...and we have no hurricane winds and rain we can actually use that wonderful natural sunlight for great things...like drying our laundry.
A few months ago I asked Chuck to help me hang a laundry line up in the yard. I can take this one down if we are showing the house (not everyone things a laundry line is cute and country like I do). It has been a little challenging getting things dry in this very humid climate that we live in. I have learned the key is the sun. If it is a cloudy and overcast day it doesn't dry as well.
When we lived in California, I hung our laundry outside year round. I would do wash on days that it didn't rain and I was able to cut down our electric bill. It does dry faster in the hot and dry climate of CA, but I am trying to live green and thrifty and so far so good.
One last thought about the out door laundry line...most neighborhoods don't allow this in the deed restrictions. I think in the right way, the laundry line can look sweet (notice my pictures), but I am sure it has that trashy look at times too (notice I didn't show pictures of our undies hanging out on the line). I bet if my neighbors could see this it I would get reprimanded for it, good thing we have a private yard. In our last neighborhood we couldn't have a line outside. It is a fine line between living green and living trashy (um...lets hope we are the first).
Now I need to go and get a load outside and use up that free energy (did I mention that I have to watch for fire ants while I am hanging things up...oh the joys of the out doors).
sm.jpg)
12 comments:
We have a clothesline, and since my surgery, I have not been able to help the children out. I miss hanging clothes...this too shall pass.
Yours is prettier than mine!!
I love the pictures:) As a little girl ,we had a clothes line and some of my favorite memories are of being out at the clothes line with my mom in the morning or evening, helping or maybe just talking her ear off while she worked:)
That is hillarious...I was just thinking about blogging about drying laundry outside. Great minds think alike, huh? (smile) YES, we put all that hot sunshine to work for us too! Better go get a load up now! (no fire ants in our yard though...yea!)
Blog it sis, I want to here your thoughts and see some pics too.
Yes, we are alike even miles apart...
Back in my career days, when I taught Utility Customer Service Reps about energy conservation, I would, during the Alternative Energy section, go into detail about Solar Clothes Dryers, and talk about how Solar Clothes Dryers were much more prevalent in the 40's and 50's, and are still very cost effective today...and I would watch as the puzzled looks would give way to Ahas and chuckles. There would ALWAYS be a couple of people who just didn't catch on. We'd finally have to say, "It's a clothesline!"
Sounds so Southface to call it by such a cool name.
K-Sue, you crack me up...my Solar Clothes Dryer was very effective today -- it was able to handle 3 loads of wash and now my basket is empty. =)
I love k-sue's term for the clothesline and love that some of the people didn't get it at first!:)
We had a clothes line growing up and my grandmothers did, too. I always liked helping them put the clothes out. We don't have a clothesline here but I'm seriously thinking about it. Besides the "cute and country"-thing you mentioned, crispy, I also agree with you that it is a greener way to go!
I've been drying my clothes on Toni's clothes line each week. I tell you - they look every bit as good and almost pressed if they are hung up properly. I love it that in this country the first load is dry almost before the second load is ready to go on the line...and the smell - ahh - it can't be beat!
So little house on the prairie! I used to hang my wash out when we lived in TX but it started fading from the sunshine and I got out of the habit:(
Do you throw the clothes in the dryer for a few minutes to soften them up after they have dried on the line? I have always wondered about that. I used to dry my cloth diapers on a clothesline and they were always so crunchy!
Sometimes I do toss them in the dryer. Not always but sometimes a 10 min. fluff is helpful.
We've been very consistent with our line-drying for about six months. Our neighborhood doesn't allow a clothesline if you can see it from the road and you can't see ours (just the people behind us can, but they aren't in our neighborhood). It is right out the backdoor which is very handy. In past houses we tried to have one, but I'd get really lazy about it, especially if I had to go too far to do it. This is easy, and it feels like I'm doing something good (and the electric bill proves it!)
Post a Comment