tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4606070748075765630.post1592867530402029108..comments2023-09-30T08:07:45.919-07:00Comments on Green for the rest of us: On air-drying clothingAmy in Tacomahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05464967059185739727noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4606070748075765630.post-53467112578894469252009-09-21T06:53:40.475-07:002009-09-21T06:53:40.475-07:00As someone who has had clotheslines in an urban se...As someone who has had clotheslines in an urban setting for years, I say do it! My whites are always brighter after being in the sun for a couple hours and it drastically lowered my electric bills for a while before I moved from St Louis, MO to Baltimore, MD. I don't have a place outdoors right now to put up a line and I miss it a lot. Right now my fiance and I are living with his mother and she puts everything in the dryer. She also uses fabric softener sheets in the dryer, which a huge problem for me as I have not found a single dryer sheet formula that I'm not allergic to. <br /><br />The dryer sheets also bring up the issue of buildup inside the exhaust and filtering mechanisms of your drying machine and make it a lot less efficient, even leading to fire hazards on occasion. This is something I feel is entirely too much of a worry just to have clothes perfumed and coated with an anti-static chemical as the dryer does a great job of fluffing all on its own. <br /><br />Luckily she doesn't use the garage so I can string up as many lines in there as I like to dry things. It just isn't quite as nice as being able to hang things up in the sunshine, though, as it takes a lot longer for things to dry without the great breeze coming off the bay and the whitening and sanitizing properties of the sun aren't put to use. <br /><br />As far as the bird poop concern, I have had issues at times. My last clothesline had to be placed under a large elm tree as there was no other suitable location in the tiny lot. Depending on the item soiled and severity of the mess, some things would need to be completely rewashed. I found that most, however, were perfectly fine after brushing off the dried poop and just spot washing. Even with my line being under a tree, though, this rarely happened. <br /><br />Keep up with the baby steps, <br />DDKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07467528935667503979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4606070748075765630.post-9863966864046217702009-09-01T15:40:53.220-07:002009-09-01T15:40:53.220-07:00Thanks for the encouragement and tips!Thanks for the encouragement and tips!Amy in Tacomahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05464967059185739727noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4606070748075765630.post-37133059833132364912009-08-28T06:40:31.950-07:002009-08-28T06:40:31.950-07:00I grew up watching my mother hanging out the cloth...I grew up watching my mother hanging out the clothes to dry - I have been doing this myself since. To answer your questions the clothes do not become polluted and I have never experienced having bird poop on the clothes (I have 12 bird houses and 3 bird feeders in my garden).<br />The reason that your clothes feel rough is that you have them placed on your rails/benches. If you set up a clothes line the clothes then are blown in the breeze and become soft to the touch. I live in a cold winter climate and when it is too cold I hang the clothes on a clothes line in the attic (or basement).<br />If the neighbors feel the clothes line is unsightly just hook the cord up when in use and take it down at the end of the day. <br />I wrote a blog about this called 'The Clothes Line" - it is filed under 'humor'.<br />Hanging clothes outside saves money, energy and we get fresh air while doing it :-)peacesojournerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12197628157915601163noreply@blogger.com