Simple Ways: Using a Clothesline–8 Reasons

If you read anything about simplifying and creating a more “analog” life these days, I can assure you that you’ll run across many of the same suggestions. You’ll be advised to use candlelight or go for walks in the park or make some sourdough bread. No where near the top of the list will you be encouraged to clip wet laundry to a string in your backyard. The cozy aesthetics just aren’t there.

But if you’re truly looking for ways to live a slower, simpler life, drying your clothes on a clothesline is the way to go. But who knew I’d come up with 8 reasons in defense of a clothesline??

Tradition. This is the weakest reason, so I’ll get it out of the way first. Just because something’s been done for hundreds (thousands?) of years doesn’t mean that we should continue doing it. (For example, I’m ok with not heating my bathwater over an open fire.) But, hanging laundry outside IS a practice with a long history that works just as well today as it ever has. I used to hang laundry on the same clothesline that my husband’s grandma used in the 1940s, using her clothespins. It’s a link to the past.

Frugality. What’s cheaper than the literal air in your backyard? There’s no initial cost of a dryer, no maintenance, no electricity or gas to run it. You can calculate the cost to run your own dryer, but 50 cents a load is the number I’ve settled on for me. It’s not a budget breaker. But, depending on your budget and the other ways you’d like to spend money, it’s something you might consider.

Fresh air is typically less harsh on your laundry than the heat of a dryer. Your clothing will last longer, saving you some expense there.

Sunshine. Sunshine kills germs. Laundry can get a musty smell, especially when it isn’t able to dry quickly. Using a drying rack or clothesline indoors can be the worst. Once upon a time, sunshine could bleach out the color in clothing. Maybe it’s due to more colorfast modern dyes, but I’ve never seen any color fading happen to laundry hung on a clothesline for a few hours. I purposely hang whites outside all day in hopes of maintaining the bright white. (Here’s my other favorite way to keep whites white–check out this post.)

Fabric softening. Laundry hung on a clothesline for a few hours in even a light breeze will relax the wrinkles, smooth them all out and leave your clothes soft. No chemical fabric softener necessary!

Slowing down. Of course you don’t have 10 minutes to spend hanging a load of laundry out on the line. You have a million things to do. But maybe that’s why you need to take a few minutes to breathe and do a quiet task. Related to that–

Fresh air. We know we need to spend more time outside but there are so many tasks that can only be done indoors. It’s nice to be able to get a household chore done while spending some time out in the sunshine. (And incidentally, it’s a job that can keep children busy if the line is low enough.)

Fabric preservation. Modern fabrics are largely made of synthetic fabrics. Some of them are essentially plastic, so putting them in the high heat of a dryer not only releases those chemicals (gross) but it wears out the fabric more quickly. Air drying is a much more gentle method of drying.

Scent. Even if the other reasons didn’t exist, I’d hang my laundry outside for just this reason alone. (Maybe my thrill threshold is rather low.) The fragrance of laundry dried on a clothesline is one of a kind. No artificial fragrance can ever duplicate it, no matter what the label says. Hang your sheets, bedding, and throw blankets outside to dry and the scent will fill your room. It’s heavenly.

The best, sturdiest clotheslines are strung between metal poles cemented into the ground. It’s not always practical, however, if you don’t have the yard space to devote to your laundry.

For my current needs and situation, I’ve settled on 2 retractable lines. These are the ones I have. They’ve lasted me 3+ years so far with weekly use.

If even a retractable clothesline is impractical for your use, drying racks set up outside, even on a patio or balcony, do the job just fine. They’re actually ideal if you’re shy about having your “unmentionables” dancing in the breeze on full display for the neighborhood. They’re also nice if you find it a tedious task to clip dozens of socks onto a clothesline.

Clothespins

I recommend using the wooden “clip” style clothespins. The peg style looks quaint and old-fashioned but there isn’t any give to them. Either your laundry is too thick and the pressure snaps one side off, or it’s too thin and won’t get a grip secure enough to hold it on the line. If you can find some old clothespins at a thrift store or estate sale, those are the best. Like most things, they’re much better quality.

When to Avoid Using a Clothesline

There are very few times that I’d recommend not hanging laundry outside, besides the obvious conditions, like a rainstorm.

• Around any kind of fire. Whether it’s a campfire, burning leaves, or trash, the smell will stick to wet laundry. You’ll have to re-wash it to get the smell out.
• Allergy season. If you have significant reactions to pollen, you may want to avoid hanging laundry outside in the height of pollen season, when it’s floating and sticks to everything.

What about winter time? In the snow? You may not be able to wade through the snowdrifts to get to the clothesline, but if you can, you can definitely hang laundry outside in the winter. It just won’t dry as quickly, so you may even want to leave it out overnight.

If it’s cold enough, each piece of clothing will freeze into a stiff, flat panel that you’ll probably have to pry off the line. It’s called freeze drying. When it thaws, it will be dry or at least, mostly dry.

One Last Thought

A book written in 1884 advises young housewives on essential laundry equipment, but most necessary, “above all, a well-kept grass-plot for the drying ground where no dust, no hens or weeds can mar your clean washings.”

So there you go.

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