Save Money By Using An Old-Fashioned Clothesline!

The old-fashioned clothesline is back in style for drying clothes. Electric clothes dryers have their place, but many people are going back to the outdoor clothesline for cleaner, fresher-smelling clothes.

Each time you can use a clothesline rather than drying a load of clothes, you save money and help the environment. What could be better??

The following are a few tips to make your old-fashioned clothesline drying a success:

If you don’t have a backyard, you can still dry clothes without a dryer. Use a tension curtain rod in your laundry room to hang clothes to dry. You obviously won’t be able to dry as many pieces this way, but it will come in handy for clothing that cannot be put into the dryer, for example, a piece of clothing that says “hang to dry”.

If you have an outdoor clothesline, wipe it down now and then with a wet rag to keep it clean. A dirty line will soil your clean clothes.

Don’t spin all of the water out of the clothes that you are going to dry on the line, since wrinkles set into clothes that are completely spun. Instead, stop the washer about halfway through the spin cycle, then take your clothes out to the line.

The best clothes to hang on the line are white clothes, since the sun will make them even whiter. It’s better than the best bleach! For your darker clothing, hang them out of the bright sunlight, since they will eventually fade in the sun.

Hang pants by the cuffs. The weight will pull out the wrinkles and eliminate the need for ironing. If you are hanging a heavy dress or coat, use two hangers since the item will be very heavy. Hook the hangers on the clothesline in opposite directions and this will keep the item from blowing off the line.

Don’t leave your clothes on the line longer than necessary, since sunlight is not easy on fabric and will eventually weaken it.

Large, thick comforters should be dried in a clothes dryer because they take forever to line-dry and you might run into a mold or mildew situation. Other bedding such as sheets, however, are great for line-drying and smell wonderful when finished.

Warning!!
When removing the clothes from your clothesline, make sure there are no uninvited guests. I was once stung by a wasp that was on a dish towel that I removed from the line and threw over my shoulder!