How to Choose a Clothesline

No mattter how hard they try, no chemical company can duplicate the fresh, clean scent of clothes(especially cottons)dried outdoors. If you let the dew fall on the clothes and then dry, they come out particularly fresh and linens will stay that way for a long time.

I am so fortunate to live in Florida. I hang my clothes all year. Once in a while we get a rainy spell so I can't, but that does not happen often. I do put some snuggle in the rinse water so that there is a softness that I don't get with line drying. Our water is very hard.

I love hanging out clothes, hard to believe in some parts of this country it's against the policy of homeowners to have clothes lines,now I would be finding a differant place to live, no, I wouldn't have moved there to start with. Love the crisp feel of towels, they dry you off so much better when hung outside, and ohhhh to slip into the sheets that have been outside all day drying.........need to go back to the 50's, so much nicer.....

It still isnt nive enough here in northeastern ohio but I love to hang the clothes out, they come in smelling so fresh, you dont have to use the iron.
My only problem is finding the old time clothepins, my grandmothers are about gone and the new ones dont hold up, anyone out there have any place to buy the old time wood clothpins?

I live in Alabama and hang out year round. When it's rainy I just don't do laundry or just enough to 'get by'. I wait untill I can hang out again. The smell of line dried clothes is one of my favorite smells!

I too hang out my clothes to dry. Being a senior, 68 this year, I remember using the the wringer washer and hanging the clothes out..Also, I recall my Mom using the curtain stretcher to dry the starched curtains. WOW..the early 50's..what a way to live..fresh smell of bed sheets..fresh grown veggies and so much peace and neighbors so willing to help each other. It seems this day in time people want too much in the way of materialistic items..will not save for them and to get a young teenager to mow the lawn or shovel snow...no way. the world of video games, cell phones and pc games have taken the children out of the sunshine, which provide the Vitamin D and has caused so many over-weight youngsters and Diebetics at such a young age.

To hear my parent and grandparents speak of their days of growing up and I thought "um" well, I now can see what they meant..

We never left the door unlocked, however, as a youngster I could walk down the street and my parents did not have to worry about kidnapping/molestation and murder.

However, change must happen..Just look at how far medicine has come and the longevity of us now..

In closing, I am thankful every day that I experienced the quieter, easy life with God's creations and I still can "sing in the sunshine" and hang out my clothes.

I love line dried clothes, but as a Washington State resident, we don't get to till August thur Sept. Mighty short drying season!

I really miss hanging our clothes out to dry, but a few years ago we moved to a woooded area and there is no place to put up a line. Even so, the pollen from all the trees would stick to the wet clothes - yuck. Sure wish there was a way...

We've installed a clothes-drying tree at every house we've owned; I like it much better than stringing a line. Takes up much less space and can be folded up and stored for the winter. Not too expensive, either.

Response to Marsha Knatcal - I also live in an area where a full clothesline isn't possible. However I bought a folding drying rack from amazon.com and I hang clothes on it and put it in the yard right behind the house. Large racks will fit almost a whole load, and I can even drape sheets over it. I don't know if this will help you but just thought I'd suggest as it has worked well for me. I can't stand to run the dryer when the weather is nice out!

I always hang my clothes outdoors and indoors when it's raining too much. I know it sounds crazy but I just hate clothes dried in the dryer!

If you are looking for good clothespins, try Lee Valley Tools - just Google them. They have the good larger ones that really hold nice. By the way...I use clothes pins for everything it seems. A very nice tool around the ranch!

I've just bought a clothes tree from a company in California, Breezecatcher have this fantastic parallel clothes line, its aluminum but it looks like wood. I've been hanging out laundry for many years and I've never soon a clothesline as strong as this.

Hello everyone :) I have never used a clothesline but I remember other people in our neighborhood using it when I was growing up in the early 80s. I have a few questions, since I'm new to this and thought I would maybe get one a try it out. First, does the dirt, pollen, etc cause wet clothes to get dirty? Do you have a problem with birds (poop) or hanging out on the poles/lines? If so, how do you deal with that? Which is better, a long line with a pulley system or the umbrella style? Lastly, what are the best types of clothespins to use? I'm used to seeing the wooden or plastic spring kind, but I do remember the ones that people used for crafts that have a little head at the top?

Thanks for all your help!

The rain I receive is off the ocean. Will my clothes get dirtier if it rains on the newly washed clothes?