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Cleaning Up:  Question about inside drying racks  |
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happymama58
True Blue Farmgirl
1210 Posts
Patti
Missouri
USA
1210 Posts |
 Posted - May 18 2006 : 2:55:59 PM
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My mom was a machine dryer person -- we never had an outside line or anything else, so while reading the Premiere Issue I had some questions. MaryJane uses an inside rack, and the one in the picture is a wooden type of rack that extends out from the wall. I'm trying to figure this out. Do you hang up the clothes and then hook the hanger over the wooden rods, or do you drape the clothes over the wooden rods?
Also, if you air dry things, do you find you have to iron everything?
Any other information or advice for a lifetime-dryer-user is greatly appreciated! 
Some people search for happiness; others create it.
http://happymama58.typepad.com/my_weblog/ |
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Nancy Gartenman
True Blue Farmgirl
9092 Posts
Nancy
West Seneca
New York
USA
9092 Posts |
Posted - May 18 2006 : 3:22:56 PM
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Guess you could do both, but drape is the usual way. You can get a free standing drying rack, I have always had one, near my dryer, to put things on that I don't want to go in the dryer. And when I was at home on the farm we used them in the house all winter to dry clothes, used to sit it right on the floor register. As far as the ironing, some things seem to come out better by air drying, some not.
NANCY JO |
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Destiny~
True Blue Farmgirl
195 Posts
Dar
west
TX
USA
195 Posts |
Posted - May 19 2006 : 05:49:42 AM
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I also have a nylon coated metal shelf that is scrwed into the wall in my laundry room that I use to put laundry supplies on. On the underside is a place for hangers. I keep empty hangers on one end of it and then hang up my wet clothes as I remove them from the washer. As long as I keep the laundry door open for air circulation it works really well for drying my work clothes etc when I don't have the time or the weather's not cooperating enough to hang them outside.
"Let us, together, sow seeds for a better harvest-a harvest for hope."
Jane Goodall, Harvest for Hope |
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KarenP
True Blue Farmgirl
666 Posts
Karen
Chippewa Falls
Wisconsin
USA
666 Posts |
Posted - May 19 2006 : 2:49:10 PM
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Patti,
I keep my wooden rack in the basement and either lay things across it or use clothes pins if it's socks etc.and need to fill it to capacity.
I also turn on a fan to help dry faster.
Say by the way, where did you get the Premiere Issue?
I'd love to see it, I e-mailed the Farm and suggested putting the premiere issue out on CD for us to purchase since re-printing costs are prohibitive.
KarenP
"Purest Spring Water in the World" |
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mommom
True Blue Farmgirl
854 Posts
Susan
Lancaster
Pennsylvania
USA
854 Posts |
Posted - Aug 22 2006 : 11:31:53 AM
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| When winter gets here, I store my three wooden racks on the side porch. If the sun is out I put my laundry on the porch. If it's raining or snowing, I bring them into the kitchen and dry everything in there. Electricity is so very high. I have never used a dryer and have been married for 28 years. I also have some clothesline downstairs in the basement. Clothes love to flap in the wind outside and I like to hang out because the wind gets rid of the wrinkles! Have fun! Susan |
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therusticcottage
True Blue Farmgirl
4439 Posts
Kay
Vancouver
WA
USA
4439 Posts |
Posted - Aug 22 2006 : 9:40:01 PM
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I have a wooden rack and use it summer and winter. Most things don't need ironing. You can toss stuff in the dryer for about 5 minutes to soften them before hanging. This really helps with towels. If you get one with wooden dowels be sure to put about 3 or 4 coats of a sealer on the dowels before using. Otherwise you'll end up with brown marks on all your clothes -- ask me how I know this!
Handmade purses, home decor, and bath delights at www.rusticcottagecreations.com
Read my ramblings at http://rusticcottage.blogspot.com/ |
Edited by - therusticcottage on Aug 22 2006 9:41:18 PM |
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Mumof3
True Blue Farmgirl
3890 Posts
Karin
Ellenwood
GA
USA
3890 Posts |
Posted - Aug 23 2006 : 04:52:03 AM
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I love using wooden drying racks when the weather outside is not cooperating. There are a few things that need a bit of ironing, but for the most part, things come out just fine.
If you want to get more clothes on the rack, (the wall type), you could use hangers first and then put the clothes on it. But, you may want to be careful about the weight of the wet clothing. You could pull your rack right out of the wall!  The folding type doesn't really lend itself to hangers.
Try hanging out your clothes just once- you will never go back again! The crisp, crinkly feel in your hands, the soft scent of "outdoors" lingering in the dresser for days, and being lulled to sleep on a pillow that smells of sunshine, a brisk exfoliating treatment from your towels- who could resist?
Karin
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Nance in France
True Blue Farmgirl
1438 Posts
Nancy
St. Laurent de la Salanque
France
1438 Posts |
Posted - Aug 23 2006 : 09:19:23 AM
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| Oooohhh, Kay, thanks for posting that tip about applying a sealer to the wooden dowels. And sorry you found out the hard way, but now some of won't have to! We have multi-colored plastic clothespins and a few wooden ones, too. I noticed the other day some green spots on the clothes where I had used the wooden ones.....hard to believe it could be mildew because the air has relatively low humidity here...at least the spots came out in the next wash. |
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Phils Ann
True Blue Farmgirl
1095 Posts
Ann
Parsonsburg
Maryland
USA
1095 Posts |
Posted - Aug 23 2006 : 1:14:40 PM
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Oh, Kay, there's a grimace on my face after reading your note on sealing the wood.... I have two old drying racks--which are MUCH sturdier than the new one I had. Mine weren't sealed, and I used to lay old towels on them before the wet laundry.... or of course, I got the stains. Honestly, sealing them never occurred to me. Since we don't throw anything away, I'll hunt those rascals down! Thanks for the tip.
Ann
There is a Redeemer. |
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Phils Ann
True Blue Farmgirl
1095 Posts
Ann
Parsonsburg
Maryland
USA
1095 Posts |
Posted - Aug 23 2006 : 1:17:27 PM
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Patti, I do either iron whatever is dried indoors on a rack, or learn to wear the wrinkles.... Clothes worn to work, etc. do need ironing, unfortunately.
Ann
There is a Redeemer. |
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abbasgurl
True Blue Farmgirl
1262 Posts
Rhonda
USA
1262 Posts |
Posted - Aug 23 2006 : 10:27:10 PM
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Hi Patti,
I have two old wooden drying racks, both are freestanding. I drape things like sweaters & jeans over them to dry. For my blouses or other things I don't want to wrinkle... I put them in the dryer for just a teeny bit to fluff them. I remove clothing from the dryer, while still damp, and put it on hangers. This reduces wrinkles dramatically. Using a gentler cycle in your washer, as well as a cold water rinse redues wrinkles also. Avoid allowing laundry to lay in the washer wet, as this sets wrinkles in too.You may want to use padded hangers for some things so you don't get those annoying stretched out spots on the shoulders. I air dry all my good clothing, but usually indoors. Unlike Karin, :) I don't appreciate the outdoorsy smell from line drying. Sometimes I'm not as farmgirl as I think! LOL
Rhonda
...and I will sing at the top of my lungs, and I will dance, even if I'm the only one! |
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Mumof3
True Blue Farmgirl
3890 Posts
Karin
Ellenwood
GA
USA
3890 Posts |
Posted - Aug 24 2006 : 05:20:00 AM
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Rhonda- My daughter dislikes the "outdoorsy" smell of clothes hung outside as well! She does her own laundry so it can be dried inside, "away from Nature", as she puts it!(She's 17 and knows everything!!  ) Now if I could just get her to use the drying rack instead of the backs of my dining room chairs! 
Karin |
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happymama58
True Blue Farmgirl
1210 Posts
Patti
Missouri
USA
1210 Posts |
Posted - Aug 24 2006 : 11:55:48 AM
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I have really enjoyed reading the responses here and am now planning to buy some drying racks once we get in our house. Thanks so much for the info, ladies!
Some people search for happiness; others create it.
http://happymama58.typepad.com/my_weblog/
Please visit me at www.marykay.com/pmiinch |
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Lynn B
True Blue Farmgirl
113 Posts
Lynn
Derry
NH
USA
113 Posts |
Posted - Aug 24 2006 : 1:18:46 PM
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Kay, I too know of the dreaded brown marks! Thanks for telling about the sealer, I didn't think of that either! (you're not the only one Ann) So glad I read this, I was just about to go out and get a new drying rack!
Lynn
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.
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sunshine
True Blue Farmgirl
4877 Posts
Wendy
Utah
USA
4877 Posts |
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Phils Ann
True Blue Farmgirl
1095 Posts
Ann
Parsonsburg
Maryland
USA
1095 Posts |
Posted - Aug 25 2006 : 12:24:56 PM
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Just a quick comment... these drying racks are excellent for hanging quilt fabrics while being creative.... ! In case you want to buy a dozen or so.
Ann
There is a Redeemer. |
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BStein
True Blue Farmgirl
75 Posts
Barbara
Westerville
OH
75 Posts |
Posted - Aug 25 2006 : 2:21:09 PM
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I have some drying bars that my husband originally made for my annual garage sale. They are thick wooden dowels hung by chains and when I'm not using them for my garage sale (the other 364 days) they hang in the basement by large hooks in the ceiling. In the fairer months I hang on clothes lines outdoors, but on rainy days and in the winter I use them to hang hangers with wet clothes. They work great. I don't hang the clothes on the bars, but on hangers on the bars. I find that everything that needs ironed coming out of the dryer, needs ironed after being hung on a line or hanger, but I'm pretty picky.
I love hanging clothes...my drier is feeling pretty abandoned lately.
Barbara in Ohio
If you want a picture of my hanging bars I'll send one to you. |
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jpbluesky
True Blue Farmgirl
6066 Posts
Jeannie
Florida
USA
6066 Posts |
Posted - Aug 26 2006 : 06:29:13 AM
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My drying rack, which lives on the back porch and on which my hubby hangs the sweaty clothes he runs and gardens in, is getting mildew on it. Our weather is so humid here, and with wet things on it all the time, the dowels are getting discolored. I wonder if I could spray it with clorox? Has anyone done that?
Peace |
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Nance in France
True Blue Farmgirl
1438 Posts
Nancy
St. Laurent de la Salanque
France
1438 Posts |
Posted - Aug 26 2006 : 07:38:26 AM
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| Hello, JPBluesky! I think Clorox might just be the ticket, with a plastic scrubber, then wiped clean. IF you can get it completely dry (maybe sitting in front of a fan....) you could use the sealing technique described in here or get a can of paint (even spraypaint like Rustoleum) in a cool color and go for it! After a few coats of that it should stay mildew free for awhile at least. What do you other ladies think? Nance |
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jpbluesky
True Blue Farmgirl
6066 Posts
Jeannie
Florida
USA
6066 Posts |
Posted - Aug 26 2006 : 1:15:14 PM
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Great ideas, Nance! Thank you! I am going to spray it and then see if I need to paint it. Hubby is going out of town this week for a couple of days, and I can srpay it without his wanting to use it!
Peace |
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Libbie
Farmgirl Connection Cultivator
3579 Posts
Anne E.
Elsinore
Utah
USA
3579 Posts |
Posted - Nov 16 2006 : 9:24:46 PM
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It's getting back to indoor-rack season! My son broke mine recently, and I need to get a new one - that one was really flimsy, anyway, and made great kindling! Do any of you gals have drying racks that you just love? If so, where did you get them, and what are they like?
XOXO, Libbie
"Nothing is worth more than this day." - Goethe |
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MustangSuzie
True Blue Farmgirl
634 Posts
Sarah
New London
Missouri
USA
634 Posts |
Posted - Nov 17 2006 : 05:18:01 AM
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| I also use indoor racks. The best ones I have ever gotten were out of the Lehman's catalog. They are huge and very sturdy. That reminds me I should get a couple more now since I have over twice as much laundry as when I bought my first two. |
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Libbie
Farmgirl Connection Cultivator
3579 Posts
Anne E.
Elsinore
Utah
USA
3579 Posts |
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Anastasia
True Blue Farmgirl
56 Posts
Anastasia
Telkwa
BC
Canada
56 Posts |
Posted - Nov 22 2006 : 10:02:02 AM
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Thanks for the tip, Kay, about the sealer. I stained a couple of loads before giving up on the wooden racks. I now have a plastic coated wire rack that works well but I, too, am running out of space.
Do any of you put your stuff outside in the winter? I've heard that if you let it freeze, it still dries quite a bit. Experience?
Cheers,
Anastasia :)
"Speciality is for insects." -Robert Heinlen |
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Woodswoman
True Blue Farmgirl
512 Posts
Jennifer
Altamont
NY
USA
512 Posts |
Posted - Nov 25 2006 : 4:03:35 PM
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My mom and I have always hung clothes outside on sunny winter days-the clothes seems to get mostly dry, then I pop them in the dryer for a little bit to warm them up and finish drying them (and, sometimes, un-freeze them)!
Although today it was in the 50's and breezy here in Altamont, so my clothes dried in no time!
Jennifer |
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Cleaning Up: Question about inside drying racks |
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Question about inside drying racks
