Drying clothes outside

[disykat]

My dryer officially died after 11 years.
.

Mine has been going a lot longer than that (I think it's on year 15?) and I use it for everything. I have allergies, so drying outside isn't feasible for me. Four years - yikes!

 

[Nancy]

In 25 years of hanging clothes outside I have never once had bird poop on them...maybe we are just lucky. I don't iron all that much either...I hate to iron and I really don't need to with the line drying.

aprilgail, I want to know where in NY you live that your gas is only 13.00 month...even with using almost no gas except for cooking my bill is still in the low 70's. I do use the dryer for towels, socks/undies and my husbands work clothes because he won't let me line dry them (since his mom never did), that is maybe 4-5 loads a week at the most.

 

[tzolkin]

We have a gas dryer and I use it for drying every load of wash I do- my gas bill is 13.00 a month- doesn't seem worth it to me to do all the work of hanging clothes, getting pollen all over them to save me the 13.00 a month- I will dry them everytime!

We have propane at around $3 a gallon. Our bill averages about $40 a month when not using the dryer (our stove and hot water heater are also propane). It has been double (or more) that in the winter when I've been using the dryer exclusively.


It's actually easier for me to get the laundry done if I hang it because I hang each person's clothes on a different line and fold them into individual baskets as I take them off. When I use the dryer I never take the clothes out so they get wrinkley and then I procrastinate on folding/putting away until I have 4 or 5 clean loads.

 

[disfan07]

we hnag the clothes that cannot be dried. Sweaters, jeans, dresses. But we hang them in our guest bedroom (unless we have people staying here of course). Hanging our clothes outside has never been and will never be because of my allergies. If we hung our clothes outside id be itching all day.

Now, as far as other people doing it. I dont care as long as its not in the front yard. I don think its tacky to hang clothes in the front yard. I think if you want to do it, it should at least be done in your backyard. JMO

 

[bananda]

we use an outdoor line all the time. we have a hills hoist in the backyard and a not-spinny (i dont know the proper term...) one in this undercover area. the only problem i have with hanging out the clothes is that i can only just reach the under cover line.

we hang underwear on the inside strings of the line with clothing on the outer strings.

 

[PaulaSB12]

Because it is tacky, sorry but seeing underwear flapping in the breeze isn't something that I want to see, and really it just makes the neighborhood look tacky. Sorry, but that is the way I feel.

Its a good job you don't live near me, my tumble dryer died a year ago and I haven't got round to replacing it so everything goes on the line including the underwear.

 

[Sleepy]

Not many homes or apartments are capable of holding a dryer where I live. A common sight to see clotheslines between apartment buildings or strung along an apartment balcony. Even in the rain, they hang clothes with plastic draped over. I don't dry my clothes outside. They have a chronic trash burning problem around here and most days it is so smokey outside it is like being caught in a house fire. I prefer my clothes smell freshly cleaned, so I use my dryer. I actually think it is cool to see clothes hanging outside. It was one of the first things I wanted to see when I moved here. I remember when I was a kid, running through grandmas sheets hanging on the line behind the house.

 

[aprilgail2]

aprilgail, I want to know where in NY you live that your gas is only 13.00 month...even with using almost no gas except for cooking my bill is still in the low 70's. I do use the dryer for towels, socks/undies and my husbands work clothes because he won't let me line dry them (since his mom never did), that is maybe 4-5 loads a week at the most.

Long Island- Gas is the only thing that IS cheap here- we have a gas stove and a gas dryer- only 2 things in the house that use gas and on the balanced budget plan its 13.00 a month. 70.00 for GAS?? A MONTH???? Is that propane? Our gas lines are in the street- not propane tanks in the yard.

 

[tzolkin]

Long Island- Gas is the only thing that IS cheap here- we have a gas stove and a gas dryer- only 2 things in the house that use gas and on the balanced budget plan its 13.00 a month. 70.00 for GAS?? A MONTH???? Is that propane? Our gas lines are in the street- not propane tanks in the yard.

I live in Central NY. I have had bills of over $100. We don't have natural gas in my town, so we use propane. That is why I hang clothes out whenever I can.