My clothesline

I've been thinking about buying a clothesline for a few months, and it's finally warm enough outside that our clothes might actually dry in the course of the day. I did a lot of online searching and almost bought one from The Clothesline Shop, but then my friend suggested that I go to our local hardware store instead (DUH!). I originally wanted a retractable one so that the line wouldn't be up all the time (I had my eye on a $29 model), but the clerk in the hardware store suggested that I make it even simpler by using two hooks and a long length of clothesline with a knot at each end that I put up and took down as needed. I followed his advice and bought 50 feet of clothesline for $3.79 (the distance between my intended "posts" is 16 feet), two large metal screws with hooks ($1.58 for both), and some old-fashioned wood clothespins for $3.50 (a pack of 50). So for less than $10, I was set.

I drilled a hole for one hook in the patio pillar and another in a tree, screwed the hooks in, then cut the clothesline to fit really tightly between the two (with a slipknot at each end), and voila! My clothesline was up. I had a load of laundry ready to hang, and it was on the line billowing softly in the breeze in about 10 minutes. I had some laundry that didn't fit on the line, which I dried for a few minutes (to get the wrinkles out), then hung on my indoor clothes rack (purchased at Bed, Bath & Beyond for $10). It was easy and fast, which in my world are key considerations for continuing any environmental effort.

I must admit that my plan wasn't entirely hitch free. It started to rain about 4 hours after I hung the clothes (such is life in the northeast). Just a light rain, but I ran out and pulled everything down. The clothes were a little damp so I dried them in the dryer for about 15 minutes, but I still felt good knowing that I'd cut the time in the dryer for the load by more than half. I also know that I won't be able to hang every load outside, but even if I hang one out of four that's more than I was doing in the past. 

Comments

[poetnessa]

Thank you for this blog! You have just inspired me to try hanging a clothesline, too! Why not? We have afternoon sun in our back yard and we might as well use it for this until we can afford to get a solar energy water heater or something. I like the idea of everyone doing what they can to make a difference. Your sharing of what you are doing is helping others get the idea of how easy it is to make a difference, too! Thank you!!