More clothes line love.

Image courtesy of Pinterst

Why?  Why do I love hanging my clothes out to dry? 

It's been unseasonably warm here in WV lately.  I've been throwing clothes out on the line every day it's above 60 (OK, 50).  I love it! 

It saves money.
It extends the life of your clothes (Where do you think all that lint comes from?)
It keeps your house from heating up - once again saving you money.
The sun is a natural whitener. 
It leaves your clothes, sheets, rugs - everything - smelling fresh.

I'll let you know a little trick that I do.  I always check the weather forecast on the days I work.  If it's supposed to be a great day, I'll throw a load or two on the line and then go to work.  I would never leave my dryer running while I'm at work, but with my clothes lines I can feel like I'm keeping up on my laundry even when I'm working. 

I even have a retractable clothes line on my covered front porch that I use if I think it might rain.  I still have the option of hanging a load and going to work.  Worse case, it rains and they're still a little damp when I get home and I have to toss them in the dryer.

Now, I will admit that sometimes our towels and jeans end up a little stiff.  I've found that if you give your clothes a hard snap before hanging them, it helps this not to happen as much.  If they're really stiff and you just can't stand it, throw them in the dryer with a damp washcloth just long enough to warm them up, then grab them out.  Goodbye stiffness.  You're still saving cash by running your dryer only 15-20 minutes. 

Another trick that I've been known to do is to hang our "good" clothes on hangers and then put them on the line.  You avoid those little clothes pin marks on your shirts.  You could also hang them upside down (by the bottom of the shirt) to avoid pin marks. 

A clothes line is a great weekend project that will save you much more money than what you'll put into building it. 

Just think about it, OK?