Yes. This post is actually about clotheslines. But it’s worth it. It’s chock-full of good ideas and is entertaining. I promise. 🙂
Downtoearthangel.com is all about taking the best of the past for the present, and the clothesline is quite under-appreciated by too many people. So, I thought perhaps I would remind my readers about this blast from the past.
Now, don’t get me wrong–on rainy days and in the wintertime, I genuinely appreciate my gas dryer. And although this post disparages the dryer to a degree, there are things I do appreciate about it. But the clothesline is about freshness and nature and organization and all kinds of awesomeness. 🙂

I love my clothesline because it gives my clothes a smell that Downy just can’t replicate: a sweet mixture of grassy notes, hints of flowers, trees and sunshine (don’t tell me sunshine doesn’t smell). Even with dryer sheets, the dryer makes them smell, well, boring.

Clotheslines make clothes look almost ironed…even if I leave them out longer than I need to. I do not have time to keep checking the dryer to see if the clothes are just at the right amount of damp-dry to shake them and put them on hangers to avoid the ironing board. Most of the time, I’ll put in a load and not get back to it until it has cooled down and set all the wrinkles in quite permanently. Who has time to iron? Not I! Yuck. But I also don’t like sending my brood out looking like they just rolled out of bed. Solution: clothesline.

Speaking of ironing, I love my clothesline because I will never, ever, EVER, in a million years, iron my sheets; but my clothesline makes them feel like I did. They even dry faster on the line than in the dryer. The dryer wrinkles them up in a big tangled mess and leaves the inside wet while the outer part gets over-heated. 😦

Additionally, my clothesline, adorned with sheets and blankets, makes awesome tents for my four little children to play in. They wanted to play astronaut in the dryer, but I had to put the kibosh on that. Something about a deathtrap…

OK, let’s just get this out there: I’m a penny-pincher. Not using the gas and electricity saves me money and is good for the nature! Three cheers for free solar and wind power for drying the clothes. HIP HIP HOORAY (x3)

UV light naturally kills germs. Did I mention I have four small children? Enough said.

Sorting clothes from the dryer is kind of a pain. We have six people in our family and having a folding table big enough to properly sort clothes as I fold them is a challenge. With my clothesline, I play a little game where I run around and take down and fold all of one kind of clothing for one child and then proceed to the next. That way, I don’t have Johnny’s underwear mixed in with his shirts. They’re all nice and neat and organized making them easy to put away. Fabulous. It actually saves me time.

Dryers emit positive ions. It sounds good, but it’s actually bad. Positive ions make you feel yucky and depressed. Ever walked into a laundromat and felt better than being outside? Nope. I didn’t think so. “Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy.” Don’t take my word for it, ask John Denver. Oh wait, he died. Well, anyway, we have it on RECORD. OMG I’m so punny.

Sorry, I had to.

Well, that pretty much sums it up. I’m sure more reasons I love my clothesline will pop into my head soon, but I’ve got laundry to do. 🙂

Now, before winter creeps up and freezes clothes on the line, go enjoy some sunshine and make laundry day a happy day. 🙂

p.s. To my dryer, I’m sorry for picking on you. But you have to admit, you kind of had it coming–if for nothing else–then at least for creating black holes that swallow the children’s socks. However, I like the way you dry the towels and make them fluffy.