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Cleaning Up:  Using a clothesline  |
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Clare
True Blue Farmgirl
2173 Posts
NC WA State
USA
2173 Posts |
 Posted - May 26 2004 : 09:01:17 AM
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| Using a clothesline |
Edited by - Clare on Jun 08 2006 8:22:40 PM |
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HiDez Gal
True Blue Farmgirl
122 Posts
Roberta
Joshua Tree,
CA
USA
122 Posts |
Posted - May 26 2004 : 10:11:29 AM
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Clare,
I enjoy hanging clothers and i love the fresh scent that no fabric softener in the world can imitate. When i was a little girl i learned to hang clothes from my grandmother and she taught me that there was a certain way to hanging clothes well and that it was very important that the clothes be hung neatly on the line because that told others what type of homemaker you were. It may seem kind of comical these days but i rather imagine at that time it was an important part of a womans signal to the world of who she was as a wife, mother and homemaker. These days people hang flags or have bumper stickers but i rather imagine woman years ago used the way they performed their daily "chores" to make a statement. So when i hang clothes i feel my grandmother is right there with me because i still hang clothes just as she taught me.
I do use the clothes dryer at times because it is often difficult to hang clothes in really bad weather. The drying racks are really neat if there is a place to put them. Much of my laundry consists of jeans and i often pop them in the dryer for a couple of minutes to soften out the wrinkles then hang them on the clothesline to finish drying. It works well and i feel that i am saving energy by letting them finish drying outside. I did have to invest in some industrial strength clothes pins because of the way the wind blows here. My husband also put a wooden partition around my clothesline area by using some preconstructed redwood panels from Home Depot which helps protect it from the wind some and means i can hang clothes even if it is a bit windy (most of the time). I have actually heard people complain about neighbors who hang clothes - the comment was that it looks tacky. Can you imagine that? I think a line full of fresh laundry is a lovely sight.
From my favorite coffee cup:
"A gal's gotta do what a gal's gotta do." Minnie Cody, 1901 |
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jamie
Farmgirl in Training
33 Posts
jamie
33 Posts |
Posted - May 26 2004 : 1:36:56 PM
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I just love reading all of the posts. My grandmother and mother still hang their clothes on the clothesline but only in the Spring thru late Fall as the winters in Montana can be brutal. :) Anyhow, I'm not sure I know about the "correct" way to hang clothes. Can you give me some tips. One thing I've noticed when I hang out my shirts is I get clothespin indentations. Anyway of avoiding this? I love the comment on how women of that time made a statement by hanging out their clothes "correctly". I am in my twenties so I wasn't around at that time but I am all about reviving the lost art of homemaking, etc.
Peace and harmony to all the farmgals, Jamie |
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Bronwyn
Farmgirl in Training
13 Posts
Bronwyn
San Martin
California
USA
13 Posts |
Posted - May 26 2004 : 2:48:40 PM
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I was around my grandmother at times who used a wooden drying rack - I found one a couple of years ago at an antique store and bought it and have used it only a couple of times (it wa very dusty in the last yard we lived in) but it seems like I need to bring it out!
As for technique, my grandmother used wooden clothes pins and would hang finer items - shirts and dresses by the ends with out folding them over the line but with attaching them to the next item (shirt over dress, clip.).
I agree, outdoor drying cannot be bottled!
Dream a little dream |
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cecelia
True Blue Farmgirl
497 Posts
cecelia
new york
USA
497 Posts |
Posted - May 26 2004 : 5:40:01 PM
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Hi all washerwomen!
I am probably strange in that I not only like to do laundry, I love to hang it outdoors. When I was a little girl, we lived in an upstairs flat and we didn't have too much in the way of conveniences,even though we lived in the city. My mother used a wringer washer, and hung the clothes in the attic! Although she didn't complain, I'm sure it wasn't easy for her (this was the '50s and '60s when "everyone" had automatic washers/dryers). I loved the scent of Satina - if anyone knows what that is please reply. Nowadays I still hang clothes outdoors whenever possible - nothing in a bottle matches the outdoor scent, and nothing bleaches like the sun.
I also hang shirts by the side seams, and pants inside out so the pockets dry thoroughly. I only use two or three lines and poles for strength in the wind. We've had mostly rain here all May, and I sure miss being able to hang the clothes out.
 Cecelia
ce's farm |
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - May 26 2004 : 11:17:11 PM
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I love to hang my laundry on the clothesline too. I do give it up and use my dryer in the middle of winter and on rainy days, but the rest of the time I use it faithfully. Our grandmas must have all learned the same way...since I hang my clothes exactly how you described..and mine taught me too.
I have had to put up a new clothesline the last two places we lived, but this old place came with a wonderful big old metal one that has 5 lines and is really really long. I LOVE it and love that I am teaching my daughters that it is perfectly normal to hang clothes on the line. In fact I plan to fill it tomorrow!!!
Do any of you have neat old clothespin bags?? I finally wore mine out and found a pattern for making one. I made some for a couple of my clothesline using freinds and it was fun.
I am so glad to hear that so many of us do things the "right" way!! haha
I used a wringer washer for about 6 years (not all that long ago) until my husband finally insisted that we get a new washer. I kept it for washing wool from my sheep and sold it when we moved. I miss it alot and will get another as soon as I find the right one. It was more work, but I loved it!!
Jenny in Utah
Bloom where you are planted! |
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HiDez Gal
True Blue Farmgirl
122 Posts
Roberta
Joshua Tree,
CA
USA
122 Posts |
Posted - May 27 2004 : 07:46:31 AM
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I feel like i have found a bunch of soul sisters! Your descriptions of how you learned to hang clothes would definitely meet with my grandmother's approval <VBG> Perhaps this would be a great thing for MJF magazine - patterns for clothes pin bags, etc. I really like the idea of the waist tie type. I have a hang on the line type that came from Walmart or some such place and metal piece that fastens to the line is pretty wimpy. Need to find an old one i suppose and even if i had to replace the fabric part i could easily do that. I wish there was an easier way to post pictures so we could share - i would really like to see pictures of your clothespin bags.
From my favorite coffee cup:
"A gal's gotta do what a gal's gotta do." Minnie Cody, 1901 |
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Paula J.
True Blue Farmgirl
68 Posts
Paula
OK
USA
68 Posts |
Posted - May 27 2004 : 12:04:59 PM
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My husband thought I was sooo odd when I brought home two clothespin bags (full of clothespins) from my grandmother's house before we sold it. But it gave me a good feeling to have them (and still does), although they hadn't been used for a while and had some spiders I had to "re-home"!
There is so much dust blowing around out here at the moment, I hate to hang out any laundry, but am hoping to convince my husband to put up a line for me, maybe towards the side of the house. I would much rather fold clothes from the line than from the dryer. Now if I could just get so enthusiastic about ironing!
pj
Paula J.
Collinsville, OK
dragonflybodywork@earthlink.net |
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ElizArtist
True Blue Farmgirl
113 Posts
Elizabeth
Newbury Park
California
USA
113 Posts |
Posted - May 27 2004 : 1:59:59 PM
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Hello everyone,
I'm glad that you brought up the clothes line issue Clare because this is something I've been puzzling about for a long time now. Living in Southern California, I've always thought it was stupid to run a dryer and an air conditioner at the same time, especially in summer obviously it's counter productive and bad for the environment. I want to put up a real clothesline but can't decide the best type of line to use. I have a lot of trees on my property so if I put up a line I'm afraid that birds will mess up all my clean laundry and also little plant parts sometimes seem to stain some of the laundry. So I thought I might get one of the circular type lines and put it into a tire with some cement so I could move it around if necessary. I don't know if this is possible, any thoughts or suggestions? I'm gathering that Clare doesn't care for the umbrella type clothes line, why are they fussy or unattractive? l've been using a small wooden rack, but it isn't really big enough to hang king sized sheets witout folding or even big enough to hang a whole load. I do love the smell of sheets that were dryed outside too, it's a marvelous simple pleasure. I've also used a few drops lavendar essential oil in a spray bottle of water for ironing.
brightest blessings! Elizabeth
joyously dancing through life |
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Kathy A.
True Blue Farmgirl
116 Posts
Kathy
Utah
USA
116 Posts |
Posted - May 27 2004 : 2:42:44 PM
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This is a great topic, I commented to my husband not 2 weeks ago how much I love hanging out the laundry. Many community-subdivision rules and regulations in this area forbid clotheslines Barking dogs yes clotheslines NO. anyway for Jamie I must confess I do not hang clothes properly I hang them however time, patience, and cold temperatures allow.(last winter I was able to line dry all season) I love the colors I try to mix the tee shirts up by color and hang them side by side (my clothesline looks more like a fence) so when I look at the line full of clothes it resembles tibetian prayer flags blowing in the wind. Lately the wind has been so strong I have to extra pin every thing. I will use some of the tips from these posts like hanging shirts at the seams. and Elizabeth what a great idea to put essential oil in the ironing spray bottle. I think I'll use peppermint and squirt myself then the laundry that should get me through the task!!
Cecelia What is Satina???? |
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cecelia
True Blue Farmgirl
497 Posts
cecelia
new york
USA
497 Posts |
Posted - May 27 2004 : 5:20:08 PM
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 If you take an apron and sew a dish towel to the front (along the bottom and up the sides, and the a few inches along the top from left and right to the center (leaving an opening for your hand) you can make a nice clothespin holder which you can tie to your waist. You don't really need to be fancy with it or match up seams exactly. I must say I'm not really a fan of ironing, but I do keep a mister handy with either rosewater, cologne (for my unmentionables), etc. mixed with water to spritz before ironing. Also, if you have a problem with dustmites, if you put a few drops of eucalyptus oil in your last rinse water with linens, it supposedly puts an end to the problem.
Happy cleaning day to all [8D
ce's farm |
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cecelia
True Blue Farmgirl
497 Posts
cecelia
new york
USA
497 Posts |
Posted - May 27 2004 : 5:24:43 PM
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Clare, "Satina" was a kind of cake of wax with a truly heavenly scent, which my mother used before ironing. If I remember correctly, you mixed it with very hot water, put your clothes in, which would need ironing, than wrung them out or put them through the wringer on the washing machine. When the clothes dried, there was a slight waxy finish which made your iron "fly" over the cloth. There's an old time museum near where I live, a sort of old village, and they have an entire room dedicated to wash day, with old wringer washers,
the kind with paddles, etc., old irons, and on one of the ironing boards they actually have a box of my beloved Satina! I'll never forget the scent, but it's difficult to describe, sort of a flowery/herbal/clean scent.
ce's farm |
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - May 27 2004 : 9:33:27 PM
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I love to iron too!! How fun that we all enjoy the ritual of laundry!! I can never understand it when people save it all up for one day a week..I like to to do a little laundry every single day!!
I am going to use essential oil in my spray bottle when I iron now..I am shocked I havn't thought of that before!!
The clothespin bags I have made are over a wooden hanger. I need to make one this weekend for my sister in law's birthday which is monday. She is a clothesline user too. Satina sounds so nice..one of those special childhood things you never forget.
Does anyone but me make their own laundry soap?? I make a gel type most of the time and love it. It is for sure a smell from my childhood since it has Fels Naptha soap grated into it and that is what my grandma used. I do use a little lavender oil in the rinse water sometimes though.. or lemon.
Jenny in Utah
Bloom where you are planted! |
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - May 29 2004 : 4:02:54 PM
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Laundry soap:
put about 4 cups very hot water in a one gallon container (I generally use milk jugs if I have them) and add 1/3 of a bar of Fels Naptha soap grated very fine. stir or shake a little and let sit until only lukewarm. It will be a gel sort of..more gloppy and ugly..not a perfect comercial looking gel. THen add 1/3 cup Borax (in the landry soap dept usually you see 20 mule team brand) and 1/3 cup Washing Soda (you will find it near the borax. It is usually Arm and Hammer brand)shake it up some and then fill with warm water and mix well. That is it. Usually I use about 3/4 cup for a regular load of laundry. I make up two gallons at a time, just since I am messy..one mess is better than two..haha
If you cannot find Fels Naptha at the grocery store (IT comes in a large bar...usually near the laundry soap, but sometimes by the regular bar soap) you can use other bar laundry soap. I have used some of my homemade bar soap before and it worked fine too. I have never had a problem finding the Fels Naptha. I think even Walmart has it.
Jenny in Utah
Bloom where you are planted! |
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ElizArtist
True Blue Farmgirl
113 Posts
Elizabeth
Newbury Park
California
USA
113 Posts |
Posted - Jun 01 2004 : 6:11:12 PM
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I bought an umbrella clothes line today! I couldn't find any other kind, this town is very yuppie, I think I was the first person to ask for such a thing in a long time. In fact the kids in Home Depot looked like they weren't sure what a clothesline was used for! I'm going out to put it up in a minute. Elizabeth
joyously dancing through life |
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springbabes
Farmgirl at Heart
4 Posts
Cindy
UT
4 Posts |
Posted - Jun 14 2004 : 4:05:18 PM
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So I'm not crazy! We just moved into this house 6 weeks ago with our gas dryer only to find out there is only an electric hook-up. To run a gas line to the laundry room costs $400 so we've been trying to decide if we want to go electric instead. Meanwhile I had my husband install a clothesline right outside the laundry room. And I love it! Like many of you it brings back memories of my childhood and grandmother. My dad's mother insisted on hanging her laundry even after her children chipped in to buy her a dryer (She ended up using it to store cookies and treats for us when we visited). She had a giant clothesline right beside her garden and I loved to play between the rows of damp sheets and towels while she was out there working--I can still remember the smell! Someone mentioned feeling their grandmother right there next to them when they hand clothes and that's exactly how I feel!
One of the most surprising things to me was how fast the clothes dry--the first day I tried it was sunny and breezy and everything dried in 20 minutes. And dryers take at least an hour!
My clothesline is really picturesque--in fact I keep meaning to take a picture . I bought some white line in the laundry section of Wal-Mart for $3 and my DH put a metal post in the ground and strung the line from a telephone pole across the perenial flower bed. The bed is right up against my neighbor's white fence so the line is virtually unnoticeable when not in use. The laundry looks lovely flapping above the flowers. I take such pleasure in hanging it and admiring my work. I've even been more consistent about using cloth diapers on my little one because doing laundry is so much dang fun now  .
Thanks for the tip about hanging shirts upside down--that seems so obvious but I had never thought of it.
Cindy |
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HiDez Gal
True Blue Farmgirl
122 Posts
Roberta
Joshua Tree,
CA
USA
122 Posts |
Posted - Jun 15 2004 : 10:11:39 AM
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This laundry topic has been such fun. So many of us share a common joy in performing what some might consider a mundane task. That may be because they haven't taken time to savor the moment, fill their eyes with the beauty of what is going on around them, smell the clean scent of freshly washed clothes...i could go on and on <g>.
Cindy, your comment about how quickly the clothes dry made me think of the time about 30 years ago when my husband and i first moved to a small town not far from Indio, CA. The average summer temps were 118 degrees! I would begin hanging clothes and by the time i reached the end of the basket load i could go back to the start and begin taking the dry clothes down. I am serious! It was so hot there in the summer that i don't know how we stood it but we were young and hearty and were making a good living for a young couple fresh out of school. We also made some wonderful lifelong friends who are more like family to us than friends.
From my favorite coffee cup:
"A gal's gotta do what a gal's gotta do." Minnie Cody, 1901 |
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Paula J.
True Blue Farmgirl
68 Posts
Paula
OK
USA
68 Posts |
Posted - Jun 20 2004 : 06:43:24 AM
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I found a nice little clothes line at the local hardware store. Now I just need to convince my husband to let me put it up - he loves the art of landscape and doesn't want anything to "mar" his view! But I'm sure I'll talk him into it somehow, although I may need to wait until some home construction in the area is done so I won't get dirt all over my clean clothes!
pj
Paula J.
Collinsville, OK
dragonflybodywork@earthlink.net |
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HiDez Gal
True Blue Farmgirl
122 Posts
Roberta
Joshua Tree,
CA
USA
122 Posts |
Posted - Jun 20 2004 : 11:13:33 AM
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Paula,
Convince him that it can be art too! I can recall seeing any number of painting and "art" photos that had clothes flapping in the breeze as an important part of the picture. Wish i could remember the name of the watercolor artist a few years back who was painting series of country scenes, lovely landscapes with old farm buildings, dramatic sky and a line full hanging clothes, i really liked those paintings a lot.
My husband put my clothesline (it's one of the umbrella type, it was called a solar dryer when i bought it back in the early 80's - solar dryer rather than clothesline sounds very California LOL) behind our detached garage. He also enclosed it with a fence to break the wind and to make it not so noticeable from the long driveway which enters our property. It is completely open in the back which is the side that faces a tall rock face which is bursting with animal life early in the morning. I really enjoy it, feel like i'm in a nature preserve or something. Anyway a wind break of some sort might help you to keep the clothes cleaner and might ease your hubby's objection to the clothesline if he absolutely refuses to see laundry as art :-).
From my favorite coffee cup:
"A gal's gotta do what a gal's gotta do." Minnie Cody, 1901 |
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simpledreamer
Farmgirl in Training
26 Posts
Marybeth
Louisiana
USA
26 Posts |
Posted - Jun 21 2004 : 08:46:13 AM
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Oh, I just can't believe that there are others out there like me! My husband thought I was absolutely crazy when I told him just this weekend that I really NEEDED a clothes line. He looked at me like I was crazy and said, "They don't make those things anymore." I told him they were making a comeback...little did I know I was right! I've just been wanting to start hanging out my clothes...I'm so nostalgic. Anyway, I think I'm going to go to Home Depot on my lunch hour and see what they have. I love the thought of making tedious housework...a pleasurable ritual.
Dreaming about a living a simple life,
Marybeth |
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HiDez Gal
True Blue Farmgirl
122 Posts
Roberta
Joshua Tree,
CA
USA
122 Posts |
Posted - Jun 21 2004 : 10:41:28 AM
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Marybeth,
OF COURSE you NEED a clothesline...what are these men thinking???  In the 60's women were burning bras and now in the 2000's we want clotheslines, they'll probably never figure it out
From my favorite coffee cup:
"A gal's gotta do what a gal's gotta do." Minnie Cody, 1901 |
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simpledreamer
Farmgirl in Training
26 Posts
Marybeth
Louisiana
USA
26 Posts |
Posted - Jun 21 2004 : 11:52:53 AM
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Heh, Heh!!! We really keep them guessing, don't we?
Oh, and I went to Home Depot today at lunch...and the guy didn't have a clue what I was talking about when I asked if they had clothes lines. He said, "Huh?" Can you believe that there are people so young that they don't know what clothes lines are?
Dreaming of a simple life,
Marybeth |
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cecelia
True Blue Farmgirl
497 Posts
cecelia
new york
USA
497 Posts |
Posted - Jun 21 2004 : 2:05:40 PM
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Oh, if you really want to mess with their minds, ask them for the clothespins too! and bluing (you can't get that in a store, actually I just used some to whiten some gloves I found in an antique clothing store). Yes, the simple life is out there within reach, but sometimes you have to reach far and wide for it.
Cecelia
ce's farm |
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HiDez Gal
True Blue Farmgirl
122 Posts
Roberta
Joshua Tree,
CA
USA
122 Posts |
Posted - Jun 22 2004 : 12:22:58 PM
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Well, something must be going on with this laundry stuff because when i was in Walmart today they had a good sized display with a whole rack of clothespin bags right at the end of one of their aisles! The Walmart here also carries clothes drying racks and the line (no poles that i know of). They also have what they call Industrial Strength Clothespins which i really like because they are larger and stronger, the wooden ones don't hold up worth a darn in this climate. Perhaps you could make the poles and cross pieces with 4X4 lumber and use eye hooks to hang the line if you can't find a ready made set. Gee, do you suppose hanging clothes will go mainstream?
From my favorite coffee cup:
"A gal's gotta do what a gal's gotta do." Minnie Cody, 1901 |
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jpbluesky
True Blue Farmgirl
6066 Posts
Jeannie
Florida
USA
6066 Posts |
Posted - Jun 22 2004 : 1:37:49 PM
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Just like never forgetting how to ride a bike, one never forgets the smell of clean clothes hung out to dry in the sun. I grew up in the midwest, and my mom would hang the clothes in the basement in the winter. The furnace was down there, and it was always warm and dry. (I would play house in the basement among the sheets, making separate rooms out of them.)
Here in the south, it is too humid to dry clothes outside. Mildew and sour smells are too common. Laundry takes forever to dry in the summer months. I still try once in awhile, and use tree trunks to string my lines. But I remember watching my mom walk up and down the lines in the yard with a wet cloth before she hung the clothes, to clean the line of any dust or bird stuff. We bought clothespin bags from a door-to-door handicapped man who made them by hand for a living. Mom would always give him a snack, too, when she bought a bag. We had two bags, one for outdoors and one for the basement, made from sackcloth. And wooden pins of course. Oh, and special poles that propped the clotheslines up when they were laden with wet clothes. They had a notch in one end and were about six feet tall. I tripped over those things all the time running through the yard. Boy, this website takes me down memory lane big-time!
Jeannie |
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simpledreamer
Farmgirl in Training
26 Posts
Marybeth
Louisiana
USA
26 Posts |
Posted - Jun 23 2004 : 11:36:39 AM
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Jeannie...I think that's what draws us to this lifestyle...memory lane. Life was so good when we lived a simple life as kids. We didn't realize it but it was...and more than anything, we want to return to that. I'm so nostalgic.
Dreaming of a simple life,
Marybeth |
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Cleaning Up: Using a clothesline |
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Using a clothesline
