Just Hanging Out

Laundry that is.

I’m so excited because yesterday was the first day since fall that I was able to hand my laundry out to dry. There have been other days so far this spring nice enough, but yesterday was the first time I was on the ball enough to do it.

I have a HUGE clothesline out in the backyard. This isn’t due to any major frugal effort on my part-it was there when we moved in. (to be honest, if it hadn’t already been there I don’t know if I would have gotten around to putting one up) It is the kind that looks like 2 letter T’s with lines strung back and forth. I can hang 3 large loads of laundry on it, and that is skipping every other line.

Last summer was the first time I ever hung laundry out. I really didn’t know what I was doing and had to go to the great folks over at Frugal Living on About.com for advice. Here are the things I have learned.

#1 Things dry stiffer on the line than they do in your drier. Personally I don’t mind this-my jeans come out almost starched, and I can sort of fix the collars and cuffs on dress shirts by pulling them straight-then they only require a small touch up with the iron. Some people object to “crunchy” towels-so if you don’t like that you might try throwing them in the drier for 5 minutes or so after hanging them on the line to soften them up.

#2 It matters where you put the clothes pins. When I first started hanging stuff out, I would pretty much hang it like I was looking at it on a person-shirts by the shoulders, and pants by the wastebands. This wasn’t the best plan-the clothespins left sort of a “pinch” in the fabric where it dried around the pin, and the waistbands of the pants didn’t dry well where the clothespins were. So after asking some questions I realized the best way to hang shirts is from the bottom (and not stretched out square either, that makes them hang funny on you-leave a little dip in the fabric) and pants are best dried hung from the cuffs, with the pockets pulled out to dry faster as well.

#3 You might as well sort the socks as you hang them. I reserve the front clothesline for my socks. As I come to the socks in a basket of laundry I hang them up singly with room in between each for the matching sock. Then when the match shows up I place it next to it’s mate. That way when I take them down off the line they are already together!

#4 Take the clothes off before nightfall. I know this sounds obvious, but there are a few times that I forgot they were out there. It seems like after the sun goes down, the humidity in the air seems to suck back into the clothes and they get damp again. Then you have to throw them in the drier, which sort of negates the entire point of hanging them out.

#5 It really helps to have your clothespins up near you-instead of having to keep bending over to pick them up. I have tried various methods-I’ve clipped a bunch onto my clothes for easy access (I looked very funny, but hey-whose looking in my backyard?) I tied them in a small bag on the line itself, I wore my apron and filled up the pocked. The best thing I’ve tried though is one of those clothespin bags that have a small hanger in the top-it can be hung off the line next to you and slides along easily, but it has enough weight that it stays where you put it. I bought mine at the locally run dollar store, but here is a free pattern to make one.

#6 It is sort of peaceful to hang clothing up. There is a bit of a zen-like quality about hanging clothes out. The sun is shinning, the breeze blowing, you are doing something with your hands, but it doesn’t really take your concentration. It is a nice sort of thinking time-almost meditative.

#7 It really does save money. The drier is an energy hog, and not running it can save you a bundle on your electricity bill.

Hope these hints help you out and inspire you to try hanging out a load or two. Who knows, you might really like it too!