An Old Green Idea
Here's the only part of house work that I truly enjoy; hanging out the wash is a win-win-win-win situation.First, you get about 15 minutes of sunny, fresh air while your arm muscles get toned - well, not really about the arm muscles. Nothing short of weightlifting or yoga will do that.
Second win, your clothes smell like heaven when they come in off the line. There is no dryer sheet in the world that can match the scent of air-dried clothes, sheets and towels.
Third bonus, it uses no man-generated energy at all. That wonderful old sun does it all for you at no cost.
For those of you who say, "I don't have time to hang out the wash," I reply, "Of course you do!"
Most washers take half the time to do a load than dryers do; so while your next load is washing, you are hanging out the first load. Then, you can just go away and read a good book, commute to work, have coffee with a pal, take your sweetie to bed - whatever! - and come back a few hours later to find it all dry, sweet-smelling and ready to be folded away into closets and drawers where it will perfume your life. It actually takes far less time and waiting around for the darn dryer to ding at you!
It's an old idea whose time has come around again - let's string up our clotheslines and show the neighbors our best undies!
posted by Zoomie at
10:11 PM
10 Comments:
I too don't hate doing the laundry and just love the smell of sun-dried clothes. And sheets, a bed freshly made with sun-dried sheets is one of the simple joys of life.
Oh, and thanks for delurking, the potato pizze is one of our favourites!
Now, I would go back to that. But the clothes while naturally perfumed are a bit stiff. Perhaps you can tell us how to make smooth and fluffy, like gran' ma used to! Mo
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
dancingmm: Wow, you said it with the sheets! Just love that scent and sliding in to surround self with it!
Mo: Yes, the clothes are a little stiff but I love drying myself after a shower with the slightly scratchy towels - it feels good as well as smells good. And the clothes soften after a few minutes of wearing. Ask your granny how she made them soft - maybe ironing? I don't iron, I just wear them 'til they soften. :-)
I didn't realise there was any other way to dry your washing until I move to the USA six years ago.
Can you buy those here?
Not that I have a garden to put it in.
I do have a clotheshorse I use though.
sam: Welcome! I got mine at a hardware store and had a hole drilled in my deck to fit the stem. The deck is not large - they don't take up much room and they fold like an umbrella to store.
Sorry to be so late with my comment.
Clothesline! Yay!
Dammit, Zoomie, we have all gone green again. (Boomers rock.)
I've strung up a rope between the patio overhang support posts. Don't want to put up anything too heavy, but... heavenly.
cookiecrumb: Yes, I think this green thing is an extension of our tree-hugging, hippie, makelovenotwar personas of the sixties and seventies. What could be nicer?
Absolutely! I'm sure that so many eco-aware, sustainable food spouting crazies don't think twice before tossing their laundry in the dryer. I live in San Diego, and it's a crime that people don't hang up their laundry in this climate.
To the person who wondered about stiffness, that stiff feeling goes away within seconds of putting on a shirt or pair of pants. For towels, I just give them a good hearty shake before hanging up and again when taking them down (think: fluffing a pillow). When you're folding the towels, run your hands back and forth over the terry. They won't be fluffy like from the dryer, but you'll find that this does help.
Maia, thank you for the wisdom about softening the stiff sun-dried clothes. I agree that it takes only seconds for the clothes to soften and the first time you use the towel, it's soft after that, even without the hand fluffing!
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home