Why We Line Dry

In January my grandmother passed away.  After she passed, as we got her affairs in order, I was struck by several things.  I went through her closet, and her clothes all seemed to be in amazing shape.  As I put together photo collages, I realized that my grandmother had worn many of her clothes for years.  They all remained in amazing shape.  You couldn't tell they were as old as they were because they had been taken care of so well.

I began asking my mom if she knew Grandma's tricks to keeping clothes in such good shape.  I was told that Grandma, for the most part, hung her clothes to dry.  Even in an apartment, with no clothes line, she would just hang things to dry in her laundry room.

She used the cheaper detergents, so that had little to do with the condition of her clothes.  The air drying of her clothes seemed to be the key.

I've line-dried off and on for a few years.  I find the process relaxing. It gets me outside in the sun.  It gives me exercise.  

The fresh smell is something that can't be bottled no matter how hard the soap and fabric softener manufacturers try.  

My Indoor Drying Rack

My favorite benefit is the fact that clothes simply don't wear out as quickly.  It's common sense really.  When I dry a load of clothes in my dryer, I have to clean out the lint trap.  What is lint?  It's little pieces of my clothes!  

I'm a messy eater.  It seems like I'm continually dropping something all over myself.  The same goes for my children.  They are continually getting messy.  Drying the clothes in the dryer sets the stains.  But when I line dry instead, the stains stand more of a chance of washing out of the clothes.  If they don't come out in the first wash, simply wash it again.

Seeing my Grandmother's clothes, in great shape after years of wear, convinced me that it's a waste of money to dry clothes in my dryer.  It wears them out, sets stains, and is one of the top electric users in our homes.

Do I ever use a clothes dryer?  Yes.  In the winter, my drying racks don't fit all my clothes.  I usually dry towels and blankets in the dryer when it is simply too cold to line dry.  I also might occasionally throw in something that is still damp, but needed immediately.

 

I find it sad when I read that homeowner's associations ban the use of clothes lines.  I have no objection to banning hanging out underwear, but mostly it's just silly.  It's just clothes!  

It's not illegal where I live.  In fact, I'm seeing more and more people put up clothes lines.  Why?  Because every dime counts.  My dryer costs about $.50 per load.  With ten loads per week, that is $240 a year.  That may seem like an insignificant amount to some, but add in the cost of new clothes to replace the worn out ones, and costs can add up quickly. 

In my home, I love saving money. If I didn't work at making our dollars stretch, I wouldn't be able to stay home and homeschool my children. To me, that is my priority.