I've had two retractable clothes lines for quite a long time now, they are attached to my pergola on either side of the path leading up to the pool room. I wouldn't be without them. About halfway up the path we have a piece of plastic pipe stuck in the ground to hold a pole brace if needed when hanging heavier items, this also takes the weight off the reel, my lines are approx. 7 feet off the ground and they do sag with heavier items, another reason for the brace. I hang sheets, blankets, wet towels, actually everything on these lines. Having the two lines gives me approx. 40 feet of line. When not in use they are out of sight. The link below shows something similar to what I have. Mine are made with plastic coated wire, not nylon cord.
Annette

Here is a link that might be useful: Clothesline

I had the old fashioned T-pole ones for years, then when they had to put in a new drain field, they pulled them out and never put them back. So I got one of the umbrella type, it works, but for some reason my dog thinks if it is on the clothes line, it is a toy! Anything I hang, get torn to bits if I don't watch him.

Last time I put something on there, it was a blanket, and I hung it folded across the wires. I forgot about the dog thing, needless to say, the dog had his fun, I lost a blanket, but the funniest part was that in order to actually pull the blanket off the line, he ended up bending the poles all up!

I have asked the DH to put the pole in a different spot, one where if I want to use it, I can chain the dog.

Jenny P

I have a 'solar dryer'. It's is like Nell's, but I leave mine in place. It's in it's own little area. I really enjoy hanging up clothes and everything smells so wonderful being line dried. In our 39 years of marriage, we only tried a 'found' dryer, using it a couple of times. Did not like seeing the meter spinning around, and quit using it. There is something very soothing about hanging up laundry to dry outdoors.

FlowerLady

I think if anyone can turn a clothesline into a thing of beauty it will be you, Gottagaren. : ) And I have seen a few in magazines over the years that were very nicely done and did not look tacky.

But here's a few things to consider:

Do any of you have allergies? One of the first things our allergist asked when DH was being tested to see what was causing all his allergies was "do you hang clothes outside?" He said that allergens cling to the laundry and get carried inside, making things worse if pollen and such were part of the problem for the patient. He said dirt and other pollutants also get into the fibers and the clothes can actually be dirtier than before they were hung out to dry.

Have you checked out the new front loader W/Ds? We have the Kenmore HE4 set, a few years old, and they are highly efficient. I absolutely love them and would never go back to the old kind. And we have definitely seen a decrease in our fuel usage from them, along with the KA DW dishdrawers we installed during our remodel. We are on propane which has gone over $3 a gallon, plus the electric always seems to be going up. We are actually using less power than in the last 3 years.

Do you like the "feel" of the clothes when they come off the line? I know I don't even with using fabric softener in the wash.

Do you really have the time to hang clothes? Or do you really want to? I can think of a lot more ways to spend my time, like being in the garden. ; )

I realize there is a lot of nostalgia surrounding clotheslines and the whole "fresh air" drying idea, but I personally think it's overblown. Or maybe it's just I'm remembering the loads and loads of laundry I had to hang to dry when I was a kid. Been there, done that, not going to do it again. lol!

Just some things to consider. I hope no one takes any offense to my personal opinions. : )

Diana

gottagarden there's a thread over at the going green forum that you might be interested in. Here in Australia everyone uses clotheslines and it only takes 5 minutes to hang up a load of washing so it's not as much drudgery as you might think. There are lots of different types now that retract, fold down etc when not in use

Here is a link that might be useful: clotheslines

5 minutes? C'mon, that's a bit exaggerated. : ) And one load is one thing. If you have a family like she has you're going to be doing lots more than one load a week. It's just DH and me and I do at least 8-9 loads a week.

I know you weren't asking about washers but another thing I meant to say was the minimal water usage with the front loader washers. A traditional top loader uses 40-50 gallons of water per load while a front loader uses about 15-18 gallons per load. Something to consider with all the talk of water shortages.

Diana

yep, 5 minutes angelcub, I have never owned a dryer and all my washing is hung on a line (always has been). I dont do just one load either, I do several loads a week. I put the clothes on to wash, go off and do something else come back, spend 5 minutes hanging it up, while the next load is getting started. I often get home from work, do a load and hang it up at in the evening and then just take it off the next evening when it's dry. People here have always used clotheslines, I think most people in countries where they are just a normal part of life would think it's weird to use a dryer when the sun is shining.

angel, it's obvious you are very against them from your comments, and Im not trying to get into an arguement but I think you are way exaggerating about how time consuming it is and allergies etc. If your allergies are so bad you cant hang up your washing, then you probably couldnt go outside and garden either.

My sister lives in southern California and doesn't own a dryer. She dries all her laundry on a clothesline.

I had metal T-poles with 3 clotheslines for years. The poles were painted green and tended to blend into the background. I grew Carolina Jasmine on one, but within a few years it overtook about 1/3 of the line space.

The poles were removed a couple years ago when we did an addition. Now I have a retractable line that runs from the garden shed to the screened porch. I don't use it much, but it's nice to have.

I agree with gldno1 that clothes drying out on a line could look very cottagey. I used to hang mine out, back when I had a large lot. Mine was in the woods, which kept things from fading ....and surprisingly, I rarely had anything hit by bird droppings.

The biggest problem for me was gathering things in before it would rain.

Sometimes I'd hang a quilt out just cause it looked nice.

Interesting thread. Our dryer died a couple of weeks ago, at the beginning of a week with projected rain every single day. So, we quickly decided that a clothesline couldn't even be a temporary solution, with all that rain!

We were looking at clothes dryers, and dh commented that none of them were Energy Star rated. My comment was that the Energy Star solution would be a clothesline! But, we did at least get one with a moisture sensor (like our old one had), and got the next size bigger than our old one, to hopefully get clothes dried quicker, and I think that's about as good a solution as you can get with a dryer.

But, I sometimes wonder if I would want to use a clothesline at least sometimes. I think the things that discourage me are: 1) the idea of carrying a basket of heavy wet laundry upstairs from the basement to go outside. 2) I usually do all my laundry on the weekend, so that is 4 - 6 loads all at once to find space for. 3) Since I am doing it all at once, if the weather is nasty, I may not have another chance to do it. 4) My washer doesn't buzz when it is done, but my dryer does, so that cues me to switch loads.

I had never thought about the allergy thing - and of course, when the weather is best for hanging out laundry is also when the pollen count is highest, I would think.

Also, I'm not sure where I would fasten the 2nd end of a retractable line. Our house is completely rectangular - well, except for the garage in front, but I'm not about to hang laundry in the L of the front yard! The trees near the back of the house (well, the ones that actually belong to me and not the neighbors) are just little wahoo euonymous trees, so they probably wouldn't be good places for the other end.

But, I have to say, if anyone can make a clothesline look picturesque, it's Gottagarden!

trace, you had me with your first paragraph and I was going to comment on how I admired your ability to hang a load of wash so quickly. But your second paragraph was uncalled for. First of all I am not against clothes lines. Please go back and read my post. I said that I would not be using one, not that others shouldn't use one. And I was only suggesting a few things for gotta to consider if she hadn't already. Second, I noted what our allergist had said in case her family had allergies. I did not say that I or my husband had allergies so bad that we could not hang up our laundry outside. But some people do. What our allergist said is a legitimate and highly researched concern. He is also the head of the allergy/sinus department here at Loma Linda University, a highly respected and world renowned facility. We have no reason to not believe him.

I feel your own defensiveness and favor for clotheslines lead to your remarks, not the other way around. Let's not turn this into a debate over which is better. We're all here to help each other and respect our individual opinions without taking things personally. : )

Diana

This was just a point of discussion on the Household Finances forum I think. Unfortunately, or not, I took out the existing clothesline 7 years ago when I moved here as it was truly an eyesore with rusty pipes and sagging lines, right where I wanted the flower beds to be! I've thought since then about putting in a retractable one as I love the smell of clothes/sheets dried outside...nevermind the bugs that you have to shake out or the rare chance a bird might poop on them. I do have clotheslines in the basement which I use primarily for things I don't want to dry related to shrinkage. I think it would look fine as people have said be a great energy saver. wig

"I said that I would not be using one, not that others shouldn't use one."

diana, I felt your post was very discouraging for anyone thinking about getting a clothesline and if I'd never used one, your post would have put me right off.

"I did not say that I or my husband had allergies so bad that we could not hang up our laundry outside. But some people do. "

lots of people have allergies but your allergies would have to be very bad for clothes on a line to affect it. I have allergies and hayfever but putting on fresh clothes, using a towel, bringing in the washing etc has never set it off. Other things like being outside in windy weather carrying pollen around does though.

"I feel your own defensiveness and favor for clotheslines lead to your remarks"

Im not defensive about clotheslines, it did just frustrate me a bit that as someone who uses one and knowing how easy it is, that you were calling my comments "exaggerated". I'm not the sort of person who thinks everyone should use one, and certainly I can understand people in colder climates who may rely on them, but I also think people should not be discouraged from using clotheslines and that's how your post really came across to me.

I am very passionate about certain issues (not so much clotheslines but Im all for global energy consumption reduction) and I probably do come across as "full on" sometimes without really realising it so I do apologise if it sounded like I was having a go, Im not terribly tactful at times. ;)

I think it is a personal choice..and thank goodness we are able to make those kinds of personal choices and respect the right of others to also make that choice.. I am glad for that ability.

trace, apology accepted. And for the record I meant no harm in "C'mon, that's a bit exaggerated. : )" That's why there was the smiley face after it. I just couldn't imagine someone hanging clothes so fast. But then I'm not the quickest laundress in town. Heck, I'm not that quick at a lot of things anymore. : )

I'm also happy to know your allergies allow you to hang your clothes which you seem to enjoy doing. But I stand by what my allergist says for those with certain allergies, so we'll have to agree to disagree on that matter. It took a while to finally narrow down what was causing my DH's worst symptoms so everything had to be considered, hence the query by the doctor.

Now back on topic - Gotta, I was thinking those half wine barrels might look nice at the ends of the clothes lines, filled with some of your lovely irises. You could change the plantings out seasonally. : )

Diana

I'm with you, Diana. I was one of 6 children and we were poor as church mice. There was no choice but to hang the clothes (LOTS of clothes) outside to dry. Now that I have a choice, I much prefer the inside dryer.

Mary

We have a clothesline at the 1950s bungalow we bought about a year and a half ago. One end is attached to the (raised) back porch, so you only have to step outside the back door to hang laundry.

The other end is attached to a post at the back corner of our lot. Wisteria climbs the post and continuously tries to reach up into nearby electrical lines. Below it, my neighbour's weigala sends shoots loaded with pink flowers over the fence. My alley sun bed lies at its foot.

So I suppose it's pretty cottagey for a clothesline. That said, I don't use it. I use the ancient Viking dryer we also inherited with the house (a more energy efficient one is on the WANT list, but not top priority given all the things the house needs).

I feel guilty about using the dryer so much (I have a husband and one messy toddler) when I see my neighbour's laundry hanging out there most days (she's got two kids). I know I should use the line. But it's SO much easier to pop the clothes into the dryer that's RIGHT beside the washer.

And I don't have to worry my favourite shirt won't be ready when I want it becase an unexpected rain shower drenched it again while it was hanging on the line. I won't have to wait 4 days for a load to dry when the rain won't let up. (I live on the Wet Coast.)

And I don't have to look at it hanging out there. Sure, it looks nice when you're drying sheets and tea towels. Not so cute when you're drying holey underwear and ten thousand socks. As much as I admire her, I hate looking at my neighbour's laundry! ;-) I disapprove of HOAs who make silly rules against people using clothesline, but part of me understands why they do it and secretly wishes my neighbourhood had a silly rule like that. ;-)

I'm trying to do more in terms of energy saving, composting, recycling, and downsizing in other areas of our lives, instead. Maybe one day I'll cave and use the clothesline, but not yet. :-)

I do SO love the smell of sheets hung outside to dry though. (Too bad they're scratchy and hard.)

Thanks everyone!

I have been after my DH for 5 years to put up a line for me. Beleive it or not I live in the woods and don't have any suitable trees to run a line....

This gives me sprit to try and convince him again. I used to have the square umbrella type but didn't like it much. The lines were to close together and I couldn't hang much at a time. I do power washing around here...5 adults and a 2 year old. Washer never stops.

I love the classic type the poles out of the ground like an upside down U and the line in between.

:) karyn

I can just imagine receiving another HOA note that the clothlines are prohibited, and airing my underware must be done in private by using a clothesdrier as all 21st century civilised normal people do.
Though clothelines are very cottagy IMO. I recall my Grandma always drying her clothes outside, even in winter...
Maybe I should try it. It might help spooking rabbits away, since all the sprayers, and other remedies were not much use. My poor Phlox is a history - thanks to them! Sometimes I think they are secret agents of our HOA, trying to get back at me for "disobeying the rules".

I think Diana brought up some very valid points! These are points you do have to consider.

I suffer from spring allergies and my doctor said the same thing about hanging clothes outside, especially bed linens and I quote "What you don't need to be doing is burying your face in a pollen infested pillowcase."

He also advised washing my hair every night before going to bed (same reason as the pillowcase scenario)and keeping our windows shut. In other words avoid the allergen as much as you can, which makes sense. :-)

Another thing is that I live amongst 6.5 million people and we do have ozone alerts primarily from vehicle emissions. It does concern me. Maybe it wouldn't if I lived in rural area. Is air quality something you should consider??? I don't know...

I am giving this some thought. Everyone posting about their preference and experience is very helpful.

I do believe it is a personal decision based on your motivation, volume of laundry, time, climate and frankly, your own preference.

Marilyn

Too many 'crazy' people out there -I would not put my laundry out on display. They could tell a lot about you, if you were single (no mens clothes)or if you had children.

WOW! Thanks everyone! I knew you guys would have experience and give me the scoop. This has been very enlightening. Just call me ignorant, but I didn't know they had retractable lines that were heavy duty for outside. That seems like a GREAT idea. I have a little one for inside that I use for hand washables, but it's lightweight and I didn't realize there were heavy duty ones for outside.

When staying in NZ for almost a month, to my surprise I found it really didn't take that long for hanging up the laundry. I had expected it to be more onerous. And no one in the family has allergies.

I'm not planning to get rid of the dryer, just not use it so much. Even if I don't use the clothesline ALL the time, just using it whenever is a good thing. Being in the garden everyday I go through at least one (sometimes 2 ) pairs of jeans a day. A load of jeans takes forever to dry, would love to just toss them on the line. And sheets, yes , must have spring fresh sheets.

I live in the country, so no one need see my undies, and crazy people would already know I had children from all the primary colored little Tykes play equipment.

I'm a bit of an environmentalist, so I like the idea of using less energy (and saving money). And it seems so obvious to try to use the sun in this sunny weather.

trancegemini and others, thanks for the links. I have followed them and found more info.

I think HOAs prohibiting clotheslines is ridiculous!

This is going to be fun!

When I was a child we too were dirt poor. We had a ringer washer and hung our clothes out on the lines (we had many). I also remember playing hide and seek among the sheets. No, I am not that old, this was in the '60's. When I moved out of my parents house one of the first things I bought was a washer and dryer. A few years later
I abandoned my dryer and had DH put up a clothes line. I find hanging out laundry is "my time". It's quiet, nobody bothers me and I'm near the garden. By the time I check things out in the garden or do some puttering there the next load is done. Now if I can only convince DH to get a ringer washer (I really loved that thing). I forgot the whole point of what I wanted to say, I have Alabama Crimson honeysuckle growing up the T pipes. I just wrapped chicken wire aroung the pole and up it grew, I love it!

"Eduarda,

You have the mini retractable one, right? I like the idea of multiple lines to hang clothes!

How much weight can a retractable one handle? Can you hang heavy items like wet towels and jeans, or is it best to stick to lighter weight items?

Marilyn"

Yes, Marilyn, mine is very similar to the mini-retractable one in the photo, with multiple lines. And yes, it can handle a full washload or more without any problems. I hang all sorts of heavy clothing there, including jeans, bed sheets, towels and cotton bedspreads, and never had a problem.

It's interesting the mention of allergies brought up by this post. There are many people suffering from allergies here and hanging clothes outside has never been mentioned as a risk factor, that I can recall. My sister has asthma and is followed by and excellent allergist and this has never been brought up during consultation. I'll ask her to mention that on her next visit and see what the doctor says. Could it be that this is only valid for some types of allergies? I don't know.

Anyway, here the question would be out of the question, pass the redundancy. We are simply not a rich enough country for everybody to own a dryer, let alone run it considering the electricity costs! So, allergies or no allergies, people will continue to depend on our sweet Portuguese sun to dry their clothes :-) We are mostly a urban country and the immense majority of people live in apartments in cities and these apartments rarely have the space and plumbing for a dryer. So that settles the question for us.

I do have a dryer and use it whenever the weather is rainy, mostly in Winter. It is very practical and I also enjoy not to hang clothes outside to have them all wet in 5 minutes time after a downpour. However, given our sunny dry climate, this happens infrequently and I'm able to dry most of my clothes outside even in Winter. As a backup, I find the dryer excellent. But I still prefer to hang the clothes outside whenever I can and I enjoy not having to pay big Euros for the cost of energy for running the dryer.

Regarding the issue of the clothesline as a thing of beauty, here is what mine usually looks like in Spring :-) Btw, mine is located in the side patio near the utilities room door, and hidden from view from the street and the neighbors - so they are actually spared the sight of my undies ;-)

Very interesting discussion, everyone!
Eduarda

{{gwi:686229}}

I might have used the dryer once in over six months. I've always air-dried much of the wash, but decided that with the current energy crisis, that I would stop using the dryer altogether.

15 years ago, I bought a large wooden drying rack. It holds about one large load of laundry, although sometimes I hang extras on a railing. It is a bit worn for wear, but still quite sturdy and in good shape. It's nice because it can be moved around as needed - on the deck, in the front yard to catch the late afternoon sun, or next to a sunny window. When it's raining or below freezing outside, I dry the clothes in the kitchen next to the slider. When not in use, I fold it up and put it away. No unsightly clothes lines!

I've heard the stories about so-and-so's mother or grandmother who hung all the laundry outside, even in the winter, when the sheets would come in partially frozen. Some of these women had 8 or 10 children and they had to wash diapers too (I used and washed cloth diapers, but for only one child)! In comparison it seems a small effort to hang dry the laundry, if it helps the Earth.

A pic -

{{gwi:686232}}

This has really been an intersting thread. Hanging up laundry doesn't take me long either, although, there is only the two of us, but I do full loads, and while each load washes, I do something else, until the next one is ready to hang up. I don't want the higher electric bill that using a dryer would cause. We live frugally as much as we can. (We just re-insulated our attic to help with keeping our elec. bill down.) With prices going up the way they are, I'm glad I'm already in the habit and enjoy hanging out the laundry. It's a pleasure. If rain happens, the laundry got a nice rain rinse, it happens occasionally, but it isn't the end of the world.

FlowerLady

I took this picture when I visited Monhegan Island last summer. I thought her laundry was as pretty as her garden.

I hang my clothes, using two arbors as my anchors for the rope. Both arbors have climbing roses and flowering vines climbing on them. I'm sorry, but I don't have a picture of my hanging laundry.

{{gwi:686236}}

I have a retractable line outside and a ceiling dryer inside. It is really no effort to hang stuff up. I've never had a dryer for ecological reasons mainly. It just seemed unnecessary when fresh air is free and silent.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:686223}}

Irene, I cannot handle a laundry basket. I find them very awkward. I, too, have to get laundry down a flight of stairs. I use a nylon carrier which has a collapsible metal frame and webbed handles. It is easy to carry, and holds a full load of laundry. I obtained mine elsewhere, but I've seen them for sale in a Walmart Super Center.

I fold my clothes as I take them down from the line. The size of the carrier is perfect to keep them nicely stacked. The top is square shaped.

I felt it would not be politically correct for me to buy a drier, when I moved to sunny New Mexico. I had to walk my talk as the saying goes. And, like Flower, I just cannot abide spending much money on the constantly escalating cost of gas and electricity.

In summer a load of laundry can be dry, including jeans, in a couple of hours. I hang unmentionables on the middle line, hidden from view by the rest of the laundry. I guess I'm slow, it takes me ten minutes to hang laundry.
I have a huge wooden Amish-made rack for indoor use, when the weather is icy or wet. I typically do five loads of laundry a week.

Lorna

I live in Morris county, NJ which is listed as the sixth most expensive place to live in the country. (Explains why I'm broke). My neighbors would have a heart attack (and a little talk with me) if I did something as "downscale" as hang clothing outside.

That said, we do have a clothesline in the basement and a lot of out clothes get dried that way. May not smell as nice but it still saves energy,

I agree, Flowerlady, this has been an interesting discussion. And I love that colorful line of clothes that herblady posted.

Lorna, when I was a kid and had laundry hanging duty, my mom insisted I hang the undies in the middle lines, too. Funny because no one could see the clothes due to our fences and trees but she insisted. : )

Eduarda, if the majority of people live in apartments and don't have room for a dryer, where do they find room for clotheslines? Is there a community type place to hang laundry?

I did a load of towels and jeans last night. It took me less than 20 seconds to put them into the dryer and it took 30 minutes to dry them. 4 pair of levis, 6 thick bath towels, 8 hand towels and 10 dish towels. While they were drying I cut out a new quilt and started to piece it. I think I'm going to stick to my dryer. : )

That said I love saving energy too and do consider myself a "green" person. I'm really thrilled with the water savings we've achieved with the front loading washer. And the DW dishdrawers only take a few gallons to do a whole load. That is way less than washing by hand, plus they use very little electricity. The new fridge is very efficient, too. I had no idea how much our old one was wasting power until we did the math. We just received our electric bill - it was $38. It feels good to know we are not using as many fossils fuels and hence contributing to greenhouse gases and air pollution.

Diana

Does anyone have advice for protection from bird droppings? I tried hanging things outdoors to dry, but having to wash purple-colored droppings out of my clothes made me stop. It happened every time!

I have a couple of the wooden racks and use them indoors sometimes, but I don't like the hard line they make in clothes when I drape them over the dowel.

Gottagarden: a month in New Zealand--that sounds wonderful! Do you have any photos posted?

"Eduarda, if the majority of people live in apartments and don't have room for a dryer, where do they find room for clotheslines? Is there a community type place to hang laundry?"

The builders install a system to run the clotheslines in each apartment right from beginning of the building. These are usually located outside the kitchen windows or balconies. Many people also install additional retractable ones in the balconies, also usually near the kitchen. That's what I had in the previous apartments where I lived - a fixed structure from the building outside the kitchen window and a retractable one in one of the balconies.

Eduarda

My grandmother still hung laundry when I was a kid. It is funny that is is looked down upon in some communities. I remember the time she told me there was sort of a competition among the women of the neighborhood who had the whitest whites! There was a product you added to make them white, besides bleach, lol. It was blue like in that laundry ad "with bluing added for extra whiteness."
Another thing about saving energy with laundry. I got one of those Bosch front load washers. It was expensive, but it was on sale, and I got the one year same as cash deal. It uses way less water. Plus drying laundry takes half the time or less than it did before.
Remy

People are funny - as if hanging your laundry makes you "low class" or something. I live in an affluent area but there are few HOAs, couldn't stand it if there were rules dictating my lifestyle. And hanging the laundry saves a few dollars, that added up over many years, could mean more money for retirement or something else besides the energy companies' pockets!

I too put the undies in the middle or back of the rack, if it's sitting somewhere somebody could see them (my deck and backyard are pretty private though).

Hang-drying the laundry is better for your clothes - dryers will age your clothes faster. I would never think of putting a nice blouse or pair of slacks in the dryer - those are hung dry on hangers. Very occasionally, there is something I want to put in the dryer - either to shrink it a little, or fluff, or whatever. The sun is great for bleaching out whites and making them whiter, but it will fade colors, so when drying dark colors I don't want to fade, I don't put the rack in direct sun.

I am in a hurry but will have to come back and read this post from beginning to end.

I've had a clothesline almost everywhere I've ever lived. I can't imagine being without one. My father is Dutch and I lived in Holland for 2 years as a teenager. Although I never realized this, I think a lot of European people use clothesline. It's a very common thing there. Anyway, I think this must be part of why I use one.

I've posted a link to my wooden clothesline which I've put a hanging face pot on. I like it. You might not.

I know my clothesline has saved me tons of money over the years, not just because I didn't use my dryer but also because if a stain didn't come out in the wash, I could try getting it out a second time. The heat from a dryer will often set a stain so that it's permanent.

I hope my link works...It may not.

Here is a link that might be useful:

redthistle ~ I love your clothesline decoration. A clothesline does NOT have to be ugly.

I went out this morning and worked on my clothesline area. Will be posting pictures later.

FlowerLady

I just love this thread! It brings back so many wonderful memories and I'll come back and re-read it over and over again! Thanks to all who have contributed!

"Dirt poor ... wringer washer .... frozen sheets ..... bird doo .... bugs...." etc - been there, great mind pic memories. Probably not such fond memories for my Mom and Grandmothers, but .......

Our clothesline was huge - a double set of two sturdy uprights w/a crossbar (and probably an inbetween support since it was at least 15'wide and longer still). Not many frills on the farm I grew up on, but my Dad did crudely lattice and whitewash the side that showed and my Mom promptly planted stuff to soften the look. Not sure what - wish I could remember - but it always looked so nice.

Eventually, we did get an agitator washer and a real clothes dryer - right after my baby twin brothers got out of diapers. How's that for timing!?!

It's kinda too bad that modern life excludes clotheslines ...... conformity can be so boring.

Gee Remy, I remember those bluing bags, my grandmother used them. I don't know what the bluing actually was but it was in something like a muslin bag and she dunked up and down in the rinse water, and then there's the scrub boards, anyone remember them. Most of the clotheslines when I was growing up were usually strung between back porches and poles, with pulleys so you could push the clothes out or pull them in. Monday was washday for most and if you looked down the alleys there was everyones wash flapping in the breeze.
Annette

I hope it's ok to post the following link. Many thanks to Marilyn for drawing my attention to this beautiful blog. I thought the pics she posted last weekend were in keeping with the theme discussed here.

Eduarda

Here is a link that might be useful: Clotheslines - English style

I've line drying clothes for most of my life, except for when I was
away at school, and resided in an apartment.
I used to line dry our towels, until DH told me that they were too
scratchy. So, towels are the only items that are put into the dryer.
In fact, I almost have forgotten how to dry clothes in the dryer
One time, I had to finish a load of not quite dry cotton undies
in the dryer, and the elastic bands were almost ruined.
Clothes, especially cotton underwear seem to be so thin these days.
I find that the dryer literally "eats" them.
How often do other people buy underwear, if they use dryers?

Line drying has many benefits- saves on energy and increases the
life of your clothing, which saves money.
Not having a furnace in the basement is something I really miss.
My mother used to line dry our clothes and bedding in the basement
near the very warm furnace.
I line dry sheets and clothes where ever I can hang them indoors during the winter. I don't care how it looks.
Think of how much money we've saved in the last 30+ years in our current home.
Now that I'm older and have arthritis, climbing stairs to the downstairs
washer and dryer is getting harder. I'll continue to line dry as long as
I can physically do it.
As for the A/C, that is something I must have turned on...

When I moved to my 1939 house there were clothesline poles in my back yard. The original owner of the house worked for the railroad and must have had access to the concrete and thick iron pipe used to build the first freeways in Dallas. Probably used spare WPA workers and a couple of cranes to install these poles. HIS poles were not ever coming down, nosiree, if he had anything to do with it, I imagine him saying.
Those ugly things caught my eye every day and try as I would, I could not find a solution to get them to blend with the rest of my garden, especially the one I could see from my back windows. I finally convinced a tree service company to send out someone to dig the things out. They guy said ok but some are harder to remove than others.
So they came and they huffed and puffed and dug and pulled and yanked and pulled some more. It took 4 men 3 HOURS to dig around this huge, massive chunk of concrete and pry it up. I know those guys were thinking there was no way they could give up on a little ol clothesline pole, and me how ya'll doing? ya'll need some water? every 20 minutes. No lie, it measured at least 36" across the top by 36" deep. By that time the metal pole had bent in half. I just knew someone was going to be pinned under the weight of it all. That was just for the first pole. I was so embarrassed. Just knew they were going to leave it out there in the garden like a beached whale. Did I say I was embarrassed?Don't know how they lifted that monster to haul it off, was too scared to look. I allowed them (they agreed)to saw off the second one leaving a chunk of concrete buried in the other corner.
This all has me thinking that maybe I can do a modified "restoration" of the old clothesline using the existing hole and the back of my garage.... I have my washer and dryer in the garage anyway....its so hot in Dallas, the clothes would dry in minutes!....So now every time I call this tree service company to do some work, the owner says, "oh yeah, you're that clothesline lady, I won't EVER do that again". So thanks everyone! You just never know what great ideas you'll find here. Now I'll be able to really live up to my namesake AND help the environment!

Wow! This topic is hot!!! I love all of the photos. We had talked about this earlier in Conversations. This really brought out a lot of new people.

Earlier in the Spring, Newfoundland had a great travel commercial on TV - It was fabulous shots of the island, and coming around corners to gorgeous quilts and bedspreads, etc on clothelines. The tag line was something like - Not all the art hangs in museums!!

My Mum had the T style, with 4 lines on it. My Dad worked for the railway, so yep, when our home lot was subdivided I bet they had fun getting them out. I have a little raised stoop to get up to the iron post (it was attached to the departed evil shed) - the other end goes into a hydro (telephone) pole, and I have nylon encased steel line on the wheelie things. When the new deck goes in, I will probably put an elevator. I had one at my old house and miss it.

Our provincial government in Ontario made all of the HOA regs about clotheslines illegal this spring, so you can create your own art where ever you live!!

Cheers, Nancy. - PS - I can't make the link work, so when you get the cover page, skip to page 109.

Here is a link that might be useful: Clothes line Elevator

"Earlier in the Spring, Newfoundland had a great travel commercial on TV - It was fabulous shots of the island, and coming around corners to gorgeous quilts and bedspreads, etc on clothelines. The tag line was something like - Not all the art hangs in museums!!"

I bet it was beautiful : ) but I hope they only hung there for a short period of time because it is one of the worst things you can do to a quilt. As a loooong time quilter and fabric artist, I would never hang a quilt of any value, monetary or sentimental, in sunlight, nor any other art work for that matter. Direct sunlight is extremely hard on cotton fabric, which is what most quilts are made of. Likewise, one should never hang a quilt or any other fiber art indoors near a southern or western exposure to light. Even the weakest light, northern, will fade fiber art. I found this out the hard way. I had made a beautiful king-size Trip Around The World quilt for our bed, plus covers in one of the fabrics for bedside tables. Our bay window faces north and never gets direct sunlight. Within one year there was fading and by about the third year I had to discard the table covers because the one on the side of the bed where light comes in was half faded. The side facing into the bed was still pristine in color. Thankfully, I rotated the quilt on a monthly basis so it had faded evenly and was still useable but I didn't do so with the table covers. Also, the fabric was made from high quality greige goods and dyes. We now have all new windows with the Low-E glass, which helps to some degree but not completely.

Redthistle, your clothesline is beautiful! Did you paint it?

Bouquet, loved your story. : ) I have an area of concrete that goes down at least 2 feet, 40 feet long, left from the demo of a retaining wall. I was going to call out our friend with the backhoe but decided to save the money and just put flagstone over it but I sure was looking forward to planting in the area. : (

Below is a link to quilt care that I refer my students to, in case anyone is interested.

Diana

Here is a link that might be useful: quilt care

Diane - I just had to share as it is so pretty!! My memory is not that good - no quilts, but very pretty!!

Nancy.

Here is a link that might be useful: Newfoundland

what a great topic.. so much to respond to.. but I will just briefly touch on some of MY concerns over a clothes line- maybe you guys (* in jersey- we say "you guys" and not ya'll... but ya'll is nicer... :) ) maybe YALL can tell me what you think of my concerns

First off- A2Z- are we really in the 6th most expensive place int he country? LOL no wonder i'm so darn poor.haha ( i shouldnt be ingrateful- ok we are not poor- but no wonder i feel so poor! ha)ps- your gardens look GREAT! i wanna swing by sometime and take a peek

I alwyas kind fo wanted a clothes line just for the OPTION. I thought it would be convenient for area rugs, blankets, wet towels.. things like that..

I recall we had one when i was very young for a bit. But here in Jersey- I'd say a good 4-5 months you woulndt really get to use it much and even spring and summer we get PLENTY of rain!!!
AND- i know without a shadow of a doubt i'd have to re-wash EVERYTHING due to bird CR*P beign all over everything.. and i jsut KNOW id' bring in even more bugs!

A2Z- my neighborhood isnt so snooty- but i think we have a few folks who woulndt be so find of seeing a clothesline here, they are however the minority as this is an OLD farming community that some wealthier folks chose to move to to build huge homes for cheaper than elsewhere in jersey. ( when they built anyway, in the 80s or early 90s- not anymore it's not cheap!)

anyway- i fear i'd either be bringin in bugs or wearign very stiff jeans and discover bird poop on my shirts. But if i had one- i tell ya, that woudl be better for dryer comforters that you have to take 2 hours to dry in a dryer because you have to keep turing it inside and out again to get all the areas exposed and dry! GRRR

anyway- great topic. sorry i joined in late

oh- on the allergy thing.. I tend to agre with both topics. I tend to think that doctors/experts ofcourse study all this and have expert advise but at the same time- i've always felt that exposure to the elements was the cure.. ( my own diagnosis for my own allergies.) ofcours enow i'm 32 and spent 3 hours in bed with vertigo last night that nearly make me puke- apparently brought on my allergies that i didnt even FEEL liek i had any symptoms?? so maybe my body disagrees with my philosophy of exposure to the enemy. LOL

i'll take a claritin for the next week and continue to sleep with the fresh air and dig in the dirt.;)
getting older bites. hahah

Hi - I'm from the UK where, thank goodness, using a clothes line is the norm. No one thinks twice about it & I have never heard much discussion on the topic.

Like most people over here, I use a rotary type dryer. This is very light & can be moved into the garage when not in use. I have a back problem & cope with it very well. It also folds up & I do actually have a neat cover to pop over it when not in use.

I have posted some pics on the photos gallery of my garden so you can see how it looks with a load of washing hanging out.

It's really easy to hang out your laundry & you will save lots of money & have lovely smelling clothes.

Not sure about the allergy question, but don't dryers suck in presumably polluted air anyway???

Keep it simple & enjoy the fresh air & a little light exercise & perhaps a little smug feeling about doing a little to save the planet!

Hi everyone,

Well after 4 years and making my DH read this I am happy to say I now have a clothes line and am enjoying it!

I found this the other day on the web, can't remember where... but it was so timly. So if this is yours, I hope you don't mind me using it.

The clothes line....a dead give away. Do the kids today even know what a clothesline is? I am sure a lot of you are too young to remember the clothesline, but for all of us who are older, this will bring back the memories. ... . at least it did for me.

THE BASIC RULES
1. You had to wash the clothesline before hanging any clothes. Walk the length of each line with a damp cloth around the line.
2. You had to hang the clothes in a certain order and always hang whites with whites and hang them first.
3. you never hung a shirt by the shoulders, always by the tail--what would the neighbors think?
4. Wash day on a Monday...........never hang clothes on the weekend or Sunday for heaven's sake!
5. Hang the sheets and towels on the out side lines so you could hide your 'unmentionables' in the middle.
6. It didn't matter if it was sub zero weather.....clothes would freeze dry.'
7. Always gather the clothespins when taking down dry clothes. Pins left on the line was "tacky".
8. If you were efficient, you would line the clothes up so that each item did not need two clothes pins, but shared one of the clothes pins with the next washed item.
9. Clothes off of the line before dinner time neatly folded in the clothesbasket and ready to be ironed.
10. IRONED?????????? Well, that's a whole other subject.

A POEM
A clothes line was a news forecast
To neighbors passing by.
There were no secrets you could keep
When clothes were hung o dry.
It also was a friendly link
For neighbors always knew
If company had stopped on by
To spend a night or two.
For then you'd see the 'fancy sheets'
And towels upon the line;
You'd see the 'company table cloths'
With intricate design.
The line announced a baby's birth
To folks who lived inside
As brand new infant clothes were hung
So carefully with pride.
The ages of the children could
So readily be known
By watching how the sizes changed
You'd know how much they'd grown.
It also told when illness struck,
As extra sheets were hung;
Then nightclothes, and a bathrobe, too,
Haphazardly were strung.
It said, 'Gone on vacation now'
When lines hung limp and bare.
It told, 'We're back!' when
full lines sagged
With not an inch to spare.
New folks in town were scorned upon
If wash was dingy gray,
As neighbors carefully raised their brows,
And looked the other way...
But clotheslines now are of the past
For dryers make work less.
Now what goes on inside a home
Is anybody's guess.
I really miss that way of life.
It was a friendly sign
When neighbors knew each other best
By what hung on the line!

Thanks again everyone.

Karyn

Good grief - I loved the little poem, however I been hanging out laundry for around 35 years and have done hardly any of the things on the list (except 7 but not because leaving pegs on the line is "tacky" but so they do not get wet if it rains. Also 8 is handy if you run out of pegs).

It's amazing that we are fit to be seen in our household, considering our VERY LAX laundry habits, let alone professionals who need look tidy and presentable in our jobs!

I would nearly peg out (groan) if I had to remember all that!

Perhaps the list is tongue in cheek - I hope so!!

Lets all hang out together!

I love the smell of clothes dried on a clothesline, especially bed sheets. You don't often see that anymore.
On a visit to Mexico I saw clotheslines used everywhere.

I dry DH sneakers in the sun and that really helps to keep them a bright white.

Loved your poem, Karyn, as well as the rules of hanging clothes.

Edna