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Archive through March 18, 2006

The TVClubHouse: General Discussion ARCHIVES: 2006 Mar. ~ 2006 May: Hanging out to dry...: Archive through March 18, 2006 users admin

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Saxywildcat
Member

05-30-2005

Monday, March 13, 2006 - 8:48 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Saxywildcat a private message Print Post    
Yes, I know this is kind of an odd thread, but, I wanted to see how many of you out there use your clotheslines when the weather permits!

Our house has a clothesline out back. We strung the lines across (they were wrapped around one end when we got here.) and used it for the first time on Saturday. It was a pretty windy day, but not so windy that my clothes fell off. It was nice. Things dried quickly and they smell wonderful!

Does anyone else do this? Any tips to a newcomer to hanging the laundry out to dry? How cold is too cold? How windy is too windy?

:-)

Suz
Member

10-13-2005

Monday, March 13, 2006 - 9:02 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Suz a private message Print Post    
They used to sell wooden cloths pins to hang clothes on the line. You might check Kmart, Target, Walmart. Don't know if you have some or just laid your things on the line. The clothes pin will keep them from falling off or blowing away. Haven't done it in years but they do have nice smell. I usually did it on warm days.

Karen
Member

09-07-2004

Monday, March 13, 2006 - 9:06 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Karen a private message Print Post    
Use fabric softener in the wash if you're hanging your clothes -- I often found my clothes would come in from outside dry and smelling wonderful, but awfully stiff.

Costacat
Member

07-15-2000

Monday, March 13, 2006 - 9:08 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Costacat a private message Print Post    
Just be careful if you have super strong sunny days and lots of black garments. The sun can bleach the color right out.

I don't have a clothesline, but I do hang a few clothes to dry (in my shower, with the window open). Clothes that are dried outside are not quite as soft (jeans can be quite stiff, in fact) but they smell so lovely!

And definitely get clothespins -- wooden or plastic -- if you don't already. They'll be in the section where they sell ironing boards and other laundry type things. And most stores that have "dollar days" sell clothespins, although they may be kinda cheap.

I think "too cold" would be you don't want 'em to freeze. And you kinda want 'em to dry in a decent amount of time, so if it's really cold, maybe keep 'em indoors. And too windy? Unless dirt/dust is blowing, or they are blowing off the line, I don't think there is a too windy.

Mamapors
Member

07-29-2004

Monday, March 13, 2006 - 9:34 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Mamapors a private message Print Post    
I like some things dried on a line, but not linens. They do smell really good, but are stiff. Towels especially. And even sheets. And yes jeans. I often dry things inside like Costa with a window open. They don't seem to get as stiff.

Kaili
Member

08-31-2000

Monday, March 13, 2006 - 9:49 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Kaili a private message Print Post    
They're still always at my dad's because it's Arizona and it all dries in like 10 minutes in the summer. He hangs it out at night but it still gets crunchy. Not so much here in Wisconsin. I live in an apartment and don't have a line, but I've dried stuff out on the balcony before and I always hang out my sleeping bags after camping to air out.

Landi
Member

07-29-2002

Monday, March 13, 2006 - 9:49 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Landi a private message Print Post    
i love sheets dried outside

Saxywildcat
Member

05-30-2005

Monday, March 13, 2006 - 10:26 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Saxywildcat a private message Print Post    
Wow! I'm so happy with all these quick responses!!

I do have clothespins! We bought a bag of like 100 at walmart for really cheap.

As far as jeans go, I had read something online about throwing them in the dryer for a couple of minutes to get the wrinkles out before putting them on the line. I did that, and I wore them today, they weren't stiff at all.

I did use liquid softner. I pulled out my downy balls from college since I'm not sure how I'm supposed to use the thing with the washer we got with the house.

Most of the time, I hear people say they LOVE sheets dried outside. I am definitely going to try it next time I was my sheets. With the load I did this weekend, I don't think anything was too stiff. Although, with jeans, if I find them to get too stiff, I'll start drying them inside with a window open. I certainly don't want to use my dryer for just a pair of jeans. It's heated by gas, so with the gas prices as they are.. I am GLAD GLAD GLAD to have our clothes line! :-D

Here's another question.. when talking about pants, jeans or otherwise, do you hang them by the waistband or the cuffs? Where do you hang shirts and t-shirts from?

Landi
Member

07-29-2002

Monday, March 13, 2006 - 10:39 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Landi a private message Print Post    
you hang all clothes from the bottom. if you hand shirts from the shoulder, they'll have a pinch to them. also jeans from the hem so that the weight of the waist pulls them out. and i used to dry everything outside and then 10-15 minutes in the dryer to get soft.

Saxywildcat
Member

05-30-2005

Monday, March 13, 2006 - 10:44 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Saxywildcat a private message Print Post    
Yeah, I hung my shirts and pants from the bottom. what I hung from the waist was our underwear.

That's also a good idea about a few minutes in the dryer to soften them, if they aren't soft enough already.

Thanks again everyone!!!

Froggiegirl621
Member

02-14-2003

Monday, March 13, 2006 - 10:53 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Froggiegirl621 a private message Print Post    
Cool thread! I love to use my clothes lines in the spring and summer months - what a great way to save energy.

My tips have probably been shared already:
1. use liquid fabric softner.
2. throw everything in the dryer for 5 mins. before hanging outside - it gets the wrinkles out and it definitely helps things dry nicer and softer.
3. I use a timer to help myself remember there's a load in the dryer that needs to come out! Often times I'd get into doing something else and then remember a 1/2 hour later, only to find the load practically dry already.

When I hang jeans or pants I hang them by the waistbands. I've seen them done the other way but I find that most clothes-pins leave marks and they are much easier to hide at the waistband than at the cuff. T-shirts I hang by the bottom but not at the very bottom, I try to have a few inches of the bottom of the shirt hang over the line (if that makes sense). I find it helps keep the shape better. You can also hang tops/t-shirts on hangers and use a couple clothes pins to secure the hanger to the line.

I hang-dry/air-dry a lot of my laundry, even if it's not spring or summer. I bought one of those drying racks (I now actually have two) and have it set up right in my laundry area. I air-dry all our jeans, all Steve's work pants, any shirts or tops that I don't want to shrink or lose shape, t-shirts, you name it. I always throw everything in the dryer for 5 mins. and then hang them to dry - my clothes come out so nice. The only loads I run through the dryer when its not nice out are my towels, sheets, underwear and socks. I'm a laundry fanatic!


Skootz
Member

07-23-2003

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 - 4:36 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Skootz a private message Print Post    
I love my clothes line and wouldn't do without it. I would definately use fabric softner.

Personally I don't use the dryer first, however we are in the country and its really windy so the wrinkles come right out.

You will find that your whites will be come brighter and whiter as the sun is a natural bleaching agent. It worked wonders on spit up messes from the kids that looked like the clothes are stained, wash them and let them hang in the sun outside..and presto...stains gone.

Graceunderfyre
Member

01-21-2004

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 - 9:32 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Graceunderfyre a private message Print Post    
I prefer to hang everything on a clothes line! I love it - I also used cloth diapers and found sun bleaching the best way to keep Jai's diapers white.

My word of advice...don't use fabric softner on your towels - it makes them lose absorbancy.

Nickovtyme
Member

07-29-2004

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 - 9:34 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Nickovtyme a private message Print Post    
When we bought our house....my wife wanted a clothesline. I bought some sturdy 4x4's, set them in the ground with concrete; placed 2x4's as the cross-beams; ran the stinking clothesline...



and she hardly uses it. Go figure.

Saxywildcat
Member

05-30-2005

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 - 9:55 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Saxywildcat a private message Print Post    
Nick - Sorry she rarely uses it, but that is funny! LOL

I want to see if I can dig up our poles and re-put them in the ground in concrete, further apart and put up some new clothesline. A little more line would be great. And they lean in alittle once there are clothes on the line, so I want them in the ground a little sturdier. I may ask my dad his opinion, he's got experience with fence poles! LOL

Springer
Member

03-12-2004

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 - 11:15 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Springer a private message Print Post    
Clotheslines bring up fond memories of my grandmother.

Every year during spring and fall cleaning she would hang her heavy drapes out on the line to air out. She rarely could afford to have them cleaned professionally but at least they got aired out....and then she would beat them with a baseball bat to get the dust off of them.

The same with her oriental rugs (on cloudy days). They would hang out all day and it was everyone's turn in the family to beat those rugs until sundown.

Mocha
Member

08-12-2001

Wednesday, March 15, 2006 - 7:24 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Mocha a private message Print Post    
I hated as a kid hanging my clothes outside on the line. I would hide my undies in my jeans or something. But that's cuz we didn't have a dryer. But today I never see people hanging clothes outside. They don't even have clotheslines out anymore. Must be a home owners assoc thing.

Juju2bigdog
Member

10-27-2000

Wednesday, March 15, 2006 - 12:31 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Juju2bigdog a private message Print Post    
When we erected a clothesline in our yard in Miami in 1980 our neighbor promptly put up a pirvacy fence. LOL.

Teachmichigan
Member

07-22-2001

Wednesday, March 15, 2006 - 2:12 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Teachmichigan a private message Print Post    
For the seven years I lived in a trailer on our property, I used the clothesline as much as possible. Being in the middle of nowhere meant the only one to see our laundry were the deer and the turkeys! (Once in awhile they got to see us running in our undies out to get something to wear, too! LOL).

Now that we've built our house on the property, we're in the middle of the woods, and the only "good" place for a clothesline is the original one -- which is a good 300 feet from the house! Haven't hung out any clothes since moving -- lugging laundry that far just isn't worht it!

Calamity
Member

10-18-2001

Wednesday, March 15, 2006 - 2:18 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Calamity a private message Print Post    
I did use my clothesline (actually there were 3 lines between the poles) until it got taken out by a falling branch from my neighbor's tree during an ice storm last year. I hope to get it back up this year. It's often very windy out here, what with all the fields and pastures.

Saxywildcat
Member

05-30-2005

Wednesday, March 15, 2006 - 6:07 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Saxywildcat a private message Print Post    
I had a thought while I was hanging my clothes out... And i thought, that's a nutty thought.. But I was like.. "Am I crazy to not care that my neighbors may see my undies?" ROFL I know, I'm a nut

Pamznic
Member

03-01-2006

Saturday, March 18, 2006 - 2:01 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Pamznic a private message Print Post    
Dear Saxy -
You are not crazy I'm with you all the way. I don't use the clothes line very much but when weather permits I hang all of our pillows out. Nothing like fresh smelling pillows to lay ones head on at night.

Mameblanche
Member

08-24-2002

Saturday, March 18, 2006 - 4:14 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Mameblanche a private message Print Post    
Mom has ALWAYS used a clothesline... I find clothes smell fresher. But I'm too lazy. It's the electric dryer for me. :-)

Jagger
Member

08-07-2002

Saturday, March 18, 2006 - 4:28 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jagger a private message Print Post    
I grew up with cloths dried outside, they always smelled so good. When I first moved into my place I had a cloths line, I used it for a few summers but decided I wanted a garden more than a cloths line.

My mom always told me to turn the cloths inside out to keep the sun from ruining the color.

Costacat
Member

07-15-2000

Saturday, March 18, 2006 - 4:56 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Costacat a private message Print Post    
Even if I could, I wouldn't dry my sheets outside on a line. There's a reason why I buy 500 TC sheets (ultra soft!)! :-)}

When I was in Greece, I had the housekeeper at the mansion I was staying at do laundry for me. They didn't have a dryer, and not much in the way of modern washers, either. She did a great job washing my jeans, but then they were put thru a wringer, and THEN hung on the line. Talk about STIFF!!! Almost couldn't even move in 'em. And definitely wishing I'd brought granny panties with me instead of my thongs since OMG they were uncomfy until they kinda broke in! <wink>