Hell HAS Frozen Over! (Clothes On The Line)

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frigilux

frigilux

Well-known member
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Joined
Mar 3, 2007
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12,663
Location
The Minnesota Prairie
Yes, I did once say (at this very forum) that hell would have to freeze over before I'd ever hang clothes out on the line. But then a $255/month pay-cut happened and I'm exploring all avenues (within reason) to save some bank. I hadn't hung out a load of clothes since I was a kid. It took 3-1/4 lines to accommodate a 3/4-size load from the Frigidaire FL'er.

And now a question: How should I hang shirts? You'll notice a white tux shirt hanging upside down with the arms flapping in the breeze. Is this correct or is there a better way? Thanks in advance for any further tips from 'hangers' we have in the AW family.

5-13-2007-10-37-23--Frigilux.jpg
 
Hi Gary--- My next load is queen-sized sheets. Do you hang sheets over a single line or do you hang them over two lines (tent-style) so there's more air movement?
And you're right, it feels good to use less than one watt of electricity to dry the clothes.
 
Frigi - I hang sheets on a single line. What I do, I take two ends of the sheet and leave the other end draped in the basket. I then peg the very corners of the sheet, and bring up the other corners on the other end lying in the basket and peg them on the line next to where I pegged the other corners. I then take one side only, halfway, and peg in the centre of the line to create a "bag" for air to blow through - this seems to dry sheets evenly and quickly without leaving damp spots, and saving quite a bit of line space too!

Jon
 
It's always struck me funny how some folks even that really enjoy washers and laundry dislike line drying. Anyway, you did a brilliant job with this load, and Jon's description for the sheets sounds great!

I think you'll enjoy the results, and may well continue seasonally even after your pay hopefully moves back in the correct direction. I always hang long sleeve/dress shirts in the same manner you did here.
 
shirts-

Upside down. Tail ("U" shape) that goes in rear of trousers rear draped over the line.This effectively makes the shirt bottom *cough* straight. I mean even.

Put clothes pegs/pins on the seams (At the bottom of the shirt) where the one piece back panel meets the 1/2 sized front panels.

This from MY poverty days in the south Bronx while a student at Fordham University. (ME In a Jesuit school? ARE YOU MAD? *LOL*). A nice Italian boy I lived with taught me how to cook with the four (er... HIS four) holy food groups. Pasta, tomato sauce, cheese and garlic. and I learned how to hang clothes and iron.

You'd be surpised how many won't let two adjacent articles of clothing share a clothes pin, as shown above.

Once you start thrifting you'll never go back to paying retail. Slumming it is fun! Think Karen of "Will and Grace" under her code name Anastasia Beaverhausen.
 
And everytime you open your drawers where the line dried items are stored you'll get a whiff of nice clean laundry!
We haven't line dried any clothes in years. We used to all the time. We have two large oak trees in the back yard, hmmm maybe we'll pick up a clothes line.
 
oh and thanks for the gratuitous shots of your tighty-whities. Is anyone compiling a list of everyone who has displayed their (frilly) drawers?

(ducks and runs).

Mine got displayed, and not be me even! *LOL*
 
Thanks for the tips, guys! Except for the gnats trying to eat me alive---are you SURE you don't miss Minnesota, Scott?---it was really no trouble at all. It's a perfect day for line-drying, too: 84 degrees, windy and sunny. Allen, I'll definitely look forward to my line dried-scented clothes.

Togs, I'd taken two shots of the clothes on the line, but the photo that was sans briefs was a little blurry, so I went for form over modesty----;)

Jon--I'll try your sheet-hanging method. It's either going to work very well, or I'll wind up with origami, LOL!
 
For some time I line dried all my clothes after moving to a house without natural gas, while waiting for the delivery of the LP gas conversion kit for my drier (which actually took some time to arrive, by the way).

I soon learned it was best to hang all dark garments, and specifically printed T shirts whatever their color, inside out and then even to hang the printed side of a T shirt (print side now looking inwards) facing the "shadow side" of the line. The sun's rays would literally wipe out the prints if hung facing the sunny side of the line, or discolor all drark garments. I also hung all slacks and jeans inside out, whatever their color, and then I would always hung the zipper side of the slack facing the dark side of the line.

For the same reason, I would hang all jockey shorts inside out, but then conveniently arranged in such a way so that the inner areas of the underwear faced the sunny side of the line as much as possible, LOL.

I hope this helps,

Emilio
 
The One thing I LOVE....

....is hanging out clothes at my West Virginia home. I have one of those umbrella things that sticks into the ground and I load it up. The oly thing that I don't like completely dried outside is towels. I hang them out and when they are ALMOST dry, I take them in and put them in the dryer to finish them. They turn out soft and fluffy! Mark
 
Your shirts are hung correctly (at least that's how I hang them ;-)

I love clothes, sheets and household linens hung outside. I'll bet I save five or more loads a week from the dryers by hanging outside.

You can tell my umbrella-type clothes dryer gets some use, the poor thing looks like it's going to collapse. I found someone who is going to make me "T" posts so I'll have a "real" clothesline soon!

5-13-2007-12-18-25--gansky1.jpg
 
Nice Job!

Colours and darks should be hung in the shade, with whites in the sun. If this is not possible, then turning inside out the former is fine.

Hang my sheets and other long items by folding long hem to short hem,pinning one end then stretching the lenght, finally pinning the other.Usually add few more pins towards the center to keep things neat. There should be about an inch or so overlap over the line. When taking down, one simply unpins one end, and folds over as one works towards the other. When finished the sheet is already folded into quarters, ready for to be ironed.

L.
 
~The oly thing that I don't like completely dried outside is towels. I hang them out and when they are ALMOST dry, I take them in and put them in the dryer to finish them. They turn out soft and fluffy!

Twenty minutes in the dryer FIRST with heat makes for fluffy AND a nice outdoorsy scent.

But I have also fluffed already dried stuff wiithout heat. Works like a charm!
 
Hoovermatic--Thanks for the compliment; I like to think they're about as white as they can get. I attribute it to soft water, a good detergent (SA8 with Bioquest® in this case) and liquid chlorine bleach.

Emilio-- I didn't think about what the sun could do to prints. I'll turn those garments inside out and face them toward the fence (east).

Mark-- I'm curious as to how the towels will turn out, too. I put a bit of Downy in the final rinse. Planning to let them dry fully on the line this time; if they're too stiff, I'll finish them in the dryer.

Launderess-- I'll try your method for hanging sheets next time. Where on Earth do you get all these great ideas?!

Gansky-- My mom used to have a clothes pin bag similar to the one in your pic. It was much handier than the method I used today, which is stuffing my shirt/shorts pockets full of them. I'll have to pick one up.

Togs--yet another person at AW with a wealth of ideas to share; Thanks!
 
Indoor Hanging in Apartment

Since outdoor clothes lines are not a good thing for a fourth floor apartment, I use these heavy duty tube plastic hangers for air drying shirts, pants, briefs, socks, and towels on my bathroom shower curtain rod. When it comes to drying clothes, I have become a thrifty miser in shelling out coins for tumble drying only when necessary., usually bed linens and blankets that are too large for the bathroom shower curtain rod. If artificial breezing is needed, I keep a small fan on the counter next to the bathroom sink. At least when my clothes are fully air dried and put away, they are fresh scented for next use.--Laundry Shark
 
You guys ain't seen nothin yet, in Australia it is very rare that anyone will use a clothes dryer. Every backyard has a Hills Hoist. Every monday was the race of the housewives. Who got their wash out on the line first and the whitest? These clotheslines wind up into the air by means of a handcrank, higher than the side fence. You always put the sheets and towels around the perimeter and smalls were on the inner lines. Every neighborhood had a clotheline of dingy clothes, usually the poor family on the block. Take a look....www.Hills.com.au, read the history then go to products and search clotheslines.

Rodney, Palm Springs, formerly from Melb, Oz land
 
What a blessing to live in an area where you can hang your laundry out and not suffer the effects of air pollution.

When I move away from the big city I will re-discover the advantages of a solar-drying system!
 
My lines were full yesterday - sheets and linens mostly, and a few old-sheet dropcloths I use for painting. If the neighbors even noticed, I'm sure they wondered about the big red blotches all over some of the sheets! I did have to dry two loads in the machine yesterday as my clothesline wasn't large enough to hold everything. Towels always go in the dryer.

I hang sheets the way L. said, but folded in half lengthwise first or they won't fit on the width of the line. Most of my back yard is shady with dabbles of sunlight through the day so I don't worry much about fading.
 
The way I see it....

Towels dried on the line is 'free' exfoliation' for your body.

Nothing like the smell of line-dried laundry.

I fold my sheets in half and hang them that way. I have two lines on my deck that retract.
 
Right now I am without clothseline and going mad. My line had been a standard rope and pulley line but at the back corner of the house from one tree there to another at the far back of the yard. This meant that I had to carry the baskets full of wet laundry from the first floor laundry out the back, down the stairs and across the yard. This was getting cumbersome and last October, a large tree branch wiped out the line when it fell during a storm.

Point of the story? The United Illuminating Company has just increased our electric rates by around 50%. So I need my line back for financial reasons (and just because I miss it)- but now I want it at the edge of the deck with a pole.
 
Love the clothesline

Eugene,
What a beauuuuuutifully hung, perfectly white wash! (Martha Voice) lol
I use mine any chance I get....today was a great windy day... I used my Maytag Wringer and hung everything out. The "T-Post" is my favorite, but to save space when I landscaped the backyard, I put in an umbrella type. I painted it copper and then oxidized it just to dress it up...looks better than the standard aluminum I think.

Gary,
I have made the exact same comment about "free exfoliation" when my partner criticized me about line dried towels. :)
 
Line dry all my towels until they are just damp, then finish them off in the dryer. Even the small Whirlpool can finish off a nice load that way in less than 20 minutes.

This not only saves energy, but gives the best of both worlds. Nice out door fresh smelling towels from line drying, but the softness and fluffy feeling from tumble drying.

If you really want sandpaper towels, wash them in a high washing soda content detergent like Arm&Hammer powder, then hang em on the line. Damn things will almost stand up on their own, and are great for removing corns and calluses.

L.
 
Six pins Dolores, be sure to use six pins, not just four. Don't you dare ruin my good sheets!
 
LoL

I hate to say this but i don't find the line dried scent all that great.. It actually kinda gives me a headache.. What i do like is hanging stuff up and making it all nice and neat... Plus i use to love to run through the wet cloths as a kid... Then i'd get in trouble.. LoL

But all are good ideas.. I love those lines like ganskys.. They work very well and seem to hold up... I used it alot for drying bath rugs and such..
 
"Six pins Dolores!"

Ever since I watched that movie I hear that line in my head when hanging out laundry. Like Australia, line drying in the UK was very popular - as a child, every house in the street had washing on the line almost every day. Where I live now, I can see washing lines in almost every garden but there is hardly any washing on them. Seems like even in hot weather, people around here are more inclined to use a dryer. Don't understand it myself. My garden is always breezy and gets lots of sun so on a Saturday, it is not unusual to hang four or five lines of washing. When the weather is really hot and breezy, I have known washing dry in less than 20 mins. I use the dryer in winter, when necessary but in the summer, I would never not line dry. Given our unpredictable summer weather, I have been known to postpone doing washing for a few days just to wait for good line drying weather.
 
Just A Minute!

For shame! Hanging your tidy whites out there for God and the neighbors to see! *LOL*

Danties should be hung inside pillow slips or on the other side of larger objects like sheets or towels.

"Six pins, Dolores, not five! That is how I like them done. Don't you let my good sheets blow down to the end of the yard"!

L.
 

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