Laundry: Do you use a clothesline?

[awakenedsoul]

We don't really have a home forum, so I'm posting this here. (The kitchen seems pretty close.) Do you line dry your clothes? What's your routine? Do you make your own laundry soap? What about hand washables?

I wash my clothes and towels every Saturday and hang them to dry on my clothesline. I make my own laundry soap with Borax, baking soda, baking powder, and liquid soap. I launder my sheets every Sunday.

I no longer use my dryer. My gas bill is so much cheaper without it, and I live in a very warm, dry climate. I also love the way my clothes smell after they dry outside in the fresh air and sunshine.

I make liquid soap with boiled down bar soap that I buy from Goatsmilkstuff.com. I grate it into a pot with eight cups of water and heat. After it's cool I keep it in a recycled plastic raw milk jug. I use it for my hand washables. I hand knit all of my socks and sweaters, so I do a lot of laundry by hand. I use white vinegar as fabric softener.

What about you?

[razz]

I line dry in warmer weather and inside on drying racks in winter when the wood heat dries them overnight.
Hand washables in Bronners liquid soap.
I soak the items like undies in a bucket of hot water with 1/4 C washing soda added and then cold water wash with a vinegar rinse.
I have made my detergent and really liked it but have gone back to Arm and Hammer laundry detergent.
Otherwise, my routine is similar to yours.

[Jilly]

Laundromat and dryers for towels and other linens, sheets/blankets. I live in an apartment, so the only things I air dry are clothing and undies, and whatever I need to hand wash. Clothing lasts forever if you do not use the dryer. My stuff wears out before it can get to looking old. I use racks and over-the-door rods.

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.

[ToomuchStuff]

Laundry day, varies on need and schedule. I have a clothesline that I use both outside and in the basement. I have a dryer I was given (belt was broken), after my old one died (1960 model), but haven't fixed it yet. (use the clotheslines or the laundromat getting multiple loads done in an hour.
I only started using the laundromat a few years ago, after my employers medical condition (which reared its head again), drove my hours WAY up.
I'd like to make my own detergent (sister did it and her and mom were using it), but work has been providing me with detergent and a few groceries for the shopping I do for them.

[Sad Eyed Lady]

I dry outside anytime the weather permits. If not, then I have a folding rack I use inside. I also have a dryer, (had it since 1972 so this tells you how much it has been used), that I use rarely and usually for things that will dry really fast. I love my laundry dried outside, especially in summer, and when I bring everything inside there is still the smell of the sun and air.

[Simpler at Fifty]

I dry outside from Mid April - Nov. Depending on the snow. In the winter I dry the towels and socks in the dryer. I have two wooden drying racks for everything else. I bring our rugs and comforters to the laundromat to wash. I line dry if in season. They offer free drying a couple times a year so I take advantage of that with the comforters if I need it.

I made my own laundry detergent once and it was a mess. It was too goopy. This was over 10 years ago and recipes may have changed. I use white vinegar in the rinse and do not use fab softener in the dryer.

I have been researching new wooden racks. I like these and would do a day trip there to pick it up if they allow that. http://woodenclothesdryingrack.com/shop/

[meri]

We don't have a dryer so I line dry the laundry every time, outside whenever weather permits because the racks are just taking too much space.

I have never tried making my own detergent, I use Delicate Wash Ecover which can also be used washing the clothes by hands (that's something I do at least once a week even though lately I tend to use a soap bar for that). Unfortunately this laundery detergent is only available in quite small bottles so I end up throwing away plastic bottles that I cannot re-use very often and it's also not that cheap.

[IshbelRobertson]

I dry washing outside on a rotary clothes line in what we call good weather, ie when it isn't raining! In winter or wet I ise my clothes pulley, which used to be near the Aga in the kitchen. When I had the Aga removed, it was moved into the laundry.

http://www.pulleymaid.com

[catherine]

So you're channeling Mrs-M, awakenedsoul!

I have a clothesline in the basement, which works well for me. I can hang a load of laundry down there. I truly love hanging clothes for a few reasons: It saves money on electricity/gas, it saves the clothes themselves, and it saves ironing--the best tip my MIL gave me was that if you "fluff" the clothes in heat for just a couple of minutes and THEN hang them, they come out with lots of body and no wrinkles.

I'd love an outdoor line, but just haven't been motivated to install it--although it is part of my "grand plan" for my yard that came out of my permaculture course.

[awakenedsoul]

I dry washing outside on a rotary clothes line in what we call good weather, ie when it isn't raining! In winter or wet I ise my clothes pulley, which used to be near the Aga in the kitchen. When I had the Aga removed, it was moved into the laundry.

http://www.pulleymaid.com

Oh how beautiful Ishbel! That takes my breath away...I love that stove, too. What is an Aga?

[awakenedsoul]

Catherine,
The home is one of my favorite parts of simple living. Mrs. M. was a great homemaker, and I loved how she treated people and encouraged them to post. We have a lot of excellent writers on this forum, and I like to read their thoughts and ideas, without any interference.

I put my clothesline up, and it was really easy. I attached one end to a nail in an old pine tree, and the other to a nail I hammered into my eaves. It worked so well I put up a second one!

[Sad Eyed Lady]

http://laundrylist.org/community/clothesline-map/
I hope this link works - I love this website. You can view clotheslines all over the U.S. and some in other countries. I like the little racks drying in front of a window in a Paris apartment. I find this a very interesting website and fun to see all the different clotheslines.

[IshbelRobertson]

Oh how beautiful Ishbel! That takes my breath away...I love that stove, too. What is an Aga?

http://www.agacookshop.co.uk/about-aga

More than anyone needs to know about a staple item in many British homes. :D

[Gardenarian]

I primarily use a clothesline (and various racks and things) to dry clothes. I've felt guilty about using the dryer this winter (due to broken foot) and am looking forward to being able to get things back in the sunshine.
Hanging out laundry on crutches is practically impossible!
I don't make my own laundry soap. I use Dr. Bronner's for most things, and we also have some sort of Eco-detergent from Costco for really dirty stuff.

[fidgiegirl]

Now that the weather is getting nicer we'll get back at using the clothesline. Well, once the baby comes. I can't even haul the dried loads upstairs right now and have to ask DH to help me. But I'll be off until August so we'll get in some good sunny time. It will be especially nice for the cloth diapers.

On Rosemary's advice I got an umbrella style collapsible line for our small yard. Love it. It holds a ton of laundry. Would like to make a cute cover for it for when it's collapsed.

I find hanging laundry very meditative. As a child it was a job I had and I liked it a lot. Where it challenges me is to let go of my control freak tendencies. I have developed very particular ways I like to hang clothes to avoid wrinkles, dry faster, etc. and DH has not developed those same ways, but you know what, how many DH's out there are hanging laundry on the line at all? :)

[bae]

For some reason clotheslines don't work well here.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-t2CoTCIPobw/TJUQqFe-RrI/AAAAAAAABTs/3hhLfYeRqtI/s576/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg

[awakenedsoul]

I love all of these replies. Thanks everybody! It's funny how everyone's individuality comes out through their daily tasks and routines. I feel like it gives me a little peek into your home life. Speaking of laundry, I've got to go wash my sheets and let my chicken out for her free ranging time...
Ishbel,
That reminds me of an antique stove my relatives used to have.

[Lainey]

I use my dryer for most things, but I have a wooden rack in my laundry room for more delicate items.
I don't hang laundry outside because of allergy issues (alas, pollen can get on everything), but this thread is reminding me that I should get my indoor retractable clothesline installed.

[awakenedsoul]

I used to have one of those, Lainey. It had suction cups that stuck to the sides of the tile. I used to hang my tights on it to dry....

[Birdie]

I make my own powdered laundry soap using washing soda, borax and zote soap. Making the liquid soap seems like too much work. I use vinegar in the rise or in the winter I use a mix of vinegar and laundry softener to eliminate the static.

I dry my clothes in the dryer for 15 minutes to get the dog hair off and then dry everything on racks or hangers in the house. In the summer, I put the sheets and bedspread outside to dry on the same racks. No clothes lines allowed here by the HOA.

[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.

[Blackdog Lin]

I don't want this to come off as snarky, it's just my touch of OCD? coming out.....

But (1) I love the idea of clotheslines too and want one but don't have one yet; and (2) would someone please move this thread to a more appropriate forum? It's driving me nuts being here in the food & recipes forum.

:) but seriously.

[Simpler at Fifty]

I hung the first load of the year out yesterday. Been washing smaller loads to keep up with it on the drying racks. Dries faster that way. But yesterday it was nice out. About 55 with sun and wind. The clothes almost dried. They are on the drying racks in side now ready to be put away. I washed my ugly sweater and it dried outside. Wore it last night and it smelled so good. I cannot wait to get some sheets on the line. That is the best smell in the world when you get into bed and have that fresh smell. I am sure we sleep better that night.

[awakenedsoul]

I know what you mean, Simpler At Fifty. I slept in clean, line dried sheets last night, and it felt great! This time of year things dry really quickly here. Tomorrow I'm washing the dog bed covers. They can use some of that fresh air! The dogs seem to appreciate a clean bed, too.

[Rogar]

I'm using clotheslines as we speak. Even during the winter I can usually find a day where the sun is shining and gets things dry in a day or two. I've not made a study of it, but I think if you count the number of steps, how often you handle the clothes, and travel distances, it might be a toss up between the clothes line and dryer. Especially with me since my laundry room is in the basement.

[awakenedsoul]

I use my clothesline year round, too. Last year I had a leak in my gas line to the dryer. I had them shut it off. Now I don't use the dryer at all. The weather here is so mild that it's been easy to use a clothesline all the time.