Dryer/Clothesline ideas to share - Page 2

[Breathless Wonder]

he put up a pulley system that runs from a big walnut tree to a window on the house

Where I come from, THAT is a *real* clothesline. Ours ran from the back window to the top of a flag pole at the back of the yard.

I don't have crunchiness issues with our clothes, because my current clothesline is in the shade- I wrapped the rope around the tree trunk, and then ran it to another tree, wrapped it around there, and tied it off. That way, I didn't hurt the tree by drilling or nailing anything into it.

Oh yeah! Meant to add that I have seen people use the the squared off "railroad" ties to make a "T" shaped clothesline- the ties that are the same in the shape and width to the wood used to make wooden swing/ play sets.

[bwylde]

Since we have no dryer, everything gets hung up to dry. Outside, we have no "crunchy" problems, but indoor, I find shaking/snapping things out before hanging helps them not dry stiff, especially diapers. Of course we don't use much detergent with our laundry but they still get line fresh!

[Amys1st]

First of all, I am glad there are others with clothes lines. People cannot believe we actually have one. They are so missing out but too bad.


I have cut down detergent and not noticed anything not as clean as before.

Its been too cool to put clothes out, but I will see this test of crunckyness when I do

[Rebecca]

I bought this clothesline after being tired of having ropes strung up like a spider web between my trees. http://www.eclothesdryers.com/folding_body.htm
You can close it up like and umbrella and put it in the garage when you don't need it. Holds lots of clothes too! Don't forget that it's cheap! Just like the one in the Gaiam catalog but for like $100 less, and just as good. Buying one of these would be so much easier and cheaper than building the pipe one, and less permanent as you can remove it from the base in the winter. Even with shipping, it was only like $36 bucks or so (already strung!).

To make your clothes soft, put them in the dryer for about 10 mins to fluff them up before hanging outside.

I found that in the summer when i'd forget the laundry and leave it out all day especially on a breezy day, the clothes would get whipped around so much they'd actually be soft, rather than their old stiff selves.

And put a pantyhose stocking or two over the end of that dryer vent to catch the lint. And watch out that you're not growing mold from the extra humidity in your home/basement.

Here's my old tree-strung clothesline from a couple yrs ago. I dont' have any recent pics of the newer umbrella one. GUess it's time to update the webpage!

[PadmaMorgana]

We have one of those umbrella ones....shoved in the shed LOL. The hole for the post was in the garden area and we wanted to put in a new veggie bed, so it got filled in.

What we have is a retractable clothes line, strung back and forth on our patio arbour. Kinda hard to have a big clothesline when we have no trees :LOL It is one strand but our neighbours used to have one with 5 strands. I looked and looked and could never find one like it.

The real clotheslines, like the pully system ones, I have found at Home Depot and at Walmart.

And today I found out that a strong wind gets rid of the crunchies for you April in BC and my clothes were dry in 2 hours....gotta love the wind.

[lilsishomemade]

We don't have a dryer at all so the solution with throwing the clothes in the dryer for a couple of minutes is not an option for us. What has worked for me is: Use less detergent. Detergent build-up in clothes is a big factor in stiff clothes. I don't really use commercial products anymore, but if you do, I'd reccomend only using half of the suggested amount. Also, vinegar in the rinse helps with detergent build up. Second rinses do, also, if your clothes are real bad. Another thing that helps with getting things soft is how much wind you have. That's the reason things from the dryer come out so soft-it's the tumbling. The more wind you have, the softer your clothes will be. I also will shake everything out real good before hanging it, and when bringing it off the line. You get to where if your clothes aren't a little stiff right when putting them on, they must not be clean! :LOL

[leomom]

I was using my clothesline last summer and our clothes smelled awesome. But, I tried it in the winter and YUCK! They smelled horrible. I guess it's that time of year again.

[Pynki]

I hang our clothes out all year long.. Admittedly in IOwa in the winter.. It takes all day for one load to dry.. And really they freeze, but they ARE dryer.. (Freeze dried anyone..) And i pop then into the dryer for about 10 minutes.. Soft soft.. Also.. Every time I do a load of laundry and even when we use the dryer.. (I get sick alot and just don't have the energy all the time.. ) I spin the clothes out twice.. I figuire it uses less electricity to spin out that extra bit of moisture than it does to dry them in the dryer.. And it's alot faster on the line too..

I second the recommendation for less detergent.. We have some HARD well water, and I only use AT MOST 1/2 the recommended amount for the clothes..

We also will throw crunchy clothes into the dryer with a damp/wet/wrung out dish cloth for about 10 minutes..

Warm Squishy (soft not crunchy!:LOL) Feelings..
Dyan

[Pynki]

Also..

WE have radiant heat from our ceilings (all electric house) and it's really very dry in the winter.. We up the humidity by putting panty hose over the end of the vent and venting the warm humid air back into the house.. It helps with both the humidity and the heating.. I check the pantyhose about 1x a week and clean it out..

Warm Squishy Feelings..
Dyan

[SugarAndSun]

Originally Posted by Rebecca

I bought this clothesline after being tired of having ropes strung up like a spider web between my trees. http://www.eclothesdryers.com/folding_body.htm
You can close it up like and umbrella and put it in the garage when you don't need it. Holds lots of clothes too! Don't forget that it's cheap! Just like the one in the Gaiam catalog but for like $100 less, and just as good. Buying one of these would be so much easier and cheaper than building the pipe one, and less permanent as you can remove it from the base in the winter. Even with shipping, it was only like $36 bucks or so (already strung!).

To make your clothes soft, put them in the dryer for about 10 mins to fluff them up before hanging outside.

I found that in the summer when i'd forget the laundry and leave it out all day especially on a breezy day, the clothes would get whipped around so much they'd actually be soft, rather than their old stiff selves.

And put a pantyhose stocking or two over the end of that dryer vent to catch the lint. And watch out that you're not growing mold from the extra humidity in your home/basement.

Here's my old tree-strung clothesline from a couple yrs ago. I dont' have any recent pics of the newer umbrella one. GUess it's time to update the webpage!

What awesome pics!

I love the new one too!

[zeldabee]

Originally Posted by PadmaMorgana

What we have is a retractable clothes line, strung back and forth on our patio arbour. Kinda hard to have a big clothesline when we have no trees :LOL It is one strand but our neighbours used to have one with 5 strands. I looked and looked and could never find one like it.

Here's one. I'm going to get one for my apartment. I'll put it in the bathroom, and run the fan while drying clothes. My lease specifically prohibits me from hanging clothing outside. I've got a lovely patio that would be perfect for it, too.

When I lived in NYC, I had no outdoor space, and hung most of my laundry on wooden drying racks in my entryway. No problem with the moisture during the winter, in summer I had to use fans. I had a washing machine, but no dryer. Here, I've got a washer and dryer, and outdoor space, and can't hang my clothes. I know my clothes are wearing out quicker now that they go in the dryer every time they're washed. They do get softer, but all that lint I pull out of the screen every load is a little percentage of the cloth...

[lilsishomemade]

Mm...I wanted to add that during rainy days, and so on, I hang everything that goes on hangers on the shower curtain rod and then I have a couple of lines that go up in my bedroom to hang the other stuff. This helps add a little humidity to or home (it's dry in here, too). And, the clothes are easy to put away--straight from the rod to the closet, and, everyone's dresser is in my room (I have a two year old who enjoys taking clothes out of his dresser and *flinging* them all over the place ) so it's easy to fold straight off the line.

[Past_VNE]

The pantyhose trick totally works for interior venting. Or you could spurge and get this puppy:

http://www.indoorlinttrapfilter.com

[Alkenny]

I have TWO sets of T poles (lucky? They were here when we bought the place. :LOL ) I fill all 7 lines everytime I do laundry too.

I am clothes sniffing addict, and LOVE the smell.

As for "stiffness", I know some people don't use laundry detergent AT ALL. Just hot water. I tried it with my towels the last couple of times, just washed in hot water and hung out to dry...they are getting softer and softer! No soap buildup!

[delicious]

oooh, rebecca, thanks for the link! i am getting one.

our old retractable one is falling apart and it falls off pretty regularly. i had been eyeing that one in the gaiam catalog!

[leomom]

Thanks for the link!

[Amys1st]

Oh wow! The less detergant is really working. I threw some pretty stained shirts of dd's in there and they came out fine. Also they were supper soft on the line. Job well done ladies!

[OceanMomma]

I always line dry my clothes. I do own a dryer but I truly dislike using it. In my experience, crunchy clothes come from not enuf air thru them while drying. As I live in a high wind zone, this has never been a problem.

My clothes line is just an old steel cable strung between two trees. Not the best photo of the line but you can see it here at the bottom of the photo in the darker bit

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...6Image0006.jpg

& a much better one is here

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...ochookcoop.jpg

[womama]

wow!
This is such a great thread.
You can't get this advice and wisdom anywhere else.

Thanks!!!

[momto l&a]

T posts are fairly easy to make. Though I dont know if a hardware store would thread the pipe for you. There is a connection that is a T and you just thread 3 pipes into it. The one that goes into the ground just sink it deep into cement.

Umbrella lines are kinda of a pain IMO clothes dont dry as fast and they dont all get sunned. I do have though, I have always had long straight lines