Line Drying - Back in Style

Line drying your clothes isn't just for your grandmother anymore. There is a movement afoot in the green community to get back into the habit of line drying your clothing for a few reasons.

1. It will save you money.
• No joke! Your dryer, refrigerator and washer are the biggest electricity hogs in your house.
• The sun acts as a bleaching agent and it's antibacterial which means that you don't have to buy any more bleach.
  
2. It's relaxing.
• Just pretend that you're playing house in the 1950's. Dig out that apron you have with the ruffles and saunter into your back yard to get to work - I like to do it at least. The trick is to reward your hard work with a martini when you get back in the house.
  
• Lots of blogs I've read on the subject mention that it's just nice to spend some time outside and getting their chores done all at the same time, and I agree.
  
3. Your clothes will last longer.
• The lint that you pull off the screen in your dryer comes from your clothes, but did you know that it's because they're being destroyed? I never put 2 and 2 together until a few months ago.
• The less time your clothes spend in the dryer the more fibers stay in your clothes which will make it much easier to make it through the 365 no new duds challenge with your pants in one piece.
  
4. Your clothes will smell "sunshine fresh".
• Another common 'thread' (haha) in blogs and articles about line drying is just how good your clothes will smell when you bring them down off the line.
• You can stop paying more for the smelly detergents because you are now getting the smell for free.

Don't believe me? Check out this Mom Advice article on the subject as well as Thrifty Jinxy's thoughts on the matter (which also happens to be an Ideal Bite tip!). They will pretty much tell you the same thing. The Mom Advice article also give you some great ideas on how to reduce the amount of wrinkles in your clothes as they dry on the line.

Don't let your line drying days come to an end when it starts to get cold outside! You can just as easily dry your launder on a few folding racks, which is what I use right now anyway. I find that my clothes get dry just as fast as they do when they are in the dryer and I haven't had any trouble with stiff clothes at all, something that can happen when you dry outside.

Now that I know you're all ready to get out there and line dry your clothes you will need some supplies to get you started. Here's where to get the goods:

1. A clothes line
• I found this outdoor clothes line setup that was something I thought I might like ... if I had a backyard.
• You might also want to consider a retractable clothes line if you don't want a giant thing standing in your back yard all the time.
  
2. A drying rack
• Thanks to Ideal Bite, here is a site that is dedicated to sustainable production of wooden drying racks and boy do they have a bunch of styles. I was really impressed.
3. Clothes pins
• You can't get the clothes to stay on the line without these little guys! You can find them several places around town probably.
• Here are some wooden clothes pins and here are some plastic clothes pins. I personally prefer the wooden ones.
  
4. Clothespin bag
• Here is a basic clothes pin bag.
  
• But you can also make your own with things that you already have in your house. Check out these awesome instructions I found for this style and these other equally awesome instructions to make another style.
  
5. A ruffled apron and martini shaker
• This apron will blow your neighbors away.
• These aprons have a very vintage look to them if you really want to look authentic.
• I found a site called Martini Art that should become your one stop shop for any martini supplies you might ever want or need. They even have drink recipes!

And there you have it. Every question you may have had about line drying your clothes answered and several resources at your finger tips. So what are you waiting for? I'll see you in the back yard!