Why in the world would anyone hang their clothes on a clothesline? I remember growing up and staying at my Grandma Ruby’s house. She had a washing machine that had a wringer on the top of it. My uncles would tell me horror stories about people losing arms, their head, and even their lives!!!! I had tremendous respect for that machine and walked as far away from it as I could get. When Grandma would finish the ‘wershing’ part, we would all go outside to hang the clothes up to dry. (She had sunflowers near the clothesline that reached all the way up to the sky. They were even taller than my grandmother!)
Hanging laundry still brings me some sort of peace and happiness inside. But are there any benefits to hanging your clothes to dry?
Clothesline Pros
- Dryers beat your clothes up and reduce the life span
- Energy savings = vacation bucks!
- Sun kills bacteria
- Staines get bleached out
- Smells like the sun
- Burns more calories to hang laundry on a clothesline than it does to dump them into the dryer
- Teaches your children that there is more than one way to accomplish a goal and to be more self-reliant.
Clothesline Cons
- Even though the sun kills bacteria if it is humid outside and you do not let your clothes dry all the way you may have more bacteria. They have to dry completely!
- Bright colored clothes will fade if you put them in the direct sunlight. They need to dry in the shade with a lot of wind.
- Pollen will stick to your clothes
- Smells like the sun
- Clothes are crunchy
- HOA says no
At our home, we hang clothes to dry inside on a drying rack in the winter, and it seems to add a little water back into the air. We aim the air purifier on the clothes rack, and it helps the clothes dry out faster. During the summer, we put that same rack on the deck for when the weather is iffy.
My entire adult life, I have wanted a clothesline like my Grandma Rubys, and this spring, my husband and his friend made me one of my very own. Ya, there are times I put the towels in the dryer to make them soft and so I can smell the dryer sheets. But, mostly, I hang laundry out to dry just because it makes me happy.
For more things that make me happy; read my blog about spring cleaning!
Attacking adventures, searching for amazing food, and finding new friends. Home in Branson, MO, or exploring Disney, I am searching for deals, finding new experiences, and sharing stories along the way.