Heh. Not energy efficient, just Laohaire-efficient.
We just installed my very first clothesline last weekend, and it's great. But I'm wondering if there are tips that I don't know about, since I'm applying no more than common sense and no experience. My mother never line-dried.
First, I'm kind of surprised that I can only get about 1 plus 1/4 load onto 50 feet of line. Maybe I'm expecting way too much though. We installed 100 feet of clothesline on a rotary system, so it's 50 actual usuable feet (minus a couple feet). I figured that would be a LOT of clothesline, since we could only even find 1 line that was 100 feet. The store sold 25 feet and 50 feet. So are people using 25 feet of line and able to keep up with the laundry? Or are they maybe only using it for certain items, like towels and bedding?
I'm drying EVERYTHING so maybe that's where the disconnect is.
Since I do 2 loads of laundry per wash day, I've been putting everything on the line and the leftover 3/4 onto a drying rack that I've put in the back yard. The drying rack isn't as good as the line, though, because air circulation and sun exposure isn't nearly as good/even. So I'm finding myself putting everything I can on the line, putting the rest on the rack, and going back out and taking some stuff down as it dries and putting the rack stuff on the line. That is just taking more time than I had hoped.
I put everything close together, so there isn't space between items. But I do pull out an item - like a shirt I will stretch out rather than letting it hang with some folds. Is that wrong? I figured it would dry better. But maybe a little hang wouldn't be bad and would free up more line space.
I hang towels vertically of course.
Maybe part of the problem is that I've got a bit of family cloth - little things that nonetheless take up some line space. But I have already learned to put them in my 2nd wash load and place them on the rack instead of the line.
Anyway, a reality check would be great. If you tell me "Laohaire, welcome to the world of line drying, what you have described is reality, you're lucky you can even fit a whole load on the line" that will work for me.
Oh, part of the issue I guess is that our property abuts mountain forest (so the forest is not only right there, but it's 25 feet higher than us, so it blocks out a lot of sun). I notice things dry really quickly in the sun, 30 minutes or less, but it can take all day if there's no sun. So part of my line is dry and part is still wet, but I have it attached to a really high-up tree so I can only really work with the line in one location. I can't take down stuff from the far end unless I take it all down.
We just installed my very first clothesline last weekend, and it's great. But I'm wondering if there are tips that I don't know about, since I'm applying no more than common sense and no experience. My mother never line-dried.
First, I'm kind of surprised that I can only get about 1 plus 1/4 load onto 50 feet of line. Maybe I'm expecting way too much though. We installed 100 feet of clothesline on a rotary system, so it's 50 actual usuable feet (minus a couple feet). I figured that would be a LOT of clothesline, since we could only even find 1 line that was 100 feet. The store sold 25 feet and 50 feet. So are people using 25 feet of line and able to keep up with the laundry? Or are they maybe only using it for certain items, like towels and bedding?
I'm drying EVERYTHING so maybe that's where the disconnect is.
Since I do 2 loads of laundry per wash day, I've been putting everything on the line and the leftover 3/4 onto a drying rack that I've put in the back yard. The drying rack isn't as good as the line, though, because air circulation and sun exposure isn't nearly as good/even. So I'm finding myself putting everything I can on the line, putting the rest on the rack, and going back out and taking some stuff down as it dries and putting the rack stuff on the line. That is just taking more time than I had hoped.
I put everything close together, so there isn't space between items. But I do pull out an item - like a shirt I will stretch out rather than letting it hang with some folds. Is that wrong? I figured it would dry better. But maybe a little hang wouldn't be bad and would free up more line space.
I hang towels vertically of course.
Maybe part of the problem is that I've got a bit of family cloth - little things that nonetheless take up some line space. But I have already learned to put them in my 2nd wash load and place them on the rack instead of the line.
Anyway, a reality check would be great. If you tell me "Laohaire, welcome to the world of line drying, what you have described is reality, you're lucky you can even fit a whole load on the line" that will work for me.
Oh, part of the issue I guess is that our property abuts mountain forest (so the forest is not only right there, but it's 25 feet higher than us, so it blocks out a lot of sun). I notice things dry really quickly in the sun, 30 minutes or less, but it can take all day if there's no sun. So part of my line is dry and part is still wet, but I have it attached to a really high-up tree so I can only really work with the line in one location. I can't take down stuff from the far end unless I take it all down.
