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Ode To A Clothesline
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Posted by kittysmith z9Houston (My Page) on Fri, Aug 31, 07 at 17:58
When I was little, one of the best things about summer next to ice cream was running through the wet sheets as they hung on the line. I have fond and vivid memories of my late mother hanging things up to dry, so I have been practically giddy since I started using a clothesline again! My house, built in 1952, (the same year I was...) just has one lonesome clothesline "T" overgrown with a beautiful Snail Vine. I've anchored the other end of the cotton line to an unsuspecting tree and a'hanging I go every sunny Sunday.
I still can't get over how fresh the clothes smell...embarrassing as it is, I walk around sniffing them WAY too often. I'm sure I'll get over it someday.
I'm adding vinegar to my rinse cycle to soften things and will order a clothesline ratchet from Lehman's Hardware to tighten up that line. Any wrinkles in my knit shirts smooth out as I wear them, but I may have to iron some of the cotton ones...or not.
It's amazing how nice and sweet a chore this is...just have to keep an eye out for storm clouds! |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Ode To A Clothesline
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I've got a clothesline too. It hangs from my second floor laundry room. I love the way the clothes smell too. There's nothing like sheet fresh off the line.
It also cuts down on on pilling on certain fabrics, extending their life. I found if you hang jeans from the pant legs instead of the waist they have less wrinkles in them when you take them off the line, elimates any ironing. |
RE: Ode To A Clothesline
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| Glad to come across this thread. My wife is fond of photographing clothes on the line - 'laundry art' - and create her own paintings from them. Vinegar in the rinse wash - I hadn't heard of that. We always put baking soda in with the detergent because we have hard water - does vinegar do the same job - or better? And no residual smell? Here's a link to a book put out a while ago by a Nova Scotia woman. She was featured on a tv show, On the Road Again. She had gatherings of local women at a community hall discuss how clothes 'ought' to be hung on the line. She would take an item out of the basket at her feet, hold it up and elicit opinions. Very entertaining. |
Here is a link that might be useful: mrs. clothesline
RE: Ode To A Clothesline
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| Thanks Paul! I will have to get a copy of that book soon; it looks right up my alley. We have hard water here, too, and I will try adding some baking soda to the wash water. I haven't had any problem with a vinegar smell at all; I don't add a lot to the rinse, just a good glug. My main problem is remembering to do it. The past two weekends, I 've had to run outside to pull the wash off the line because of rainstorms, but it still cut down on the drying time, at least. I am loving it! |
RE: Ode To A Clothesline
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| Great thread! What could be greener than clothes hanging in the sunshine? Free resource, quick-drying, and that fresh smell not duplicated by any dryer sheet. |
RE: Ode To A Clothesline
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I just stumbled upon a great site for clothesline activism: a "Right-to-Dry" movement that combats homeowners associations that ban hanging your clothes out to dry!
It's called Project Laundry List.
Who knew that laundry could be so controversial??! |
Here is a link that might be useful: Project Laundry List
RE: Ode To A Clothesline
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I love my clothesline. Nothing feels better than to cover up with sheets that smell like "outside".
When I was considering buying my house and was showing it to my Mom, the first thing she said when we pulled into the drive was. "You have trellises on your clothesline!" Now I have morning glories blooming on them. Sweet! Jackie |
RE: Ode To A Clothesline
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- Posted by mayalena 6 - MetroWest Boston (My Page) on
Tue, Sep 18, 07 at 5:59
I must say -- my kids are allergic to pollen. I love the idea of hanging things out, but the allergist says that will really trigger their allergies...
:( |
RE: Ode To A Clothesline
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| This Italian website, linked to on Project laundnry List, tells you whether today is a good day to dry laundry in a city nearest you. Here is Halifax Nova Scotia. Cool! http://www.stendibiancheria.net/?city=halifax&country=canada&lang=en I don't understand the reasoning behind home owners assoc. bans on hanging laundry outdoors. How are such bans typically worded? |
Here is a link that might be useful: a good to to dry?
RE: Ode To A Clothesline
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| I love my clothesline too and have used one for my entire adult life (I'm 62). I owned a dryer for only a very short period when my son was in high school, and I used it only in emergencies. I'm of the opinion that people who don't own dryers and use only clotheslines should be given tax breaks. I'm serious about this. Dryers pull a lot of energy and can cost up to $1.50/day to run. Think of how many more people would dump that dryer if they got a tax break. |
RE: Ode To A Clothesline
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| Our HOA handbook states something to the effect that no permanent clothesline can be installed on any parcel, and that only temporary clothes drying racks may be used, placed out of the view of neighbors...and must be taken in at night. (I violate that one all the time, my racks stay out pretty frequently.) |
RE: Ode To A Clothesline
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| There's nothing like the fresh scent of sheets that have dried on the clothesline in spring. So refreshing! |
RE: Ode To A Clothesline
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Someone posted this on another forum. Wish I could remember who. But, anyway, In Florida it's illegal for HOA to prevent one from using a clothes line. I live in Florida but have no HOA and love using my clothes line.
I tried to post a link to the law but am doing something wrong. You can google florida clothesline law and find it. http://www.fsec.ucf.edu/en/consumer/solar_hot_water/q_and_a/rights.htm |
RE: Ode To A Clothesline
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| When I cruised down one of my favorite alleys the other day on a "leaf-lurking" expedition (to pick up bagged leaves for the compost), I noticed one of the homeowners had about half a dozen pairs of jeans draped over the gate to dry in the sun. This is a brick-home, privacy-fence, all-things-must-be-perfect neighborhood. The jeans hanging on the fence looked so down-to-earth, it made me smile. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Florida Law re: Clotheslines & Solar Panels
RE: Ode To A Clothesline
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- Posted by vrie 3/4 MT (My Page) on
Sun, Jan 6, 08 at 18:33
| Even in the frigid north, clotheslines can be year round! Windy days are great! We built a clothesline next to the garden, and use the fence for the big heavy blankets, etc. I'm allergic to dryer sheets, so the only smell I get is from the line! And on cold wet days, we have banisters and a drying rack. Oh dear, now I'm thinking of what would grow up my laundry poles! However, my daughter (allergic to bees) would FLIP! |
RE: Ode To A Clothesline
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| Just a random question...does anyone clothesline in the Phoenix area? I'd like to start but the dust here is sooo fine & gets everywhere. Bissell imports Arizona dirt to test the power of their vaccums. Thanks. |
RE: Ode To A Clothesline
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| My Dh put a wire clothesline between 2 trees 2 years ago. I told him of all the things he's done for me over the years, that's the BEST! I put about 3/4 c. white vinegar in the rinse water in a top loading machine. Not only does it soften the clothes, but it kills bacteria. It's good exercise running up & down the stairs. :) You don't smell it when the clothes are dry. Have you read what chemicals are in those dryer shees!? During rainy or winter days, I have 2 wooden drying racks. What a difference it made in our electric bill. |
RE: Ode To A Clothesline
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- Posted by alley 7b Ft. Worth, Tx (My Page) on
Sun, Nov 9, 08 at 8:37
| I hang my clothes on a line most of the time, but I actually don't like the smell. I live near a highway (about 2 blocks away), so that may be part of it. About a cup (or half--have to read the box) of borax will also soften the water. So will washing soda (different from baking soda) |
RE: Ode To A Clothesline
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| There is a laundry detergent that you can make that calls for Fels Naptha Soap, borax & washing soda. I've been using it for years. Then I add vinegar to the rinse cycle. |
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