How to Hang Laundry

Go green and save money by hanging your laundry to dry. Basically, you will need a laundry line and clothes pins to get started. You might also want a laundry basket and a clothes pin holder.

There are a lot of types of lines available, so you'll have to choose one that suits your needs. If you have a lot of space, you can have posts put in and permanently place heavy duty poles with laundry line stringing back and forth. If you have a small yard, you might consider a rotary or umbrella type clothes line to hang laundry. It has one pole in the middle with laundry line strung around on four arms. This is a very efficient and space saving way to hang laundry. If you don't have a yard but do have a balcony, you can hang a single laundry line across the balcony and just hang a few things out at a time. Another space saving option is a retractable clothesline. These are mounted on a wall and pulled out when needed. They are available in a single clothesline, and up to five clotheslines. The retractable clotheslines can be used indoors or outdoors to hang laundry.

Clothes pins are inexpensive and last for years. There are two types available: round wood clothespins, and wood or plastic spring type clothespins. I personally like the wood spring type as I feel they hold better. There's nothing worse than hanging your laundry outside only to find the clothes pins didn't hold and your laundry is on the ground.

When hanging laundry it is a good idea to hang like things together. It will save time and effort later. I even hang each family member's clothes together. When I take the laundry down and fold it, it's already organized and ready to put in perspective rooms. I also match socks and clip two together on the laundry line.

Another tip I've come up with is to hang laundry in a way that reduces the chance of wrinkling. I hang jeans and pants with the waistband gently folded over the line and clipped on each side. I hang shirts upside down and fold the side seams gently over the clothes line. Both of these tips might require a little more drying time, but it's worth it because you won't see those unsightly pinch marks from the clothes pins.

There are many advantages to hanging your laundry outside including: saving money and energy, fresh outdoor smell, less wear and tear on your laundry, less shrinkage, reduced static in your laundry, and good exercise for you.

There are few disadvantages to hanging laundry including: it is more time consuming, the weather may be a factor, towels may be scratchy, and the chance of bird droppings or random insects ending up on your fresh laundry.

Once you get started hanging your laundry to dry, you'll probably find things that you like better line dried, and things that you prefer to machine dry. I prefer my towels dried in the drier because I like them soft and fluffy, but I love the smell of bedding that has been line dried.