So our dryer broke down and we weren’t sure whether to replace it or try to service it. Tough call! What do you do when your 10-year-old dryer was a cheap one to begin with? Do you pay the exorbitant service fee when they may not be able to fix it or do you start fresh and buy a new one? On the fence, Tom decided to get on that laundry line we’ve been toying with for years now. Nothing like necessity to motivate you! Besides, he loves any excuse to go to Home Depot. Not to mention picking himself up an iced cappuccino on the way. And spring and fall are my two favorite times for drying clothes outside. So fresh, clean and easy, you’ll be wondering why you didn’t put up one years ago. What took Tom and I so long? Here’s 11 reasons why you should make one now.
11 electrifying reasons to build a clothesline today
1.) Save money and energy. Gas or electric, dryers are super expensive to run. Not to mention the price of dryer sheets and fabric softener.
2.) Air drying over using an appliance is great for the environment!
3.) Clotheslines protect delicate clothes. Clotheslines prevent shrinkage. Dryers shrink clothes. Big time. Especially anything made of cotton and even the items that were supposedly preshrunk! Silk shirts? Wool sweaters? Lace shorts? Favorite eyelet shirt? All ruined in the great destroyer…the dryer. Bummer. And how about all the tags on clothes that clearly state “hand wash” and “lay flat to dry?”
4.) Fresher, better smelling clothes. Naturally whiter whites. Nuff said.
2.) Air drying over using an appliance is great for the environment!
3.) Clotheslines protect delicate clothes. Clotheslines prevent shrinkage. Dryers shrink clothes. Big time. Especially anything made of cotton and even the items that were supposedly preshrunk! Silk shirts? Wool sweaters? Lace shorts? Favorite eyelet shirt? All ruined in the great destroyer…the dryer. Bummer. And how about all the tags on clothes that clearly state “hand wash” and “lay flat to dry?”
4.) Fresher, better smelling clothes. Naturally whiter whites. Nuff said.
5.) Dryer sheets are loaded in harmful chemicals. Those perfume-laden (and yes, even the fragrance-free versions) are chock-full of toxins. Chemicals that infiltrate the clothes you wear which get on the skin and absorbed into the body.
6.) Dryer friction wears out your clothes sooner than air drying. Forget drying sheets with towels. Washing sheets with anything other than sheets ruins them. Bad and worse. Sheets were made to be hung outside
7.) Towels. Towels alone justify a clothesline. Not just your bath towels either. How about all those pool towels? Right. You can’t wash and dry them each and every time you use them in the pool. Especially multiplied by a family of…… well you do the math. But where are you gonna hang them if you don’t have a line?
6.) Dryer friction wears out your clothes sooner than air drying. Forget drying sheets with towels. Washing sheets with anything other than sheets ruins them. Bad and worse. Sheets were made to be hung outside
7.) Towels. Towels alone justify a clothesline. Not just your bath towels either. How about all those pool towels? Right. You can’t wash and dry them each and every time you use them in the pool. Especially multiplied by a family of…… well you do the math. But where are you gonna hang them if you don’t have a line?
8) Gives me the chance to inspect clothes for stains. How many times have I put a shirt in the dryer with stains only to permanently set-in that stain in the dryer. Too many to count. Ugh.
9.) Sun bleaches out stains on clothes, like natural OxiClean minus the price and chemicals. Turn your colored clothes inside out when hanging to avoid fading.
10.) Allows me to hang several loads of laundry at once when I’m backed up. I’m never waiting on the dryer so I can finally throw in another load. The laundry line can handle it all!
11.) Gets the family outdoors for exercise or just gives me some much needed alone time and fresh air. (Am I stretching this too far?!?) “Hey Tom, can you keep an eye on the kids, I have to go hang a load of laundry.” And off I go, to read a book. Just kidding. Or maybe not.
9.) Sun bleaches out stains on clothes, like natural OxiClean minus the price and chemicals. Turn your colored clothes inside out when hanging to avoid fading.
10.) Allows me to hang several loads of laundry at once when I’m backed up. I’m never waiting on the dryer so I can finally throw in another load. The laundry line can handle it all!
11.) Gets the family outdoors for exercise or just gives me some much needed alone time and fresh air. (Am I stretching this too far?!?) “Hey Tom, can you keep an eye on the kids, I have to go hang a load of laundry.” And off I go, to read a book. Just kidding. Or maybe not.
Tips to get you started
1.) Have the supplies ready to go. There’s nothing worse than being motivated to tackle a job and not having what you need. We found ourselves ordering a few necessary materials online which took ten days to ship. This delayed our progress.
2.) Choose a site that has lots of sun exposure and good air circulation for flow and quick air drying.
3.) Decide what materials you want to use. Wood or….gasp….metal. Traditionally, clotheslines are made of wood. But we went with metal. It’s sleek and chic looking, not to mention takes up less room. It’s so unobtrusive that you hardly notice its existence in our yard.
4.) Rope thickness matters. You want a strong rope but not one so thick that you can’t clip clothes hangers on it.
5.) Length of the line matters. Make it too long and you will need support in the middle. Tom made some wood poles out of just one 2×4 that we can insert when we need to lift up the line more. Especially when those wet clothes get heavy!
2.) Choose a site that has lots of sun exposure and good air circulation for flow and quick air drying.
3.) Decide what materials you want to use. Wood or….gasp….metal. Traditionally, clotheslines are made of wood. But we went with metal. It’s sleek and chic looking, not to mention takes up less room. It’s so unobtrusive that you hardly notice its existence in our yard.
4.) Rope thickness matters. You want a strong rope but not one so thick that you can’t clip clothes hangers on it.
5.) Length of the line matters. Make it too long and you will need support in the middle. Tom made some wood poles out of just one 2×4 that we can insert when we need to lift up the line more. Especially when those wet clothes get heavy!
6.) Make sure it’s large enough to hold a serious amount of laundry. Think sheets and blankets. How expensive are those winter blankets to throw in the dryer. Right? And you can only dry one at a time.
7.) If faded colored clothes is a big issue for you, consider choosing a location (just like you would a garden!) that is in half-sun and half-shade. Use the sun-half for your whites and the shaded half for your delicate colors.
8.) Consider not just having the typical side-by-side lines but also high and low lines. We have a high line for Tom and me and a lower line for the girls so they can hang their own clothes. Not only does this empower them to do tasks for themselves making them more independent, there’s also less work for me!
9.) Tom ordered clothesline tighteners online. Amazing idea! These help you adjust the rope. When it sags, you can tighten the line. They also can also loosen the line if you wish. You might want to purchase some for your line! Coming soon to a blog near you… Our step by step DIY clothesline.
7.) If faded colored clothes is a big issue for you, consider choosing a location (just like you would a garden!) that is in half-sun and half-shade. Use the sun-half for your whites and the shaded half for your delicate colors.
8.) Consider not just having the typical side-by-side lines but also high and low lines. We have a high line for Tom and me and a lower line for the girls so they can hang their own clothes. Not only does this empower them to do tasks for themselves making them more independent, there’s also less work for me!
9.) Tom ordered clothesline tighteners online. Amazing idea! These help you adjust the rope. When it sags, you can tighten the line. They also can also loosen the line if you wish. You might want to purchase some for your line! Coming soon to a blog near you… Our step by step DIY clothesline.
How many times a week do you run your dryer?
this is a great idea
This is my future of drying clothes. Minimalizing
There’s nothing like the smell of fresh sheets from the clothesline, that have dried in the sun all day! One of my great memories as a child is of our backyard clothesline. If I only had the room now, I’d have one for sure.
I loved drying my sheets on the clothesline especially in the spring those sheets smelled so good crawling into bed that evening. We don’t have one here and I doubt I will put one up as the lady next door has over 60 dogs and the smell of dog feces on my clothes and sheets is something I will avoid.
helpful
it does seem like a great eco friendly thing to do if you have a place to hang it
I remember my parents yard. clothes turn out so much fresher line drying.
I love using a clothesline. Laundry smells so good.
Cool, this will be my future of drying clothes.
what a great idea!
I have always had a clothes line wherever I have lived, and I love them!
Clothes smell so good when they are dried outside.
There’s a nostalgic comforting thing about hanging laundry on a line outside.
Nice post!
so beautiful!
so nostalgic, I remember my grandma having a clothes line in her yard. I’m sure If I put one up the HOA would fine me LOL
I’ve been thinking about getting a clothesline for awhile now but haven’t done it yet. Thanks for your post – it might have pushed me into doing it.
We run our dryer a lot, more than our washer. We used to do clothesline when I was a kid, I don’t see too many people doing it around here anymore.
Amazing little creatures!
Love hanging sheets outside. They always smell so clean & fresh
Love your blog you have very interesting subjects
All good reasons to have a clothes line.
Always nice to have fresh air scent clean and mom always says sunshine is one of the best disinfectants.
My mom would dry clothes on the clothes line all the time even though she had a dryer
Would love to have one like this!!
We still line dry our clothes now.
I would love this
I love the fresh smell of clothes coming off the line!!
Bedding was always a clothesline must… the clean, fresh smell!
try to limit dryer time to once a week. Love these critters!
I love the smell of clothes dried outside .
always a nice idea on a good weather day
We have had some very unfortunate incidents when we have tried to use a clothesline.
I use a clothesline for most of my laundry
Love the way they smell
Still love to let my freshly washed sheets air dry! Takes me back to when I was a little girl & helping my Mammaw with her laundry❣️
I estimate that we run 5 to 7 loads a week in our dryer. We don’t use dryer sheets due to my allergies. Thanks for your marvelous article. It brings back childhood memories; and, the fresh smell of items hung outside. I also remember rushing outside to bring in laundry when it started sprinkling! 🙂
My dryer has died for one reason or another before and I am very glad that we had a clothes line. Sometimes, though; the rainy weather here doesn’t make it conducive to hanging it out.
My mom always hung our clothes out in the backyard on nice days. Everything smelled fresh and clean!
I would love one. I rent so maybe a retractable type.
That’s how I grew up.
I have find memories of clotheslines in my childhood, which was the norm back then. Thanks for posting!
I love these ideas! I remember my grandmother hanging her clothes on the clothes line when I was a kid.
The fragrance of fresh air on clean sheets can’t be beat!
I run the dryer 5-6 times a week, at least. Less in the warmer months because I hang most of my laundry to dry outside. I love hanging clothes on the clothesline!
when I had my own place I loved to line dry- everything turns out fresher, softer, and without any wrinkles! add that to no dryer waste of energy–win win!
This is a wonderful idea!
I always use mother nature to dry my clothes. Only issue is occasioanally the birds leave me a message!
Miss having the clothes hung outside like my mother did when we were young. Always smelled so good when she brought them in, folded them & put them in our dresser drawers.