How to line dry your clothes
April 4, 2007 at 11:15 AM
by Ashleigh
Line drying clothing on the 6th floor balcony - look how small the cars look!
If anyone had said to me when we lived in Zimbabwe and were guaranteed a sunny day pretty much every day that there might be instances where people never used a washing line to dry their clothes I would have looked at them aghast and slack-jawed. It wasn't within my comprehension to understand that one might prefer to use a tumble dryer because of ease of use and inclement weather.
After living in cold, wet Holland for the last four years, and before that for two years in cold, wet England, I understand!
We use our dryer mostly in the winter, and when the weather is particularly rainy. But, if I had to be completely honest I would say that we could probably manage without it.
In England we didn't have one. We dried clothing on the line, the clothes horse or over the radiators indoors. We also had more space, living in a house, and less people - there were only three of us. I don't think I'd want clothing strewn over every possible surface in our tiny Dutch flat, so I try and aim for a half and half situation. If it's sunny and dry, or overcast and dry and not freezing cold, then I hang my washing outdoors. Otherwise I use the drier
On the 6th floor this presents some challenges, but, being the ingenious race they are, the Dutch have all kinds of contraptions to make hanging up your washing simple, and even a wikipedia entry to prove it!
I have a rack, pictured above, that hangs over the balcony. It's a bit of a life-threatening feat to actually lean over and peg some of the things onto the rack. The Husband won't do it because he is afraid of heights. The big advantage is that the clothes dry really quickly.
There are all sorts of other kinds of racks available, that promise 4 m2 of hanging space in 1 m2 of floor space, that fold completely flat, that do everything except iron the clothes etc etc.
The other one I have is a simple rack that folds flat. If I use both racks at once I can hang two loads of washing out. I usually don't do more than a load a day and I try and run as many loads as possible on a sunny day. Lots of weather watching necessary!
So, if you have never hung out washing before, what do you do?
Here's my guide* to line drying your clothes:
The Pegs
You need pegs and something to hold them in. I use an apron. I don't use a peg bag because I find it easier to reach into the pocket of my apron to get pegs out. Holding washing in one hand on the 6th floor in a stiff breeze and then fumbling for a peg is not a good idea, and I speak from experience. Those people across the road are really enjoying that duvet cover that flew off into their apartment block!
I use wooden pegs. They don't hold as tightly as plastic ones, but I lose so many that I would rather think of wooden ones biodegrading than plastic ones lying there forever. Choose whichever make you happy. Bright coloured ones are pretty cool and make hanging up laundry fun!
The Basket
You'll also need some kind of basket or tub to put the wet clothes in to take them to the washing line. When we had a real washing line, the grass underneath it was always wet and I had nowhere to put my basket. I bought one that had an indent for my hip so I could balance the basket on my hip and reach with one hand into my apron for pegs. It worked pretty well. Now of course we have concrete so I can just put my basket down on the floor. If I have an awful lot of washing to hang up then I bring out a folding chair and put the basket on that - less bending.
You could get a pretty wicker basket, but you don't want one that is lined with fabric for this because it will get wet. Save that one for when you take the things off the line and fold them all neatly ready for ironing. You do iron, right?
The Line
There are all kinds of lines available. If you're lucky enough to have the space I suggest either one of those rotary type washing lines or a retractable line. Or of course, the multitude of washing racks mentioned above.
Hanging your washing out
You've got everything out of the washing machine and into your basket and you're ready with your pegs in your peg holder. Now, what do you do?
I start with the biggest things first and space them evenly on both ends of my washing rack. I don't want it to overbalance so I try and keep the weight the same. I hang pants by the bottom of the legs. This helps the waistband to dry faster. You can square up the seams so that the pants hang straight then you'll avoid any unwanted creases.
I hang underwear mostly by the waistband, or from the crotch if they have a thick waistband.
When I had a washing line instead of a rack I hung shirts, pillowcases, towels etc with edges overlapping so that I could use a single peg for each junction. Saves on the pegging and unpegging! Now, on the 6th floor balcony I fold my sheets before I hang them out. Less ironing needed!
Try and keep socks and stocking together, then you can roll them up as you take them off the line. Same with underpants and bras - it's easier if they are all in the same place.
So, just hang it all out, peg it down firmly and wait for the wind and sun to do their work.
Taking your washing in
This is where you want your pretty basket. Unpeg each item and fold it carefully before putting it into your basket. If you are going to iron straight away you can take the items off the line while slightly damp. If not, wait until they are bone dry. If you don't like the stiff feel of line dried clothing, pop them into the tumble drier for five minutes or so to soften them up.
I find that men's dress shirts and other items that need ironing, like tea towels, sheets, pillow cases etc behave best if they are rolled up, so, in the case of a shirt you would fold the arms toward the centre and then roll from the top down. You should get a neat roll that will crease less while it waits for you to get around to ironing it.
After a while it all becomes second nature.
And then, finally, after 15 years experience (like I've had) you'll be able to air your laundry in public with perfect ease!
* There are probably as many different ways to hang up laundry as there are to skin a cat. This is my way.
Comments
Hi Ash..I LOVE hanging my clothes on the line and I do it every chance I get..I did my sheets yesterday and oh they felt so good to crawl under at night after working in the yard most of the day..Hanging clothes on the line is a kind of therapy for me..I LOVE to see the clothes blowing in the breeze..I especially love to hang sheets on the line when it is cool and the wind is blowing then when I go to bed that night they smell like outside..Hanging clothes on the line is one of the simple pleasures in life that I truly enjoy..I also use and like the wooden clothespins the best..
Your way is pretty much my way too, except for the rolling-the-men-shirts part. Does it really help? I hate ironing and I am not good at it too (maybe first has something to do with the latter?)
Funny how you discover an efficient way to do things after a while....only to notice that you have when you see another family member doing the same thing in a not so efficient way...which causes eh let's say discussion?!
So how about a tutorial on packing shopping crates/bags? I have a way to stack and divide and place and end up with beautifully balanced, portable shopping bags, fragile on top, heavies separated and under. And then the Husband comes with me on grocery shopping (once a year) and insists on packing...let me help you honey.... Sigh.
FLASHBACK!!!!! Guess who!?? Cindy, !!(SAP Office days)
Hey Girl, it has been great reading about your life "overseas" .
Drop me a line ,so that we can catch up
Cheers babes
Thank you SO MUCH for posting this, Ashley! I have been meaning to start hanging my wash out to dry, especially now that we have cloth diapers (I believe you call them 'nappies') and the one you have on your balcony would be perfect for our deck. Could you tell me what brand it is (hopefully one I could order over the internet to the States.)
And really hoping to attempt your hot cross bun recipe for Easter this year, though I have never made buns before. They look SO delicious!
Happy Spring! (Even though it's cold & rainy here and we seemed to have receded back to November :(
Wow! I give you a lot of credit leaning over that balcony! I am too afraid of heights. For some smug, control-issue reason, more and more home owners associations as well as apartments, town houses, and condominiums are not allowing laundry to be hung outdoors. It is sad.
In good weather, I hang all of our laundry outdoors, except personal items. I have a very long line with pulleys. I am able to hang two very large loads plus some more at one time.(Think American washing machines and not European) During the winter, I hang the laundry on drying racks (clothes horses?) as well as lines strung in a hallway. After many years of hanging laundry, I have developed a method in which all the laundry is hung in such a manner that I am able to fold or place on hangers the laundry from the line. If it is good weather, I hang men's shirts by the collar and take it from the line to the hanger. In poor weather, I may let it tumble in the dryer until warmed up, remove and then hang to dry. My washing machine has a "permanent press cycle" that doesn't remove as much water as the cotton sturdy setting. This prevents the clothing from getting too wrinkled during the spin cycle, enabling me to take it out of the washer, snap it, and hang it on a hanger to dry.
Line drying laundry is becoming a dying art, at least in the States. While I know many who do, most do not. Not only does it save money, I feel that clothing lasts longer. It isn't getting beat up by the tumbling in the dryer. I may be strange, but I love to see a line of laundry flapping in the breeze!
I appreciate this perspective on living in the Netherlands. Thank you. By the way, please be careful when you lean over the balcony!
Forgot to tell you about the nifty contraption I had when I was living in a "student house". The house was one of those grand old high-ceiling houses and my lines were in the hallway, way up high. I could lower them with a pulley (katrol?) and then hoist it up again. No one ever could stick their nose in my eeeh undies...
Ash: English houses have those too, usually above the Aga. I have Aga envy!
Oooh I love hanging washing out on the line during the spring/summer and the occasional nice weather in winter. We have a rotary line and I have socks/undies/bras on the inside and work out so that the bigger items i.e. towels/bedding are on the final lines.
You are a brave woman to hang your washing out in a 6th floor flat..
*Hugs*
Funny how line drying is not logical for most foreigners. I think almost every Dutch person who has the space line dries their clothes. I was appalled by the amount of Americans that have lots of space, wonderful weather, yet use their tumble dryer for everything. And who consider 2 pairs of pants a load worth turning the washer and dryer on for!
No, I don't iron. That's my way of conserving power ;-)
Nice post - you are very brave to hang your clothes up that high (not to mention yourself!) - I've dropped many things already and luckily all they get is dirty.
Ash: Thanks Amy! I plan to drop a pair of undies on one of my neighbours one of these days, but the right opportunity hasn't arisen yet ;)
I try to wait with washing the bed cloths 'till the weather is nice enough to hang it out - it smells so much nicer if your sheets have dried outside. Towels on the other hand I prefer to tumble dry, because they feel softer that way.
Being a lazy toad I must admit that I hang out only the big items and tend to tumble dry the small things (socks, underpants, etc.). But with three active little boys and a sporty family I have a big wash at least once a day (and I have a 7 kg machine).
What interesting topics you come up with, Ash! Here in Australia, most homes have a Hills Hoist rotary clothesline in the back yard. We don't have one of those, but we do have a line that can be folded flat against the fence if we want to use the patio area for something else. Flats and apartment buildings have clotheslines either in the grounds or on the roof, and people often hang their washing on lines on their balconies. I believe it is frowned upon in some places, but what the heck - you have to do what you have to do! We do have a tumble dryer, but I only use it if it has been raining for days on end and I can't get the washing dry outside....although that hasn't been the case for years with the drought we are experiencing :-(
I am really interested in buying a coup0le of these washing racks that can be hung over a door for instance. Where can I buy them online?
I'm a student at Pomona College in Claremont, California and recently spent a good amount of time looking into the various clothesline and drying rack options since Pomona is going to purchase some for student use and I wanted to get the best available racks for us.
In my research, I was shocked to find that there is NO good website explaining all the different clotheslines and drying rack options, so I made my own! It's a wiki page on the Tip the Planet sustainable living wiki that ANYONE CAN EDIT. You can check it out here: http://www.tiptheplanet.com/index.php?title=Air_dry_washing I'm trying to spread the word so that the site becomes a clearing house for drying rack information, and people have to spend less time scouring the web for the best products. Have a look, share it with your friends, and by all means add your wisdom!
Take care,
Chelsea
We bought a drier when I got pregnant with Nicky or Rowen, but I still prefer to hang-dry our clothes. We do it in the attic, where we have a sort of wash area between our bedroom and the staircase. What a huge difference it makes to the electric bill!
April 4, 2007 12:47 PM