Use a Clothesline

It's summer here. As you know the minute I can I head out and hang my clothes on my umbrella style clothes line. 

 

I wish I could say that I am in the majority, that people all around are hanging out their laundry. Sadly, I am not. 

People all over are still cramming clothes into the dryer despite the fact that it is 90 degrees out and those same clothes would dry just as well outside. 

So I say to you all, try it. It's fun, all the cool kids are doing it, see? 

Plus you can say you are being green, which is cool now. And it's retro, also cool. 

 

As if all this wasn't reason enough, for actual stats and $ amounts look here. Project Laundry List is a treasure trove of information and resources. 
 

And if those pictures from the Gulf make you feel sad and helpless, do something. Do something small to cut your energy consumption. Do something simple to show your children how to take care of the Earth. Yes, your towels will be a little stiff, but that's such a tiny sacrifice, and it's worth it, don't you think?

Comments

[Tammy]

I hang every day on exactly that kind of stand on my balcony =) The Swiss are very green like that...they even ahng their clothes out in the winter and the average household doesn't even own a dryer!

[Katherine Simpson]

I've always loved the Swiss :)

[Lindy]

The "cool kids are doing it" - hanging our laundry that is :) More and more states are making it illegal for HOAs to tell people they can't hang laundry. Actually, perhaps it is these HOAs that need to be made illegal!

I've been hanging my laundry all my life. When I was a little girl I could not understand how my mother could hang laundry in the middle of a Michigan winter (the clothes would freeze stiff as boards) and they came in the house and would be dry. I will never forget how wonderful they smelled. It wasn't until I took a chemistry class in college and learned about freeze-dried and evaporation and all that good scientific stuff that I understood why my mother's clothes could dry when they were frozen.

Another thing all "cool kids" have to do - grow as much of our own food as possible.

Enough for now, Lindy

[Angela]

I love my umbrella clothesline. I've set a personal goal to use it more. Unfortunately Hubby refuses to use it and does marathon loads of laundry Saturday mornings while I'm working at the Farmers' Market. :(
I've been trying to get all the laundry done during the week on the line but the Michigan weather and my work schedule haven't been cooperating. Better luck this week, huh?
Anyway I found your site when I was looking for a pattern for clothespin bags. Thanks for sharing!

[Katherine Simpson]

Angela, you should check out that link for Project Laundry List, you can find all kids of reasons to use a clothesline, but the one I found works the best is the money you save on your energy bill! Good Luck!!