In my younger, wilder days, I remember on more than one occasion running around at night and getting a surprise clothesline to the neck. It may have been well deserved, as one might wonder why I was running through the neighbors’ backyards at such an hour?
Anyways, putting your clothes out to dry not only saves money and conserves energy, but it just might keep those pesky teenagers off your lawn as well. Check out Project Laundry List for some advocacy information.
(I was reminded of this all too common teenage experience while perusing Seacoast NRG, a site dealing with local issues (yet in a global context) about the New Hampshire-Maine Seacoast region. I don’t currently live in the area, but I have fond memories of growing up in New England, and as my wife and I are looking to relocate, Portland (ME) continues to be on the list of places we have been considering.)
5 responses so far ↓
1 JLP at AllFinancialMatters // Apr 16, 2007 at 12:56 pm
I would love to ditch our dryer. The only problem is, we live 40 miles from the Gulf Coast and the humidity won’t allow things to air dry.
2 mapgirl // Apr 19, 2007 at 2:24 am
BAHAHAHAHAHA…Clotheslined!!!!
I love stiff washcloths from the laundry line. The terrycloth is a natural exfoliant when dry. Just put a little soap on it before it gets too damp and scrub your face!
The one great thing about drying outdoors on a line is that the SUN, which is FREE, has this FABULOUS anti-bacterial property, called UV RAYS. They go a long way to kill the nasties on your clothes, so no need to buy fancy extra additives for your laundry soap.
3 Adam // Apr 21, 2007 at 1:47 am
Thanks for mentioning my site! And best of luck in relocating to Portland Maine, a fine and green city.
4 Chris // Apr 22, 2007 at 10:57 am
I don’t drive. I’m completely against it. And I don’t have laundry in my apartment building. So getting all of my laundry to the laundrymat is no simple chore. They do offer a drop-off service at a Dollar per pound and sometimes I do give in to the convience. But it is precisely the inconvience of hefting it all over town that inspired me to start doing it in the bath tub. But I found that when I did it myself, it was not only cheaper, but also cleaner. And your forearms will also benefit from a workout (especially if you wear jeans!) but overall the results are better, and easier on your clothes too!
By The Way, another tip I have regarding the shower/bath:
In the colder months, I plug the bath tub while I shower in the morning, and don’t drain it until I get home at night. My reasoning is thus: Why send all of that HOT water down the drain to heat the dirt surrounding the drain pipes? Instead, the heat radiates off the water and helps keep my house a little warmer, AND more humidified, which is a great benefit in the dryness of forced air heating!
5 Adam // Apr 23, 2007 at 12:38 am
I do this same hot water trick when my kids take a bath. It definitely makes a difference in wintertime.
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