Staying in Line. . .or On the Lines...or Lining UP!

You can chose today's headline for my thoughts today from my laundry "palace" where I don my 'fairy status' to get my family's duds all cleaned and prepared for another round of life!

With the washer swishing, the dryer dinging, and yup~the clothesline full~laundry is getting done as fast and best I can with my budget in mind.

If you don't have a clothes line, you could be missing a wonderful opportunity to save on your laundry expenses each month! Line drying is good for the really heavy items like towels, blankets, and blue jeans...not to mention the scent of freshness that the sunshine offers. If you've ever dealt with soured clothing or strong odors such as garlic, then you know how hard it is to get fresh smelling cloth from normal cleansing...try hanging it in the open air~not under a tree, but open where the breezes and sunshine can get to it...I used to hang all my white uniforms to keep them whitened because bleach can yellow some fabrics when I was working as a nurse. Of course these were the days when nurses wore white! But the only real draw back I can think of to line drying could be allergies for most situations, and of course weather...clothes won't dry in WET weather~duh!! lol!

Be sure that you monitor the weather when your clothing is out~rain water doesn't "hurt" it, but it can make the drying time a whole lot longer...

I sent out two huge loads...yeah, we use this many towels...and my hubby reminds me of a 70% chance of rain~well, I am monitoring the situation: any drying time is better than none! AND I can bring in "almost" dry towels and clothing and throw in the dryer to soften if they don't get totally dry. Note that your towels will be rougher, and if you will consider this, it could be a benefit for your skin...it will remove more dead cells and create softer skin~now if you have a condition that this would not benefit, I'd use what my doctor has recommends~but if not~give it a try! I have also put up drying racks and lines inside our home before as well! This was in a situation where our dryer was down~and it's not only rain that is a problem~clothes freezing on the line are no good too ;-))

Do you have a place? Can you string up a line or two to save some on your costs?

I have used the bathroom shower bar to hang clothes hangers with wet clothing~be sure and shake and straighten out the item before you leave it to dry...or it will need ironing! Oh how I detest this most! But if you hang your items carefully on the line or hangers, they will come out nice and ready to be either folded or placed in the closet...be sure the items are thoroughly dry too: they will sour and smell if not adequately dried before storage! Feel all over the article of clothing~especially the thicker areas like cuffs and collars, pockets and hems! BE SURE they are dry before storage!!

Another tip in clothes line procedures is to use care in hanging unmentionables~I always dry these in my dryer, but when I have not had access to one~in the past, I would hang these on inside lines between other clothing or items...I personally don't want to see peoples "drawers" on the line drying! It's too personal, but hanging them where they are privately drying is a good solution...call it PRIDE! ;-))

Line drying might be extreme~yes, some of the suggestions I make are that for sure~but if we want to consider thrift practices that are solid ways to live on less we should look at all the options~and remember this: it's not been all that many years that it was common practice~the ONLY practice for drying was line drying!

Hanging Out today~watching the sky~enjoying the breeze!