I decided almost a month ago, that I wanted to start drying the clothes outside. I used to do it when I lived in the country, which was almost 10 years ago. But haven't done it since living where I do now.
Here are 13 things I have discovered since drying the clothes on a clothes line. Some pros and some cons.
1. Drying clothes on a line will help the environment. No greenhouse gas emissions from the dryer.
2. Save money. I read online that: the average clothes dryer will cost approximately $1,530 to operate over its lifespan, which lasts, on average, about 18 years.
3. The clothes smell great! I noticed the clothes smell fresh and clean off the line, more then when you use the dryer.
4. The clothes come out like they were starched & with less wrinkles.
5. Eliminates static cling that the dryer can cause.
6. The clothes dry a lot faster then I thought they would.
7. It gets you outside and you can enjoy being outdoors.
8. I also read online that line drying is easier on your clothes. It will help reduce wear and tear on the seams.
9. I also found out that the sun can help kill bacteria on the clothing.
A few cons are:
10. It is a little more time consuming then just throwing stuff in the dryer.
11. You are dependent on the weather ~ You have to obviously know if it's going to rain or not.
12. Can only do one maybe two loads a day (hey that could maybe be a pro)
13. Have to remember to take them off the line. Sometimes I forget about it and have to go out there late to get them, when I may be too lazy or tired - lol!
Check HERE and HERE for more info on Line Drying.
Visit Thursday Thirteen to play too!
Here are 13 things I have discovered since drying the clothes on a clothes line. Some pros and some cons.
1. Drying clothes on a line will help the environment. No greenhouse gas emissions from the dryer.
2. Save money. I read online that: the average clothes dryer will cost approximately $1,530 to operate over its lifespan, which lasts, on average, about 18 years.
3. The clothes smell great! I noticed the clothes smell fresh and clean off the line, more then when you use the dryer.
4. The clothes come out like they were starched & with less wrinkles.
5. Eliminates static cling that the dryer can cause.
6. The clothes dry a lot faster then I thought they would.
7. It gets you outside and you can enjoy being outdoors.
8. I also read online that line drying is easier on your clothes. It will help reduce wear and tear on the seams.
9. I also found out that the sun can help kill bacteria on the clothing.
A few cons are:
10. It is a little more time consuming then just throwing stuff in the dryer.
11. You are dependent on the weather ~ You have to obviously know if it's going to rain or not.
12. Can only do one maybe two loads a day (hey that could maybe be a pro)
13. Have to remember to take them off the line. Sometimes I forget about it and have to go out there late to get them, when I may be too lazy or tired - lol!
Check HERE and HERE for more info on Line Drying.
Visit Thursday Thirteen to play too!
Thanks for visiting my blog!
ReplyDeleteWow, kudos to you for trying this out! You actually have me really curious about doing this myself. I will have to look into it some more. We used to live on a farm and my mom would hang our clothes to dry but we haven't since moving to the suburbs. I wouldn't mind giving it a shot myself though.
I've always favorted clothes lines for all the reasons you list, but the air her really stinks, and it makes the clean clothes smell like we dog.
ReplyDeleteThe biggest con around here -- and the reason I don't do it -- is that the neighbors would lynch me. 'cause, you know, it makes us all look bad. Or something.
ReplyDeleteBtw, you're the only person so far to catch the similarities to Jimi Hendrix in my new character! He is definitely the reason -- be sure to look for the reason I created him. It's a riff on something the San Francisco schools have done.
Here in our country, people dry clothes on clothes line all the time. ; ) I agree that a big con is the weather - now that it's the rain season here, we don't have much choice but use the dryer. Thanks for visiting my T13.
ReplyDeleteGreat TT. I used to dry cloths on the line when I was a SAHM. I found that when I brought out the second load from the washer that the first load was already dry and ready to come off the line. My biggest problem was bugs that would cling to the clean cloths and I had to try to get them all. Oh yeah, and the little birdies lol
ReplyDeleteThanks for the kind words, Sue. I will make sure to keep in touch with you on Facebook.
ReplyDeleteLydia
Until I saw your post, I had completely forgotten about how great that outdoor drying smell really is! I can almost smell it now! We used to use a clothesline outdoors in the summer when I was growing up (in our basement on rainy days and in the winter.) I still put things out on occasion, but I have grown spoiled and don't think I could willingly give up my dryer - but I applaud your commitment! Thanks for stopping by my blog!
ReplyDeleteI moved back home with my parents a few years ago and in the summer we had to hang out the clothes , at first I hated it ! But I also found that my clothes smelled so much better. The only thing I didnt like drying on the line was towels. They felt like cardboard when you went to shower!
ReplyDeletethanks for visiting my blog!! i absolutely LOVE the clothesline idea!! We are frugal hippies here too and i have tried around 6 different ways to make it work in our apt on our patio with no luck. I do however hang clothes all over my house...lol!
ReplyDeletestop by again soon!!
I love line dried clothes too. They smell so fresh.
ReplyDeleteI just posted a link to your blog in today's post ... consider yourself tagged. Stop by if you have a minute.
ReplyDeleteI line dry as much as possible, part of my motivation is that my dryer doesn't get very hot & no one who's tried to fix it has been able to (so far- I still have hope) you gave excellent reasons some excellent reasons here.
ReplyDeleteI hang my diapers to dry and I love it. I should really hang my clothes too!
ReplyDeleteWonderful reminder of my childhood. I wish I had SPACE to hang clothes outdoors for many of the reasons you've shared ;--)
ReplyDeleteHugs and blessings,
Great TT post! It is more time consuming to hang the laundry outdoors but well worth it for all the reasons you list. I love the fresh smell of the clothes when you take them off the line.
ReplyDeleteit would be my luck that when I put them out, a freak rain storm would come by, or a critter would come and take a liking to my delicates, or something
ReplyDeletegreat list, though, thanks for coming by to visit!
Great list! When we move out of this apartment and into a place with a yard I would love to start line drying our clothes. The sun also helps get stains out too!
ReplyDeleteI love hanging my clothing outside to dry. The weather can be a pain sometimes, but most of the time I have several hours of hot sun and can get several loads dry at one time. I love doing laundry in the spring and summer because it is so hot outside that one load is dry before the next load is done in the washer. This helps me keep going..one load down so the next can go up. I just washed all of the curtains in my house and that outdoor dried smell is hanging in every room of my house.
ReplyDeletemy granma used to do that in Chicago when I was a kid
ReplyDeleteI would love to line dry my clothes outside, but can't really do it in the neighborhood where we live now. I do hang almost all of our "good" clothes in the laundry area to air dry, which is the next best thing, I guess!
ReplyDeleteGreat list. I miss doing T13 and I was just looking at their site the other day and notice that it was down already. I didn't know they have a new URL.
ReplyDeleteWill definitely be posting a T13 comeback next thrusday.
http://www.joarduo.com/
I wish I could line dry. Maybe I can use the $$$ line on my hubby so he can build me a line in the back yard.
ReplyDeleteI am tagging you. Play along if you like.
http://sahm4now.blogspot.com/2009/06/tag-im-it.html
Thanks for coming by today! I use to hand clothes when we lived out of town. If we ever make it back to the country I will do it again -- I love it. Especially early in the morning!
ReplyDeleteI used to line dry my clothes outside when I lived in Chicago. Since we have moved to suburbia/the boonies my allergies have gotten worse. I'm highly allergic to grass and corn pollen (lots of corn fields around here). My concern would be having my clothes drying in all those allergens and then bringing those allergens inside. I guess I should read up on if that's as big a deal as I think it would be.
ReplyDeleteI've been bugging my hubby to put up a line for years....
ReplyDeleteI found you on Harriets page so I am commenting. I am new and not exactly sure how it works. Do you just count all the comments on your June entries to hopefully total 1000?
ReplyDeleteI used to love to hang clothes outside but right now we have those cottonwood trees with their white fru-fru's everywhere and it gets on the clothes. Nice blog. Nice to meet you .Anne
Hi Sue,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your thoughts on using your clothes line outside. I like how it can help save you money. I really should buy some clothes pens. My dryer takes a while to dry my large loads of clothes.
I remember my mom drying clothes outside. I was pretty small then and we ran up and down between the lines of clothes. We had T shaped clothes poles and 4 lines between them. The underwear was always hung inside so the neighbors couldn't see it. Good for you going back to the good old ways of doing it!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by to comment! I'm loving this comment challenge, but you are sooooo way ahead of me.
ReplyDeleteFor those of you who may be wondering what we're talking about here . . .
An invitation for you:
I am participating in Harriet’s comment challenge , and urge your to come join the fun!
I’m also signing up to follow everyone whose blog I’m commenting on in order to stay connected with the bloggers who have impressed me greatly. :o)
If you have a button code, I’ll grab it. A twitter link? Facebook? Or any other social gadget, I’ll follow there, too.
You’re one of these impressive people, so I'm following you, now.
Please come visit my blog, and feel free to do the same. Mom’s Fortress of Solitude
***** Please be certain to show some comment love on Sue's blog, as well. *******
My hope is to connect with some awesome bloggers out there, and to spread the word for each of us by linking through different social sites, and exchanging buttons to post on each of our blogs.
I look forward to reading more.
Angela
Oh MAN! I forgot to let you know that I'm following you, now, through friend connect and twitter, and I'm also adding your button to my blog. :o)
ReplyDeleteAngela
The sun is great for taking out those baby poop stains too! LOL!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea for a TT. We use to do that when I was a kid. At my grandmother's house I would run through the sheets. :)
ReplyDeleteHmm, well I am always preferred to dry them on the line for I love the smell :) but during rainy season I am left with the only choice to use the dryer :( And me too forget to take off the clothes...half of the time I take them off when I am drying my second lot or I start my ironing :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my TT
Happy TT
Stopping by from June Comment Challenge :)
ReplyDeleteIn my district we are not allowed to hang clothes in the garden (spoils the lanscape apparently, lol ) but anyway I prefer the dryer because then I don't have to iron anything and I am rather lazy !
ReplyDeletemost Maltese line dry their clothes and since the weather is mainly good its even better...i once considered a dryer for winter....but i never got it saw it wasnt worth the expense
ReplyDeleteAnother Con is that the color of the clothes tend to fade faster if they are put direct under the sunshine too frequent.
ReplyDeleteyeah we hang all our clothes outside but the weather here in the Philippines has been really rainy recently.. :(
ReplyDeleteI like the idea that it will reduce static, that's the worst. I'ts something I've considered...but never done. You may have inspired me to give it a try.
ReplyDeletenumber thirteen has happened to me several times already, lol, the worst instance was when i totally forgot about the clothes, i went straight to sleep and woke up to drenched clothes because of heavy rains during the night...
ReplyDeleteI would love to start drying my clothes outside. My mom used to do this to our sheets in the summer time and I remember the smell. Hmm...may have to get the hubby to rig me up a line somewhere.
ReplyDelete