I've been thinking about this lately... When I was a small girl.. we always hung our clothes out.. one time my Mother asked me to go and bring the clothes in from the "Clothes Line" . I went out to do my duty and there was no clothes on the clothes line.. ( I was about ten years old ) my Mother called the policeman.. there was only two Police Officers back then...... one for the day and one Policeman for the night.
( wow.. I never thought how unique that is ) anyway..our clothes had been stolen.. I was very sad.. my favorite blouse and dress was part of the stolen goods.
About a week later.. the little girl who lived in the Sabby House down the block came to School with my Red Plaid Dress On!.. I didn't say a word.. I skipped home to tell my Mom.. she smiled, and said...
"I guess they needed the clothes & towels more then we did".. my Mom was a single parent.. too four girls.. my Father passed away when I was two years old.. She was a Cook ( a very good one ) trying to raise
4-girls on a limited budget.
DO YOU HAVE A CLOTHES LINE?
Your clothes, linens, and other fabric items will smell fresh.
- Sunlight is a natural sanitizing and bleaching agent.[2] It's perfect for killing insects, bacteria, and other germs.
- Clotheslines only need energy when they're manufactured. Dryers use energy every single time they're used. The savings to you of using a clothesline is about US$120 per year (based on usage of an electric dryer with 400 yearly loads).[3]
- Line drying is kinder to your clothes than the dryer; clothes last longer the more they're kept out of the dryer. Line drying is also better for items with printed elements, such as t-shirts. And if you wonder why the elastic in your socks and panties is disappearing fast, blame the dryer...[4]
- If you're already buying and using eco-friendly washing products, what is the point of then using an energy-guzzling dryer? Extend your convictions to the drying cycle too!
- Line drying keeps moisture outdoors. Sure, you can vent the dryer outdoors (and hopefully you are!) and you can even get dryers that collect moisture. But all this has an energy-intensive cost, one that hanging outdoors gets rid of totally!
- It's a great form of exercise; you might even discover your arm muscles are in need of some stretching!
- It can be a source of pride and enjoyment. In the old days, housewives took great pride on how neatly they could hang up clothing. It is still a good idea to hang clothing neatly on the line as this can help prevent wrinkling which means less ironing.
- It's fun as well as rewarding. Getting outdoors even if it's only to hang the clothes can be a way to avoid or dig your way out of depression, so treasure this activity as a "must-do" that gets you some sunshine, kisses from the breeze, and much-needed movement.[5]
- You'll start noticing the sunny days in between the rainy ones more. They're your "washing days"!
- Clotheslines don't tend to spontaneously combust no matter how much you mistreat them. Dryers can cause fires if poorly maintained, accounting for 15 deaths a year, 360 injuries a year, and 17,700 structure fires a year![6]
A Fresh Breeze blows the towels
Thanks for sharing the story from your childhood. I'd love to use a clothesline, because everything smells so fresh, but unfortunately my family has allergies. We have two pine trees in our backyard that would make everyone itch like mad :-(
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea! So many benefits - thanks for sharing. I do remember hanging clothes well was a source of pride and they smelled so good. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI think that I might try drying outdoors...when the weather warms up a bit. Sometimes, there are homeowners Assocations and their rules prohibit clothes lines. =(
ReplyDeleteI remember hanging clothes on a line when I was a little girl. We didn't have a dryer until I was probably 10-12 years old. And, then we only used the dryer sometimes...like when it was rainy weather.
Fun story, BJ =)
hugz,
annie
anniesrubyslipperz.com