You've Heard Of Slow Food? This Is Slow Dry
I love my clothesline and use it all year round. There's nothing like the smell of sheets and towels that have been air-dried on a fresh breeze. Because I'm a certified shrinkmaster, even in winter I shy away from our dryer. (Okay, okay, the crazy thing terrifies me, especially now that it seems to have only one temperature: Flame. Thank god the air-only setting still works so I can fluff up bath sheets without too much fear of turning them into washcloths.)
January weather in Missouri isn't real conducive to line drying, though, so the dirty laundry has really started piling up. You know it's bad when you can do an entire load of only reds and pinks--and it's a king size load. I'm just grateful the sheep don't wear clothes.
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I've aired my clean laundry a couple of times before. You'll find it hanging here and here.
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Comments: 13
Hanging it out is the only option around here! We do not have a clothes dryer. I did laundry last night, and since it's been cold and rainy, all the rooms were draped with the evidence and the windows were covered in condensation.
Luckily, we have (steam boiler generated) radiator heating, so instead of taking 3-4 days to dry a pair of jeans, I can hang them over one of the radiators and they will be dry by the next morning. I long for a dryer when clothes stretch to the point of losing their fit. A controlled shrink can be a good thing...
The French also have a ton of imaginative folding wire contraptions for hanging it all out. It's not uncommon to be greeted by drying laundry when you enter the home of a friend.
My daugher cringes during warm weather, when I hang our undies in the jardin for the whole village to see! I look forward to the return of spring and that outdoor freshness it gives the laundry.
Anything for a good laugh, right? ; ) And your comment about the long red underwear reminded me that I have one of those red thermal suit thingies! I need to dig it out. I rarely end up wearing it, though, not so much because it's a pain to unbutton (which it kind of is), but because I get too cold when I have to take it all off to pee! : )'
Hi Sherrie,
Yeah, it's not easy getting stuff to dry outside in winter. I actually have yesterday's second load of flannel jammies still hanging out there because they weren't dry and I didn't have enough space to hang them up inside!
Hi Susan,
Great to hear from you. I've been meaning to send you a message. I loved reading about your laundry drying--especially drying jeans on the radiator. Too cute about your daughter. Yes, a controlled shrink can definitely be a good thing, and cotton shirts do tend to get a bit stretched out on the line. Now if only I could control the settings on my dryer!
I have learned that the way you hang stuff up makes a difference. Not long after I moved to the country I excitedly announced to my husband that I'd had an epiphany about the laundry. He said he thought epiphanies were reserved for religious experiences. "This was a religious experience!" I said. "If you hang the shirts upside down they don't get those pointy shoulders from the clothespins!" It was a very big moment. ; )
Funny you should mention the epiphany ~ When I saw your post I immediately noticed that your shirts had been hung from the bottom; Now I know how to avoid the pointy shoulders.
Mille mercis for this saving grace!