July 25, 2007

hanging it out to dry

so we finally put a much longed after clothesline in our backyard. i grew up with a clothesline. i remember hauling laundry up a set of steps to a little platform to reach the high line running across our backyard in virden, manitoba. then we moved on to brandon and had an umbrella line that i loved to hide inside of. of course we were only hanging out our laundry may through september. (oh those prairie summers - short but oh so good!) d on the other had never had a clothesline. it just wasn't something people "did" where he grew up down here. hanging skivvies on the line wasn't on the radar. (i was surprised to read that it is actually banned in some communities for being unsightly!) but i must say he is a convert after seeing me hang out and bring in 3 loads in just under 4 hours. noting that it takes about the same length of time on the line as it does in our drier and that we can now do the laundry during the day instead of at night as we are advised to avoid blackouts. (yup - we are in another heatwave down here!) and thinking of the energy savings! yes we love our "solar clothes drier".
solar clothes drier

there is even a flickr group. (naturally!)

as a side note, a dear friend and i have decided to "hang out" our collaborative blog: Two Green Chickens. it began as a series of conversations between two moms trying hard to live as green as we can, teach our children to do the same, and still stick to our budgets! it is more consumer minded than sewgreen. if we are going to spend money, we want to do it wisely! check it out and let me know what you think... thanks!

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

when I was stationed in S Cal after growing up in the Midwest,it boggled my mind that none of my neighbors had a clothesline.

Then I found out they weren't even sold in the local hardware stores because of a local restriction.

What the heck; we had a high board fence and we put one up anyway.

Tracy said...

maybe that is why i had such a hard time finding one...! crazy!

Funky Finds said...

we visited my boyfriend's parents on their farm last week & it was so wonderful to crawl into a bed with sheets that had been line dried. i slept like a baby! too bad they would smell like smog if i hung them out around my house.

lisa solomon said...

i'm so glad you posted this here tracy!! :D

Susan J Barker said...

I too grew up with a clothes line similar to what you describe AND out on the cold manitoba prairie, but we did hang clothes in the winter, too. My mother insisted that pants (jeans) and dress shirts go on the line in winter, after being frozen stiff, they came in, thawed and were just the right dampness for ironing without having to be "sprinkled". It sure was miserable taking frozen clothes off the line though!

nikkishell said...

YAY for line drying!

f. pea said...

i love to hang clothes on the line in color groups. red clothes, green clothes, brown clothes, white clothes... makes a mindless task so much fun!

Stephanie said...

There is nothing better than crawling into bed after the sheets have dryed on the clothesline all day. I know exactly what you mean!

Anonymous said...

I would love to have a clothes line at my house, however we live in one of those communities that feels it is unsightly. I'm still trying to figure a way around this...

Anonymous said...

I just figured out how to erect a clothesline that can be easily taken down when not in use. My back deck is supported by three large posts (naturally). I'm going to screw in eyehooks in the back of the posts (unseen from the house) and either thread a clothesline through or use bungee cords! Easy-peasy to take down and put up. My GreenGroup helped me brainstorm that little solution. Can't wait for line-dried sheets...but maybe not underpants.

magnusmog said...

Call me old fashioned but there is nothing more satisfying than a blue sky and a line full of washing :)

Era said...

Gasp! What a gorgeous photo. I adore it. I took some pics of my own clothes on the line a while back, and it made me realize that I own a lot of blue and brown clothes . . . thanks for the beautiful photo and great post.

Debra said...

First: having lived in the midwest for decades.. you can hang clothes on the line almost year round, if it is not actively raining or snowing. When it's cold, the clothes freeze-dry. You know they come off the line when they are soft. And they smell delish.

Now in NoCal., I love being able to hang things out most of the year.

Tracy said...

thanks all!

susan and debra - hearing you say that i now remember some cold days with frozen bluejeans thawing before being slipped on!

Allison said...

I can't believe there's so many others who love clotheslines as much as I do!
My family had a dryer for a few years when my cloth-diapered brother was still in cloth diapers. When I went to college, I was fascinated with the dryers. Ah, country girls...

Wooden clips or plastic ones? Spring clips or the old fashioned ones you can paint faces on?

Anonymous said...

It's winter over here in Australia, though there are still dry warm days. So on those days I use the outside washing line. On the colder wet days though I use an indoor washing line... well a couple of nails on the door frame by the heater. That way all the washing gets dried by the heat of the room heater which would be on regardless. It means I hardly ever have to use the clothes dryer.

Sonja said...

I used to live close to Brandon, Manitoba too. Funny :)

Tracy said...

allison - wooden here - but a mix of spring and "pegs"!

hi sonja!! small world indeed!

Bobbi A. Chukran, Author said...

Great blog! Keep up the good work! I'm not a mom, but am in the midst of downsizing, selling a large home, bought a smaller one and trying to just live simpler as much as possible. It's not always easy in our "consumer culture"....thanks for all the good information on your blog!

bobbi c.
Leander, TX

Jenn said...

Quick question.. I've been looking into getting a BreezeCatcher clothesline. My husband is worried that hanging the clothes to dry will make them fade too fast. Any thoughts or suggestions?

Anonymous said...

So happy to see others who like clothes hanging on the line! My time living in Spain has definitely reminded me of why I'll be hanging my clothes out once I'm back in the States. I've also found fish drying on the line here! Very funny.

~ Dee
http://andrewsinspain.wordpress.com/2009/02/10/life-on-the-laundry-line/