Laundry: Do you use a clothesline?

[ApatheticNoMore]

Well the apartment does have a clothesline (shared of course), I've used it but mostly for towels and bath rugs and stuff, not that often. More often when I get motivated I hang my clothes to dry inside I just hang them on hooks on the doors and so on - hang underwear on doornobs inside (well ok who sees that but me, if I have company underwear is not hanging to dry on doornobs ). Then when I get lazy I just use the apartment dryer (paid for by coins of course).

I do not use fabric softener, bleach, spot treatment or those dryer sheets. I still make hand soap, but laundry soap is too much work for just me...besides I am lazier and lazier by the day.]

I don't' use any of those things on clothes ever either. I use 7th generation laundry detergent, that's all. And I hear you Jilly!!! Burn out!!! And with cooking too, it's like year after year of doing all this stuff for yourself, burn out.

[mira]

I have yet to try making my own detergent but I'd like to. I used to use vinegar as a fabric softener but it's so hard to find it in bulk here; I was going through a lot if little 500ml bottles.

We don't have room for any kind of dryer. We dry stuff indoors on a folding rack thing. I'll hang laundry outside once or twice a year but we get rain more often than shine, so it's a bit too much hassle.

[mira]

Also, did I miss something? What happened to Mrs-M?

[Float On]

Mira, Mrs-M left us quite awhile back.
I'd love to use my clothesline (it's retractable and currently holding a few bird feeders) but my DH doesn't like me to line dry. He has allergy troubles and claims the pollen gets on the clothes.

[awakenedsoul]

I'm really happy with my homemade laundry detergent. It's much cheaper than the fancy stuff from Whole Foods. The white vinegar in the rinse water really does a good job, too. My clothes last a lot longer, now that I no longer use the dryer. Same with my sheets and towels.

mira, Sent you a pm.

[Kestrel]

I used to, back in our "hippie days" ('60s/'70s), and loved it!! Even tho clotheslines are not permitted in our subdivision I ignored that and did hang my clothes in the back yard when we moved here eight years ago, then we got really really busy and it just didn't work out. I'm tempted to try again, tho ... but I probably won't.

[mamalatte]

Never use a clothesline. Like the idea but can barely get the laundry done for myself and two kiddos as it is, with using the dryer for everything! Occasionally dry some things on a foldable wooden rack so as not to shrink or ruin them, like sweaters or certain blankets.

[early morning]

I use the outdoor lines whenever the weather is fit and sometimes when it isn't. I've used the freeze-dry method when the kids were small! I have a rack inside and dry lots of things on plastic hangers. The only dryer use is my DDs, for about a third of her laundry. I made my own detergent for years but there's a liquid from Dollar General that I like and it's very inexpensive so I use that now. I rarely use bleach, and when I do it's usually for something I'm wanting to sell - but over the years I've found it better to dye than bleach, lol. I don't buy spot cleaners - a cake of soap and a toothbrush does a good job much of the time. For really nasty grease, I've found that DH's heavy duty hand cleaner works well (that happens maybe once a year or so). I have never used fabric softener. I really like hanging laundry, it's one of my favorite chores.

[Simplemind]

We have a retractable that I love to use on sunny days.

[Yarrow]

While I have a clothesline here at my new home, I haven't used it as it is too difficult with being in a wheelchair. I did use the one at my old home when I was healthier. I do dry a lot of things inside as much as I can, and the resulting extra humidity from the wet clothes in my little house has been welcome this harsh cold winter - the furnace ran so much, drying the air out considerably...

I am thankful for my very small (apartment size) washer and dryer, but am careful to use only when necessary, as I need to keep my utility bills as low as possible being on a very tight budget.