Laundry Day

 There are two things a homemaker knows will never be “done:” dishes and laundry.  No matter how much you wash, you always create more that needs washing.  Yesterday I threw a load of laundry in the dryer on the sensor cycle, only to realize four hours later that the dryer was still running.  I opened the door to find the clothes warm, but still wet.  In the spring, summer, or fall, this wouldn’t have been a huge issue, unless the forecast said rain, because I would have hung the clothing outside on the clothesline to dry.  But its winter, and threatening snow (which we desperately need, so no complaints about that), so outside wasn’t an option.  So, I got creative, which made me think it might be a good time for a post about air-drying clothing. 

This is not my first time getting creative with my clothes drying.  When hubster and I were in college we would air-dry most of our clothing in (or outside of) our apartment.  We lived on the second floor of our building, and had a balcony with a railing that was great for hanging pants, towels, etc., over.  If it was too cold or wet, we would hang our jeans over the backs of kitchen chairs.  For shirts, we would hang them on hangers and then hang those hangers on our rather low rain gutters on the back balcony.  After our first baby arrived, hubster used c-clamps to attach posts to the balcony to which he attached a clothesline just right for baby clothes and cloth diapers.

Since moving here, we have been using the existing clothesline when weather permits.  I am always excited when it warms up enough for the clothes to dry outside.  Any way I can save money I am a.o.k. with. And what could be cheaper than free sunshine?

Two summers ago I found a plastic and metal drying rack for ten cents at a yard sale and snatched it up to use it for my cloth diapers in any weather because, let’s face it, prefolds take FOREVER to dry in the dryer and I would much rather not use that much electricity. Once the little one began toddling around it became a safety hazard, so it got put away…until yesterday. When the dryer went out on a load of whites, with another load of darks waiting in the washer, I put that drying rack to use on some of the smaller items (top of page).  I also hung the heavier items on our baby gate that sits around the fireplace to keep the kids from getting burnt.  A few items went over the backs of chairs, and anything that I could fit on a hanger was suspended from an extra tension rod that I installed in our laundry room.  If we had more space, I think I might do this permanently, but (alas!) the drying rack takes up half a room in our tiny little place, and with two very active boys that is space that I just can’t give up right now.

 

Do you air dry your clothes?  Any creative ways you have found to do it?  I have always been intrigued with the many styles of drying racks and clotheslines.  Our clothesline is just 2 simple T-frames with lines strung between them. Does anyone have any input on the difference between those and the circular kind? Or a favorite drying rack? I’d love to hear some other opinions and ideas!


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