[Greenbuilding] drying clothes
Bob Waldrop
bwaldrop at cox.net
Thu Sep 1 10:16:16 CDT 2011
I'd like to note that there are ways to increase the "efficiency" of a
clothes line in terms of the amount of clothing that can dry on the line.
After hanging the shirts and sheets, I go back and use the same clothes pins
that are holding the shirts and sheets on the line to hold socks, wash
clothes, handkerchiefs, pillow cases, i.e. any small light items. So this
gets more items per square foot of line and also limits the amount of
clothes pins.
regarding clothes pins, Dollar stores sell them, but I've found that over
time it is better to buy the slightly more expensive brands sold at hardware
stores like Ace. They don't fall apart so fast.
My clothes lines are close together, there is only about a foot between
them.
I hang the shirts by the tails, one clip per tail, spread out like they were
wings. I put up one shirt, then go back to its first wing, and start the
next shirt about 4" from the first clothes pin, so the shirts overlap a bit.
After a few shirts, I use the last tail clothes pin for one shirt for the
first tail clothes pin for the next shirt. this allow you to put a lot of
shirts on a line. (I don't know if I am explaining this well enough so it
is understandable. I started and abandoned this email three times after
failing to craft a satisfactory explanation, lol.
More than once my clothes on the line have been caught by a quick rain
squall. I just figure 'one last rainwater rinse won't hurt them' and it
doesn't.
I've never had bird poop on my clothes and my lines are under trees in the
shade -- which is, I think, a good idea, since it is more comfortable
hanging clothes out to dry during the summer in the shade than in full
sunlight, and they dry just as fast in the shade as they do in the sun (at
least this is true in central Oklahoma).
Another reason for line drying is that clothes dryers beat your clothes to
death. Dryer lint is, after all, bits and pieces of your clothing that has
been beaten out of them by the action of the dryer. With clothes drying,
there is no "clothes line lint'.
for me and my house, the feel and smell of air dried clothes is a luxury
that is truly value priced.
Bob Waldrop, Okie City
www.energyconservationinfo.org
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