Comments on Crunchy Chicken: Let it all hang out

This year I started line drying my laundry inside....

2008-04-18T10:16:00.000-07:00

This year I started line drying my laundry inside. I hang everything on hangers on the shower curtain rod in a tiny guest bathroom. It took 24 hours to dry one load of laundry (that's all my bath will accommodate) and added much needed moisture to my home during the winter. We're allergy sufferers so I'm interested to find if indoor line drying is going to affect us pollen-wise. I hope not.

Just heard good news -- the banning of clotheslin...

2008-04-18T04:38:00.000-07:00

Just heard good news -- the banning of clotheslines with NO LONGER be allowed in Ontario! And it's retroactive. So if you're in a neighbourhood in Ontario that bans clotheslines -- it is no more! Feel free to air your laundry in public!

Here's an article from the Toronto Star
http://www.thestar.com/article/415836

Wish there'd been a half and half option in the su...

2008-04-16T13:42:00.000-07:00

Wish there'd been a half and half option in the survey. We 'hanger' dry about half our clothes from the bathroom shower rod. The remainder we machine dry on the air setting until barely damp. Will discuss with hubby about hanging a line in the backyard. Exposure to sunlight is one of the most effective ways of killing bacteria, so outside hang dries make double sense!

I was visiting my cousin in Ireland, it was Januar...

2008-04-15T22:24:00.000-07:00

I was visiting my cousin in Ireland, it was January and freezing, but it was still completely normal to line dry the wash.
We just V-8'd ourselves, and are now getting stuff to frame dry or line dry.

We just moved into this house last fall and it has...

2008-04-15T17:17:00.000-07:00

We just moved into this house last fall and it has a clothesline, so I'm planning on using it when the weather improves.

One day when we have our own home we will have a covered verandah and then I will be able to line dry even when it rains!

I hang dry year round in my tiny 450square foot ap...

2008-04-15T15:48:00.000-07:00

I hang dry year round in my tiny 450square foot apt. If I can do it, anyone can! And yes, it does add moisture to the place in the winter.

I have a small apartment size washer that hooks up to the kitchen sink. When I'm on top of things, I will do a small load a night, hang the clothes on the drying rack in the kitchen and they're dry by morning. If I'm really cookin' with gas, I will do two loads at night and both will be dry by morning.

I have asked the new landlord to replace the clothes line outside. It's one of those on a pulley running from the fire escape to a pole in the yard. This will make drying sheets, blankets etc.. much easier. When I do wash those, in particular blankets, I have to use the washer in the building and the dryer.

The only potential issue with the outdoor clothes line is that the smokers congregate near it. But we shall see. Maybe I can convince them not to?

On a final note, I absolutely refuse to live in a neighbourhood that bans clotheslines. There's one such neighbourhood in my city and i think it's absolutely stupid. Are people that afraid of seeing each other's laundry???

An added note--our street is on Google Street view...

2008-04-15T14:52:00.000-07:00

An added note--our street is on Google Street view, and we could see that the picture of our apartment building was on the day after we do laundry b/c all of our windows were filled with hanging clothes.

People who live in apartments with no outdoor access or who live in cold climates can do this! Even if you only do half of your clothes!

We don't own a dryer (got rid of the one we had ye...

2008-04-15T12:36:00.000-07:00

We don't own a dryer (got rid of the one we had years ago, because we never used it). We put everything on the outdoor clothesline in good weather (year round). When it's raining or snowing, we use our indoor rack, which my husband built. It hangs against the wall beside our wood stove (which is our sole source of heat); when we need to use it, we pull the rack parallel to the floor and attach it with a hook hanging from the ceiling. Great for humidifying the house during the winter months, in addition to saving a ton of energy!

I live in a TINY 500 sq ft apartment with my husba...

2008-04-15T11:02:00.000-07:00

I live in a TINY 500 sq ft apartment with my husband, no balcony. If we can line dry, anyone can!!

We have a wooden rack and a retractable line. It saves money since we don't have a washer or dryer, plus it humidifies our apartment and is better for the environment.

A little bit more work, but it's sooo worth it!

Washing lines are banned? how silly!

I have...

2008-04-15T02:15:00.000-07:00

Washing lines are banned? how silly!

I have a sort of washing line in our small patio garden but it still isn't fixed up to use, something that is on my to-do list for this summer. Although it is difficult for me as I work long hours and often what starts a fine day turns into a wet one, so getting washing out is a weekend job. I do use a clothes horse indoors for as much as possible, but with little room have to dry some things in the drier. My dream is to have more space so I can have a proper line and dry things naturally

If you live in a humid climate, just remember that...

2008-04-14T23:32:00.000-07:00

If you live in a humid climate, just remember that a little wind or sun can work wonders. I've never been to the Deep South, but parts of the Midwest are pretty bad, too (think 95% humidity and 90F in July). We found that it could even be 40F and humid, but with either sun or wind, our laundry would dry outside on the line within 6 or 8 hrs.

While living on the Continent, I dried my clothes in a dank attic all winter long (it was a major incentive to do laundry as infrequently as humanly possible, about once per month). Sometimes it took 3 days to be sure it was dry, because cold laundry feels like wet laundry. But it never mildewed, perhaps because front-loaders tend to spin more moisture out of the laundry than top-loaders do. It helps a LOT to start out with clothes that are drier. Someone mentioned the French washing machine taking forever. I never minded that, because the front-loader really did clean things much better than any American top-loader I've ever seen (sorry). Front-loaders are also usually more efficient in both water and electricity use.

Thankfully our porch is covered or line drying out...

2008-04-14T23:03:00.000-07:00

Thankfully our porch is covered or line drying outside in Seattle could be a challenge. We just zig-zagged a line just below the roof and it works great!

I have been not line dried because I have lived in...

2008-04-14T22:24:00.000-07:00

I have been not line dried because I have lived in a studio apartment. I am kind of making excuses there, I know. :/
My boyfriend and I are moving into an duplex with a yard though, so I think we may have to do some civil disobedience and line dry.
:D

I hung a small link chain across my basement and I...

2008-04-14T21:34:00.000-07:00

I hung a small link chain across my basement and I hang my clothes on hangers and hook them into the links of the chain...That way I save steps by just taking the hangers and putting the clothes into the closet. I also have a wooden drying rack that I use for small items like sox; dishcloths; underwear, etc.
Louise in Alberta, Canada

We visited France and Scotland this fall and came ...

2008-04-14T21:11:00.000-07:00

We visited France and Scotland this fall and came back inspired about line drying. We haven't used our dryer since Sept. 1. AND - we live in a tiny apt in Tacoma - meaning we've had to get creative. But, we have never minded it and it makes the place look homey. I think its a perspective thing, once we realized the whole entire rest of the world didn't use dryers, it made our excuses seem a little less worthwhile.

I used to line dry all our clothes in our last apa...

2008-04-14T21:04:00.000-07:00

I used to line dry all our clothes in our last apartment. The drying rack fit right beside our bed and though it was a bit of a pain to get around it it was totally doable. Our new place is a basement suite, though, and even I have had a hard time finding a place to dry our clothes. It doesn't help that we have a baby and a load of diapers takes up the whole rack and in the Vancouver winter diapers take more than 24 hours to dry. I'm trying to line dry more, though, and make it work because I feel awful every time I turn on the stupid dryer.

I chose the closest option... Line dry outside in ...

2008-04-14T20:46:00.000-07:00

I chose the closest option... Line dry outside in summer, dryer rest of year. It's partly due to weather (I live in Western Washington), and partly due to indoor drying times. In the winter, if I want to dry clothes inside or in the garage, it takes up to four days, and sometimes the clothes smell mildewey before they dry, so generally, the "heavy stuff" gets hung for a day or so, then tossed in the dryer. I must add, I heard through the grapevine last week that there might be sun on the weekend, and saved up ALL our laundry for the rumored sunny weekend and was VERY excited to hang it all on the line for the first *hot* day of the year!

I'm nearly 30, and I haven't used a drier ever in ...

2008-04-14T20:17:00.000-07:00

I'm nearly 30, and I haven't used a drier ever in my adult life. And yet I wear clean dry clothes, and I live in the inner city, and I've lived in several tiny apartments with no balconies. These days I have an outside line, but I find the inside racks more convenient most of the time (because I don't have to run out when it rains etc).

Really, it's not that hard. Sometimes, horror of horrors, it means you have to watch your clothes dry in the corner of the room while you watch television or something.

I don't mind the crunchy clothes, but I read that ...

2008-04-14T20:14:00.000-07:00

I don't mind the crunchy clothes, but I read that putting a bit of vinegar in the rinse cycle can help with this...haven't tried it.

I have a wire shelf running the length of the wash closet and use binder clips I had lying around to hang the stuff from there; what doesn't fit gets hung on the shower or doorknobs.

I'm sorry, this is going to tip my hand. I'...

2008-04-14T19:18:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry, this is going to tip my hand. I'm mechanically challenged & more crunchy than my husband and really want to line dry. I bought a line and a pulley and I just really need some instructions. Someone said I need a second pulley, but I thought I just needed a little loop on the other side. I have a big yard, two trees and it feels so close - I can't find instructions on anything I bought - or on google! anyone here done this themselves. I also have two diapers and feel we could really be doing the earth a favor if we were hanging them to dry - as well as our jammies and t-shirts (not to mention the other three people who live here)

I just posted about line drying/laundry here:
h...

2008-04-14T17:50:00.000-07:00

I just posted about line drying/laundry here:
http://yielded.wordpress.com/2008/04/11/laundry-matters/

I'd say it's a great perk to have little helpers get the job done!

When I think "outside the dryer" I use clothes han...

2008-04-14T16:01:00.000-07:00

When I think "outside the dryer" I use clothes hangers on the shower curtain rod, too.

Anything with elastic lasts WAY longer.

I do use a dryer, but it's a gas dryer, which uses...

2008-04-14T15:36:00.000-07:00

I do use a dryer, but it's a gas dryer, which uses much less electricity.

My apartment was perfectly set up for line drying ...

2008-04-14T15:12:00.000-07:00

My apartment was perfectly set up for line drying inside (inadvertently I suspect). Above the washer and dryer there are wire shelves on either side of the 'laundry closet'. I just ran a line back and forth between the shelves and I now have plenty of space to hang a load! Its a tiny space, but everything fits just fine. The only thing I use my dryer for is as a shelf to place my mesh drying rack where I spread my cloth wipes.

I line dry only about 1 of 5 loads of laundry. I ...

2008-04-14T15:05:00.000-07:00

I line dry only about 1 of 5 loads of laundry. I could do a lot better, but I'm lazy. The drying rack is in the basement, the washing machine is on the main floor and the clothes closets are upstairs - very inefficient. I really need to just suck it up and deal with having the drying rack upstairs.