I know, I know...
Who doesn't know how to hang laundry!?
Is there really a secret?
Is there really more to know than just using clothes pins and a clothes line?
Surprisingly...
YES!!
If you've ever taken rigid towels off a clothes line or socks that have dried in a mangled mess then you know that you can't just throw clothes on the line. You need to have a plan. A guide. Who helps make hanging laundry easy (and happy! *smile*).
After years of trial and error (and observing my awesome neighbor who has been hanging laundry for decades!!) I've discovered the secret of perfectly hung laundry - no matter what you're hanging!
The Proper Tools
You can use any kind of line for a clothesline. It can be a rotating line (such my outdoor line) or a stable line (such as my indoor line). As long as the line is strong enough to take the load of heavy wet clothes any line will do. Nothing is worse than having your line break and all your lovely clean laundry fall to the ground. Sadly I speak from experience. Sad times.
There are many different kinds of clothes pegs. I use two kinds. The standard wooden peg with metal hinge and a strong plastic peg. Both sets were bought from the dollar store. I recommend owning at least two sets. You'll be surprised how many pegs are needed to hang just one load of laundry - especially the itty bitty baby clothes. I love my wooden ones as they can take a ton of abuse. If the strain is too great they pop apart and easily pop back together. I love my plastic pegs because they can take almost a ton of weight. I use them for heavy towels, jeans and the like. I keep my pegs in a plastic container with a lid. It helps to keep the pegs dry as I store them outside all summer. I know many people use a cloth bag for storage. Whatever works best for you.
And don't forget the clothesline spacer! This is very important if you are using a rotating line. It keeps the line taught, preventing sagging and potentially breaking. And as I've said before, a broken line sucks. I have two kinds of spacers. Small ones with plastic rollers and a large metal one. I prefer the smaller one as it keeps the line tighter. I've had them over two years and the rollers have not broken or cracked. I've had my metal spacer for 5 years. It will never break but the rollers squeak.
At my clothesline I also have a small table. The main purpose of the table is simply to hold my clothes pegs at the proper height but I use it often for sorting clothes and folding them (more on that later). Before this table, my husband had his 4-wheeler parked so I could use the back end like a table (Ha ha! Whatever works!! Right?)
These tools are simple and easy to find at any hardware or general store. They are also easily within any budget. Even if you have room for only a small clothesline on your balcony or hanging in your bedroom, I recommend doing it! Not only will it save you money and save energy but it will also lengthen the life of your clothes!! *big grin*
Click here for tips on hanging kid's clothes.
Click here for why I love laundry. And think you should too.
Click here for why I love laundry. And think you should too.
Happy thoughts,
Andrea
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Awesome article and very practical - just like hanging laundry to dry outside! :-) As a society, we could save millions of dollars in energy per year simply by hanging out laundry outside! Alas, I've been asking my (wonderful but not so enthusiastic about clotheslines) hubby for years for a heavy-duty "Mennonite" clothes line from our balcony to our barn. (The "Mennonite" clothesline is a thing of beauty with a spacer the size of a dinner platter!). Until I (finally) convince him, I will continue on my smaller racks. (The smaller racks do allow me to pick them right up and bring them into the house if it starts to rain.) When Ella was a toddler, she and Papa spent a fun hour putting back together all of the clothes pegs that had popped apart. She thought it was great fun. (Of course, she may have been responsible for pulling some of them apart but that is beside the point.) There is nothing like the fresh, clean smell of clothes dried outside!
ReplyDeleteI completely agree!
DeleteGreat advice again Homemaking Maeven! You are correct that you need a table to put the clothes peg container on. We use our barbeque as a "table" for the clothes peg container...not great, but it works.
ReplyDelete