Yes all the time. I also use some drying racks for extra drying space. I will also bring the racks inside and let the clothes finish drying if they are still a bit damp. I don't use my dryer unless I really have to. Just something I've always done - hang clothes that is. Sure I've had lots of "how old fashioned" but I never did march with the times it seems.

Love hanging them outside, they are so fresh when you bring them in. And depending on what needs to be washed, using the wringer to wash them with. Which is a double save.

Especially sheets feel great if airdried. Towels and tshirts get too stiff for my liking. But here's another reason not to own a home in a neighborhood with a HOA

Here is a link that might be useful: illegal drying

I used to love hanging sheets on the line. They smell so fresh and clean.

Two of our kids have hayfever and allergies and the allergist told us to immediately stop hanging clothes on the line... even other family members sheets and clothes. Said the clothing catches all the pollen in the air and we are just bringing it in the house. We did notice a big difference in their suffering levels after I stopped hanging clothes on the line.

I have an old fashioned clothes pole in my backyard. I hang everything-shirts go on plastic hangers and I button the top botton. Everything else just pinned to the line. This time of year I find a lot of spiders trying to hitch a ride-Yikes! But I give evrything a good shake and that sends them away. Stuff like jeans and towels get "hard" drying outdoors so I toss them in the dryer for about 15 minutes to get them soft. A nice dryer sheet gives them a pleasant smell. And I save a fortune not running my dryer for hours at a time.

I have an umbrella clothes line and use it every chance I get. When the weather doesn't cooperate, I have a room in the basement that is outfited with enough clothes line to hang them down there. We even installed a ceiling fan to speed up drying time.

Since using Charlie's Soap, there's very little stiffness in clothes hung outdoors, like there was using other detergents. If I have to dry things in the dryer, I speed the job by adding a couple dryer balls. It decreases the drying time by 25-50 percent.

-Grainlady

Regarding the Illegal drying article ...

UNREAL ! Those HOA think they are God. Thanks for the article !

I like to hang mine outside on the line ... the clothes seem to enjoy that fresh country air. Until it gets really cold in winter. Snow on hands hanging up clothes isn't too pleasant.

Haven't had any trouble with the birds dive-bombing the stuff .. well-behaved birds, around here, I guess.

Then I have a couple of short lines in the basement that I can use.

I'm thinking of getting some broken hockey sticks from the local arena to use to build one of those folding drying racks, like we had at home when I was a kid. Not only do they do a great job, but in winter, using them adds moisture to that dry-as-the-desert air in northern houses. Which means that we are comfortable at a lower temperature, as perspiration drying in a real dry atmosphere cools us, so we want a higher temperature than usual to feel comfortable.

In fact, if I were to make half a dozen ... maybe I could sell some at the church's Christmas bazaar.

If you need any hot air ... just visit the Kitchen Table.

I hope that you're having a lovely fall week.

ole joyful

No, never. Way too much time for something I could care less about. I have things I save money on but this isn't one of them. And I hate blue jeans and towels that are stiff. I do hang up certain clothes that I don't want to go in the dryer and that does include some jeans but we have a place in the laundry room for such items. I don't have a clothesline although I could.

Today I'm making english muffins..last week was bagels :-)

when I bought my first dryer, I thought I would hang my clothes outside when the weather was nice. I did and when there is no wind the clothes were stiff and wrinkled and going outside hanging them and taking them in was much more work and I wanted to spend the time with my kids.

Count me among the few that really like to hang clothes outside.I haven't used a dryer in at least 3 years.Call me crazy but nothing smells nicer than clean,fresh, line dried sheets.
Lois in Iowa

I hang almost everything outside, but when the weather is bad I sometimes use the dryer. I don't like it though, the clothes come out really crumpled. When I use the line almost nothing needs ironing, so it's a big time saver for me, and I really hate ironing too.

Too many trees and too much wildlife to hang outside here....

On a day when there's a breeze, most things hung on a line, except heavy work clothing or towels, come in not stiff. And a minute or so on "Fluff" deals with such problems.

Better have your staff check on some of your stiff stuff - maybe it's been listening to all of those unwanted emails and ordering in Viagra!

ole joyful

bry84, sounds like either you're overloading your dryer or you are leaving the stuff in a heap in the dryer after it finishes. You need to get it out quickly or it will wrinkle.

I've never ironed a thing in my life. Never will. The dryer does my "ironing"! It's the bachelor's iron. When clothes are too wrinkled to wear, put 'em in the dryer for a few minutes. Freshly ironed. :) No dryer sheets for me either. To me, the purpose of washing clothes is to remove odors, not add them.

As a side note, every time I hear talk about hanging clothes outside I think of the George Carlin routine: "My wash smells like all outdoors"... You haven't lived in my neighborhood man! :)

I thought about hanging stuff outside, but I'd have to go out the front door, and all the way around the house to the back yard to hang the stuff, then reverse the procedure when finished. Never got around to setting up a clothesline, although I did think about one in the front yard. Suppose the city might sue me over it? They were going to take me to court for a garden hose and a birdbath!

But back to the topic, I do hang a few things in the basement if they're not quite dry out of the dryer. But since getting the new dryer with the huge capacity, the clothes dry much quicker and more evenly so there's not the problem.

Way too many chicken houses and horses in our area to hang clothes outside, but I do hang them inside in the hall on hangers after only a few minutes in the dryer. I envy those of you who can get that outdoors fresh smell. One of my favorite memories from childhood is smelling sheets that had been in the sunshine all day.

I have no fond memories of clothing dried outside. My mom didn't like to do that. I hate stiff stuff. I have a rack in my laundry room for the few things which can't go in the dryer. Otherwise, I'll take my dryer.

Gloria

I Never hang mine outside. I used to but between the ants using the clothes line for a tightrope, the earwigs crawling into arms and legs to hide and spiders playing hide and seek with the other bugs I dont appreciate the bites when I spoil there fun. Not to mention the pollen that deposits on the clothing I decided that I will use the dryer.

I have two blankets hanging outside right this minute. When they are dry, I'll toss them in a no-heat dryer for about 15 minutes to fluff them up.

I love the hang towels & sheets out to dry - but my husband doesn't appreciate the wonderful outdoor smell. Go figure! Also the amount of time it takes usually makes me toss them in the dryer instead.

This post reminded me of a funny story. My girlfriend brought in a bat on her sheets from the clothes line. She would have probably preferred a spider!

In late summer here, wasps and bumblebees like to hide in clothes hung on the line outside. A few minutes on the dryer can result in a lint basket partly filled with them :-)

A friend from work always hung her laundry to dry outside. Then her next door neighbor who has a raised deck overlooking her yard told her "It looks ugly." The nerve!

jannie,

My Dad, a fairly plain-spoken farmer, used to say,

"Some people seem to think that their shi! don't stink!"

I concur.

ole joyful

I'd be the first to yell back to the neighbor.."Look the other way!" Too bad, so sad. Budster

Always hang my clothes outside, unless it is absolutely freezing out. I have a pulley line from my kitchen window to a ladder like pole in the courtyard, 4 stories high. LOL If you use fabric softner, nothing gets stiff.
Nothing is better than the smell of clothes comming off a line, also I find it easier to fold, take one item off, fold it, place on kitchen table until it's done, unlike a dryer where you have to take the huge mound of (scortching hot)clothes out at one time and then fold them. Ugh !! i just hate the smell of hot clothes. I think if I was a billionaire, I still wouldnt have a dryer.......go figure..

Two sides to everything, isn't there? To Jannie's post, the neighbor could plant a tall hedge ...then the laundry hanging person would most likely complain that the hedge is shading her vegetable garden... I for one, do believe aesthetics are important!

Yeah, I believe aesthetics are important too, and there is nothing better (to me) than looking at clothes hanging on a clothesline blowing in the breeze. It makes me instantly think of nice smelling fabric softner. I dont know why, but I just love it. This past summer I went around on my bicycle and started taking pictures of any clothesline I could see. I must have took about 50 pictures. If they can be posted here, I will post them.
Laundry is the only household chore that for some reason I find so relaxing, **shrugs shoulders**......

ahhh, cant wait to go home and put a wash thru.......

the first thing i did at my house once i moved in was install a clothes line. While we waited for the washer and dryer to arrive. after 3 years of apartment living, being able to not pay to dry my clothes was a freedom.

people in our neighborhood must have though we were crazy as no one else had one. then the lady we bought the house from put an umbrella one in her yard. 15 years later must be about 70% of the 2 blocks we live on have clothes lines of some type.

our line in only about 50 feet long, we have 8 lines for 200 feet of hanging space. Usually we can hang between 4-5 loads in the morning and then 2 more later in the day.

what is great is the smell!!! I love the stiffness that you get with cotton sheets from the line ( and can live with the wrinkles) but what is really wonderful is how absorbant towels are when they are hung this way. you actually feel dry when you use them. My sister uses a dryer and softener on everything when she launders and when we visit you never seem to get dry when you use a towel.

I don't know what we'd do if there was a HOA to ruin our lives. we start hanging out clothes any time its over 50 degreesand sunny out. I makes a major dent in our gas bill when we go off the dryer for the summer.

I've never had problems with birds doing a number on the laundry.

diggerb

I have always hung out in good drying weather - otherwise I use a dryer. Only occasionally have I had bird deposit its poo on my laundry. When you think of the $$$ you save on electricity I think this is small price to pay. Never mind the risk of overdrying in a dryer.

Don't think dryers do too much good to fabrics generally - just look at the lint produced.

Also - am happy to leave my washing outside all day, whereas would not be happy to go out an leave a dryer unattended. Once had a dryer catch fire - probably my fault but even so am now cautious.

In the UK most people line dry - those using dryers on a good drying day would be looked down on & thought of as rather "chav" (lower class) by the less charitable. Of course some people have allergies/live in a smoky area so bit of a problem there with line drying - its all a matter on good old common sense.

Happy New Year!!!

Hi,

I hang the heavy stuff outside until almost dry then toss them and the light stuff like bras in the dryer for the final touch. Nothing is stiff and everything smells good. I find looking up to the sky through the tree leaves is relaxing and a great reminder to be thankful.

A mild case of frostbite several years ago(shoveling snow) has ended hanging clothes out if it's under 40 degrees, but that's only a couple winter months.

I think it's a great way to get some exercise and save a little money at the same time :-)

I was thrilled when we bought our new house in an older sub a year ago and it came with a pulley type clothesline off the back porch, direct from the laundry room. I used it all summer and never turned on the dryer once. We always had a clotheline growing up...the T bar type with about 5 lines from one to another. Mom still has one and uses hers in the good weather even though it's a hike from her basement laundry out to the backyard and she's 83

I air dry everything. Either indoors or out. As a mom of 7, I do a lot of laundry! I find it to be better for the enviroment and budget. Our oldest is 23, youngest 5 months. Look at the money we have saved and humidified our indoor air too! We do live in the country, not sure if this would be feasable in a city setting with polution and such.

~PHH

I believe I'm saving around £120 (approx. $240) a year by not using the electric dryer. We would only use it 3-4 times a week.

As I have often said, electric is very expensive here. It would cost more if we hadn't signed up with the fixed price offer the electric company gave us, which thankfully lasts until 2009.

WOW! $240? Your electric rates must be awful! That's 3-4 times what it would cost around here and at 12¢-14¢/KWh, I've been told I have high electric rates!

It's really hard for me to figure offhand what it costs since my laundry varies so much. One week I might do 5-6 loads, then not do any the next week, a load or two the week after, and nothing then some... Just depends on what needs cleaning. Plus now with the big dryer I can sometimes dry two washloads at once. I just roughly figure I must average a couple loads a week which would put my cost of dryer operation at approximately $40-$45/year.

For that price, I'll splurge and use the dryer.

Having just put the 9th load today into the dryer I cannot wait for the weather to warm up so I can use my clothesline!!
It seems like the only way I ever catch up on the laundry. I can put 2 loads on the line, one in the dryer, done in no time (it's usually windy here).
I think one of the cutest pictures I've ever taken is one of my 50 foot clothesline shoulder to shoulder FULL of teeny pink baby sleepers flapping in the breeze.
I've tossed my blankets out on the porch rail a few times over the winter just to freshen them up but it almost makes it worse when you can't do all the sheets too!

I've had an increasing pile of sheets, shirts, underwear (summer and winter), and some pants waiting for mild weather to be washed.

I was beginning to think that I might need to buy some more underwear ... and how much of that does one need, as one crowds age 80?

It was mild two or three times but rain promised at about the same time: not so great, as washes take longer to dry in winter.

We had a mild day the other day and I did two loads, even hung them without feeling the need even once to bury my hands in the unhung stuff (fairly "warm", though it had been rinsed in cold water) in the basket to thaw the fingers out.

Took them down just before dark, which is a faster, but colder, job and accomplished the task all in one go.

Spread most of the stuff out in the living and computer rooms and bedroom, to add some humidity to this house, for the air in houses in northern climes in winter gets as dry as the desert air. Doing too much of that might cause danger of moulding, but I don't have any such worries.

No kids in (cloth) diapers, the kind that everyone used, a generation and a half ago and, though I'm nearing second childhood, haven't started using them again ... so far, at least.

As that was about last Friday, I guess that it's time now on Monday that I do some folding and storing.

Have a great winter, everyone.

ole joyful

I set an ice cream pail of water in front of the heat register and turn on a small humidifier occasionally. Seems unusually dry here this winter. Both cats are sparking from the static electricity. Too bad we can't harness that and use to power our lights, eh?

Had to do a few loads of laundry over the weekend. Got put off a while after injuring my foot last week and didn't want to battle the steps. And I do splurge on the dryer. I kind of miss the heat saver though. That was nice for adding much-needed humidity to the wintertime air.