A few years back when it was 115-1120 degrees in Oklahoma as a result of the drought, I decided it was too hot to run the dryer. There was no way the a/c could keep up with it sooooo hot outside. I decided to start using a clothesline. Well, there wasn’t anything close to the house that would make good clothesline posts so I experimented. I spent $1 on nylon cord (I didn’t want to spend too much since I didn’t know how well it would work plus I was born a tightwad). I wove the cord around the railing on the balcony and hung my clothes. I call it my “city slicker” clothesline even though I live in the country. This would work for those living in apartments with balconies as long as the neighbors and landlord don’t mind. My improvised clothesline works great and I just leave it up all summer. I take it down in the winter to keep it from disintegrating. It is on its third year now and starting to show some wear but surely I have gotten my money’s worth out of it by now.
I hang my sheets out straight out of the washer. T-shirts, jeans, towels, etc I dry about half way so they aren’t too stiff and then hang out. The sunshine helps rid the clothes of any lingering odors and makes them smell oh so fresh. I can’t help but sniff the clothes when I bring them in. Too me it smells like sunshine.
Ever noticed how much lint there is in the lint trap of the dryer. That isn’t house dust. That is your clothes gradually breaking down and disintegrating. Drying clothes on the clothes line not only save electricity and makes your dryer last longer, it also makes your clothes last longer. The air wick t-shirts the hubby wears dry wrinkle free. If you fold the jeans the same as you would hang them they will dry virtually wrinkle free with a slight crease. Now the hubby does not need starched and pressed jeans to go to his construction job but sometimes he needs to meet with customers so it doesn’t hurt if he looks like he took the time to iron his clothes.
Happy drying. Have a frugal day!
We’ve never owned a dryer and so all our clothes on a line.
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lizard100 I haven’t accomplished that but who knows I may someday in the furture.
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I use indoor drying racks in a little nook in our living room. Works great in the summer & in the winter it’s close enough to our potbelly stove to dry within 24 hours. I’ve used the same 5 wood racks for our family of 6 for 8 years now. I just keep repairing them with duct tape. We hung a clothes bar above our washer & dryer so most of hubby and son’s hang up shirts go straight from the washer to a hanger up there.
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I will be making a post about how I deal with drying clothes indoors soon.
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