How to Hang Laundry on a Clothesline

Take advantage of the sun and breeze to dry your clean laundry outside. Hanging clothes on the line is good exercise, saves energy, and gives clothes a super fresh smell.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Clothesline
• Clothes pins
• Wet laundry

1. 
    
   Clothes Pins

   CLOTHES PINS. There are two basic kinds of clothes pins: the one-piece push-on type and the pincher type, and in wood or plastic. Wood pins are more economical and are sturdier than plastic. The push-on pins are quick to apply and work well on a wire or braided line. The pincher pin works well on thin, coated lines as well as on the wire or braided line.

2. 
    
   Pin Carriers

   CLOTHES PIN CARRIERS. You can store and tote clothes pins in a bag with a hook-shaped handle that hangs over the line. As you pin laundry to the line, push the bag in the direction of the empty end of the line so it's always right there for you. Or you may prefer to use a waist apron with large pockets to carry your pins. Some prefer to leave the pincher pins secured to the line after removing dried laundry. This convenience should be left to those who have a clothes line that they can bring indoors, like the umbrella style line, so the pins are not subjected to the affects of weather and dirt build-up between washings. An empty, plastic coffee container can also make a good carrier for your pins.

3. 
    
   Be Selective

   WHAT TO HANG ON THE LINE. Not all items are conducive to line drying. Sweaters will stretch and should be dried flat. Some fabrics require the heat of an energy-powered dryer to release wrinkles. Cotton and cotton-blend fabrics are suitable for outdoor drying. That would include things like (but not limited to) sheets, towels, socks, underwear, pajamas, and items that you would end up ironing even if dried in a dryer, like men's dress shirts.

4. 
    
   Similar Items Together

   HANGING LIKE ITEMS TOGETHER. Consider the grocery checkout where your purchases are bagged, as much as possible, according to similar items: meats together, frozen foods together, veggies together, and so on. Just as bagging like foods together makes put-away time easier, by pinning categories of laundry on the line together, you will expedite folding and subsequent put-away time. With bath towels together and dish towels pinned together, as you take them off the line, you can fold them and place them in the basket. And if you are really adventuresome, match socks together as you pin them to the line. You are going to have to match them some time, why not outside in the fresh air?

5. HOW TO PIN CLOTHES TO THE LINE. Basically, hang clothes whatever way you want, but here are some tips. If you have a single clothesline, you can drape large items like sheets, across the line, or you can place the fold of the sheet at the bottom, pinning the hems to the line. The latter technique is easier to take down when dry. With pants, match the inner leg seams and pin upside-down with the line between the hems of each leg. With both sheets and pants, if you have multiple lines, you can pin one hem/one leg, to each line to spread the fabric for faster drying. Also with multiple lines, for privacy, you can pin undies and other personal items on the line with the least view from passers-by, while hanging larger items, like towels and sheets, on the line that faces the public. As you pin the clothes to the line, give the dangling corners of the piece a tug outward to remove creases that may have been set by the washing spin cycle.

6. 
    
   Bunch, Save Space

   SPACING. If you have a lot of line space or a small amount of laundry to hang, spacing the pieces apart may hasten dry-time. Stretch the item to its full width, placing as many pins as needed to hold the weight of the item. For items like sheets, it doesn't matter if they sag between pins. In fact, if you are really limited with line space, you can allow a lot of sag in the item so it takes up less line space. In addition, you can pin the outside corners of two items together to not only take up less space, but reduce the number of pins you will need.

7. 
    
   Dry!

   DRY-TIME is dependent on the thickness of the clothes and on the weather situation (sun, breeze, and humidity). A load of laundry pinned on the line on a sunny, breezy day could dry in less than two hours. Factor in thick clothes (e.g., socks or towels), low or no sun light or breeze and/or high humidity and it can take several hours to dry.

Tips & Warnings

• Some materials, like towels that have fibers that stick up, will be a little stiff from line drying. Keep in mind that you are saving money and saving the environment; that should make it easier to deal with a slight stiffness. As info, you can place wet towels in the dryer for about five minutes and then hang them outside to finish drying, it will eliminate the stiffness.
• If you have pet bedding to dry, run it in the dryer for about 20 minutes first. That will pull off the majority of the pet's hair. Place on the line to finish drying, and when you remove the pet's bedding from the line, give is some strong shakes/whips to free hair that still remains.
• To keep sheets from blowing up and folding over an adjoining clothes line, hang the sheet from the top and bottom hems and then place a couple of clean tennis balls into the fold of the sheet to weight it down.

Resources

• Clotheslineshop.com
• How to choose a clothesline

[ltalley1958]

on 4/26/2009 a good thing to do to save fading is turn the colored clothes inside out while drying. Sure it is an extra step but it will help keep your colors from fading from the sun...

[vallain]

on 9/19/2008 I hope you'll inspire more people to do this. Save electricity and save wear and tear on the clothes.

[AutumnLeavz]

on 5/23/2008 Excellent article! Great tips and this saves on energy bills too!

[showpup]

on 5/17/2008 I love to dry line my clothes. Especially the whites! The sun is the best bleach you can use. (remember this for leaving dark clothes out to long as well!) I've even gotten some stains out by leaving whites in the sun on the line. For collared shirts, I fold the collar the correct way right over my thin clothesline and pin it that way.
Great article on a timely topic!! 5 stars!