I love our new clothes line! After giving a lot of thought to what kind of line I wanted, I chose the Hills Hoist Rotary Clothesline because it was durable, pretty, can easily be taken down in bad weather and spins in the breeze. I ordered it online from Breeze Dryer.
When Bob and I moved to our new home here last December, there were laundry lines strung between the trees down on the shady side of our property. In addition to being in the shade, too far from the house, and underneath the trees where the birds sat and pooped, they were ugly so we took them down. We needed to put a nice line in the sun but didn’t want to give up too much real estate, so we settled on the rotary line to the south of the vegetable garden.
Here are three reasons why I think drying my laundry on an outdoor line is a good idea: It saves electricity, makes the laundry smell good and gives me an excuse to stand around outside.
Last month our electric bill was $30 less than the month before and we didn’t start using our new clothes line until part way through the month. And the smell! We wash our bed sheets every Saturday and when I pulled the sheets up to my nose the other night, the smell of fresh air and sunshine blissed me out. Suddenly I was 6 years old, with my Nana tucking me into bed.
But even better than saving money and smelling good is how the process of hanging the clothes out to dry affects me. The quiet, contemplative act of standing in the yard, pulling one piece of laundry at a time from the basket and pinning it to the line adds to my quality of life. I always think I don’t have time to hang the clothes out, but once I get out there my whole world slows down and becomes meaningful.
I hear the birds and the cicadas while the clouds play with the lighting and the breeze catches the clothes and spins the clothes line in a lazy circle. I am humbled by nature and its power to take care of me by drying my clothes and nurturing my soul. This simple chore makes me feel connected to all the other people who are hanging their clothes in the sun. It feels good in a way that stuffing the laundry into the clothes dryer never did!
