Crunchy towels: you either love them or hate them. I see line-dried towel as a personal luffa that is invigorating. This is my beloved Speed Queen that I use when it is sweltering. I get soaked, but it takes me back to my childhood when life was simple.
My mom played a game with us on laundry day. She did laundry for her family of nine with a double-tub Maytag wringer washer. She would say that “today is the day we beat your Aunt Eleanor!” “We will get our clothes hung first”! She was doing her version of “First and Fast,” and it always worked! We scurried quickly from the baskets to hand her the clothespins and laundry and together, the wash was hung in no time. But more importantly, she turned a mundane task into a happy memory.
That’s just one great reason for hanging laundry out to dry, but as we discussed, many homesteaders’ tasks are labor intensive so one must have their priorities. The results are why I take the time to hang it up! You can’t replicate the smell of sunshine on fresh sun-dried laundry with a fabric softener. If you want non-crunchy towels, simply toss them into the dryer for a few minutes.
I could give the math equation to calculate how much money you save annually in energy costs by line-drying laundry, but it is minimal. One tangible saving is on wear and tear to your clothes. Lint from the dryer are fibers being ripped from your garments as the heat and friction of tumbling dry your items. Sunlight is a natural sanitizer and whitener. Lying down on crisp sun-dried linens is an absolute joy!
The initial investment are clothesline posts, lines, and as well as clothespins. The umbrella style system works for a smaller family but is not as stable as posts sunk in the ground in concrete. Joel Salatin the father of modern homesteading has a great saying, “pretty is not profitable.” The wire lines Jim strung for me work great, they are just not as pretty as using the turn-styles to keep your lines tight. If you are in an urban setting, you might want to spring for pretty lines, wire ones could be prohibited in some covenants. Think about line placement under tree limbs, the possibility of bird droppings on a white blouse will raise your blood pressure. Darn sparrows! You can find everything you need to install posts as well as the lines, turn-styles and clothespins at Buchheit.
There are unspoken rules to proper clothesline etiquette; please respect your family members’ privacy. When you have multiple lines, always hang the undergarments on the inside lines so that your son (or husband) is not teased about wearing the latest Captain America boxers. Hang with the wind. I live on a prairie, and it is always windy so make sure you start on the line with the prevailing winds, or you will be fighting the jeans flapping in your face.
Make a happy memory with your family today! It’s amazing what kids remember, so get them outside and enjoy the sunshine!
Anne May
