Hanging clothes on the line is one of my favorite things to do. Here, we have the perfect climate as far as low humidity but it’s almost always so dry that there’s dirt and dust blowing so I don’t hang clothes out that are going to be dusty and gritty when they come in the house.
When I lived in Louisiana, it rained so much and was always so humid that it took forever for clothes to dry on the line but I still had a clothesline and there were days when I could do it.
In Kentucky, we put in a clothesline and I used it often.
In Missouri, we could not find clothesline poles and Vince had to hire a welder to make good, sturdy poles so when he put them in the ground, he did it so they would be easy to dig up and move . . and we did. Those are the ones I have here.
Look at Vince! I was hanging clothes and I noticed a screw coming out of the metal roof so he grabbed his ladder and fixed it. I’m liking the new Vince. Before, he would have said “Add it to the list” and I would have hounded him about it, the screw would have fallen out eventually, he would have bought a new screw, it would not have fit, he would have waited til I hounded him some more, bought more screws . . and then hired someone to come out and change the screw.
It makes a huge difference when I can hang clothes on the days I want, and put them in the dryer when I want. My grandma only had a clothesline most of her days. I remember my mom telling me about when my sister and I were both in diapers, dad was stationed at Ft. Leonardwood and mom would hang diapers on the line and they would freeze before she was done hanging them out. She didn’t have a dryer at the time. I would not have liked that at all but back then, she didn’t have an option.
I hope I never live where I can’t have a clothesline and without my clothes dryer!
Joyce says
I helped my mother hang clothes on the line as soon as I was tall enough to reach them. I also remember her hanging clothes on the line in our basement when the weather was bad. She was so happy when we finally got a clothes dryer. She still would hang up a few things when the weather was good or if she just had a couple of items and didn’t want to run the dryer. I don’t have a clothes line now, but I generally do laundry before I leave for work in the morning or after I get home, so there isn’t a good time for me to hang things up except on a little drying rack.
Pat Anderson says
As I read this, I’m remember the “rules” for hanging clothes on the line–sheets and towels to the outside and underwear on the middle lines…don’t want people to be able to see your “private things” from the road! I do miss the smell of sheets fresh from the line. We live where we could have a clothes line now, but for the first 46 years of our marriage, no clothes lines allowed.
Rebecca in SoCal says
We had a clothesline in the basement when I grew up. I dimly remember a dryer, too, but we did use the line a lot. I don’t think we ever had one outside; I don’t know if that was because of the neighborhood (certainly no CC&Rs!) or because it was Seattle. 😉
Sharon says
I do love a clothesline and wish I could have one. Sadly though I live in a terribly pretentious town (in Alabama…can you believe that?) and there are no clotheslines to be found! It’s just not the done thing round here.
Vivian Oaks says
I live near enough to some Amish communities to see the clothes hanging on the line in the middle of winter and am very thankful I don’t have to do that!! I can’t even imagine having to do that!! I always had a clothesline when the kids were small, but as they grew up and moved out the lines rotted and fell down, then the trees the lines were nailed to died or got cut down. The final nail in the coffin was when birds built a nest in my bag of clothespins…. I use the dryer all the time now. ?
Jolyn Olson says
I had our first two babies a year and 5 days apart. Used to hang their diapers out in the winter, let them freeze, haul them inside and hang them all over the house to finish drying. The freezing softened them and they also smelled so outdoor fresh! I’m trying to remember how I managed to sneak outside to hang them up. Also had a wringer washer that I rolled into the kitchen to wash the clothes. Usually had about 70 diapers with each washing. I’m now 77 years old and am so very thankful for an automatic washer and dryer…especially living in Minnesnowta. Elderberries grow wild around here. Made 3 batches of jelly this past summer.
JEAN says
I love my clothesline! I don’t like the stink bugs that started to appear here in the mountains the last few years. They come in droves in late summer..high clothesline drying time. 🙁
-Jean
Nelle Coursey says
The clothes hanging outside to dry smell so good! They smell so clean and fresh. I used to have a clothes line but one of my trees died and I didn’t have it any more!! Wish I had it back!!
DonnainKS says
I had clotheslines until we made this move. I miss them! Sheets! Ooh, that fresh scent. The sun’s help with stubborn spots. My boys always had the whitest stockings when they took the [baseball] field! Diapers freeze dried all the time. Kept them white too. I finally met a neighbor being out at the line at the right time. They are sure nice for airing/drying quilts too! My daughters in law would bring me baby and toddler clothes “because Mom can get them clean”. Their mothers worked outside of home so had not used the sunshine to help with the laundry so neither did they. We also are in one of those neighborhoods now, Sharon.
Kathleen says
Nothing beats the smell of sheets hung outside to dry. Sadly we can’t have a clothesline here.
cassews says
Yep lived in the covenant controlled communities where one could not hang clothes out. NEVER again on that one .. I love my clothes line and every chance I get to use it, I will and do. LOVE the outside smell indoors when one crawls into bed with the lavender scent from the softener and the outdoors smell .. so nice !!
April Reeves says
There is a lot things I find nostalgic and thus do that my grandma did but hanging clothes out to dry is never going to be one them. lol