on the rainy days … you get the picture. We replaced the washer putting it in the house but there is no room for a dryer. We did the “next best thing” and strung a clothes line out in the back yard. In dire necessity I have taken the damp clothing to a near by laundromat Aside from the minor inconvenience of some rainy weather, we would not change. We agree with all your positive comments.
Hilary McDaniel says
Judy, I LOVE crunchy towels as I don’t have to bother w/exfoliating soap. The towels keep the skin buffed and looking new. I think I really sleep better because of the line drying of our sheets.
Hilary
Tracy says
That is so funny you mentioned the crunchy towels…when my youngest son was about 5, he asked me “what did you do to the towels…they’re all crunchy!” I hardly ever hang stuff out …there is entirely too much dust coming from our driveway…from trucks and farm equipment…But I do like hanging heavier things like jeans and coveralls and sweatshirts out.