Hanging the Laundry

We have been hanging the laundry again since the beginning of the year.

 

I haven't hung the laundry since just after Ian was born. At the time, I didn't realize,  how much I missed hanging the laundry.... the process of getting everything ready and the benefits I get from it.

 

Like with everything, there has to be some preparation before I take the clothes out to be hung. There is no way I am hanging the laundry so the world gets a full view of our "unmentionables." My rule is, if you can't see it when you are wearing it, you shouldn't see it when it is hanging.

 

There is a way to prepare everything so that you don't have to go searching for the right item to hang.

 

Obviously, I have to check the weather before I throw my load in the wash. If it is going to rain, I don't even bother to wash my load of laundry. I would rather do two loads of laundry and hang my clothes than get my load done for the day and have to use my dryer. Addie usually pipes up in the morning, "Mom, don't forget to check if it's going to rain."

 

Once the load is done, I pick through it and lay my larger items in my basket first. Then the medium sizes, and lastly the smaller items that are normally hidden when you are wearing them. This takes about five minutes at the most.

My line is considered an umbrella line, so the shorter lines are on the inside and the longer lines are on the outside. The smaller, personal items are hung on the interior of the line, and because I picked through everything before I came outside, they are already sitting on top of my clothes pile.

We also have a smaller rack that stays on our back porch.  I have Addie hang washcloths and socks on. She enjoys it, but it is also teaching her how to hang laundry so she can continue to help me later on when she is big enough to reach the lines.

I love that hanging the laundry forces me (the indoor person) to go outside. Not only can we hear the chickens, cows and horses from the farm behind us, but the other day I also heard a donkey. Nothing compares.

We noticed an increase in our electric bill when I stopped hanging the laundry. Hanging the laundry means I do not use my dryer unless it cannot be helped (three days of straight rain....it has happened). There are no quick 20 minute dewrinkle cycles multiple times throughout the day because I was too busy or forgot to take the laundry out when the timer went off. For me, it actually makes things easier and causes less stress to hang the laundry.... and is cheaper.... and I am all about saving money.

Do you hang your laundry? If you do, what are your "tricks" and benefits for doing so?