This is topic Hanging up the wash in forum Books, Films, Food and Culture at Hatrack River Forum.


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Posted by katdog42 (Member # 4773) on :
 
Hey all,

I haven't posted in, well, months but I thought I'd put a call out for help here.

I have just moved out of the large, institutional building where I was living to a small house that I share with four people from my community (monastic community, that is). Here we have the option of using the dryer or hanging our clothes on the line to dry. I have been left here alone most of the week and for the first time since I moved (last weekend) I am presented with the need to do laundry.

What does this have to do with Hatrack, you may ask. Well, I have never hung my clothes out before. Is there anything that I need to know? Is there proper etiquette for what should and should not be placed on the line (we also have several stands inside on which to hang things to dry). Is there a certain way to hang items? Are there certain items that I should not dry on the line? I'm just curious as well as young and inexperienced and probably a little stupid for having to ask. I really do want to use this option as I feel that it is much more environmentally friendly.

Thanks for all help!
Kat
 

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Posted by sweetbaboo (Member # 8845) on :
 
I dry almost anything out on the line but beware that whatever you dry has the tendency to be stiff (I don't use liquid fabric softener and so I can't say how that might change the feel of the fabric...) I especially will dry jeans and anything heavy that takes longer to dry in the dryer. The only exception are underwear (because I embarass easily and we all have sensitive skin in my family).

I try to hang things up so that there are as few wrinkles as possible (by pant legs, and shoulders of shirts) and do up all zippers, buttons and clasps.

I'm by no means a pro and I'm sure someone will have more experience than I. Good luck!
 

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Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
 
There's no etiquette, really-- you hang out what you're comfortable with people seeing. If there's something you'd rather your neighbors not see, then don't hang it out.
 

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Posted by Jeesh (Member # 9163) on :
 
When the clothesline is up at my house, we hang everything on it. With or without the permission of whoever owns the clothes. I can't tell you how many times I've been eating my breakfast and nearly choked because I see my stuff clothesline.
 

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Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
 
It is important (especially with heavier-weight fabrics) to wring out as much water as possible before hanging things to dry. Some washers do a decent job of this; some leave clothes awfully wet.
 

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Posted by CaySedai (Member # 6459) on :
 
It's been awhile since I've done it, but ...

The place where you put the clothespins will leave an impression, so you have to decide if you want that on your shoulders or hem of your shirts.

I usually clipped two items with one pin, so if you have four items you would use five pins. (Think one for left, one for first item right and second item left, etc. and finishing with one pin for last item right side.)

I would put larger items on the outside lines and underwear on the inside, where it's less likely to be seen. You can hang sheets and blankets by one edge on one line and the opposite edge on another line, so it will dry faster.

You may have to wash something again if a bird poops on it.

The fresh air smell is great, but there's a downside in that clothes might be stiffer than you are used to. You can put some fabric softener in the wash if it's a problem.

As I recall, it's an activity which lends itself to quiet thought. Kind of like doing the dishes - you can do it sort of on automatic while your thoughts go through your head. It's nice that way. (Our landlord removed the clothesline last summer when he put in new back steps after the old porch collapsed, so we can't do it any more.)
 

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Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
 
We hang everything to dry. Clothes dryers don't exist in this country except for the very very rich. With the heat and sun, it's just not necessary to use dryers.

Disclaimer: We don't hang things by hems or shoulders. We fold it over the line in half. So if it's a shirt, for example, there's really four layers of fabric back to back. But here, it's hot enough that it's dry in 2 or 3 hours anyway. You may need to hang by hems or shoulders for better effect depending on your specific climate conditions.

Grasp article of clothing firmly at one end and shake with a snap. Not sure if this makes sense in my description. The point being to a. get wrinkles out b. dislodge any remaining lint c. it tends to feel not as stiff/hard when it's dry if I do this and d. because it feels good and makes me think I'm accomplishing something.

Unzip pants and turn inside out - you won't get the bunching in the pockets and the fly won't take as long to dry. Also, hang so that the fly is outermost, not inside. Otherwise, the fly takes forever.

I put dresses, dress shirts on hangers and then put the hanger on the line. Less need for ironing, and, well, I'm lazy. That, and they take up less room.

Anytime you have a garment with extra layers of fabric, like pockets, put that area of the garment on the outside so it gets more wind/sun exposure. Extra layers will take longer to dry.

If you're using a movable drying rack,put it into direct sunlight. Move it every few hours as the sun moves, if necessary.

We don't use fabric softener - Fahim and I have sensitive skin. Fahim's parents do, though. Yeah, it makes for softer fabric, but it's not like our clothes end up being that stiff. I think it may have something to do with the softness/hardness of the water as well.

You may find that some tshirts and other stretchy items stretch too much. To remedy, wash in hot water (or boil if necessary)(this depends on whether the fabric can handle this, too, of course) and it'll shrink back into its old shape.

Yeah, I think that summarizes pretty much everything I know.
 

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Posted by cmc (Member # 9549) on :
 
Wow. That was awesome, quidscribis. I seriously feel like I'm a hang-to-dry-dryer-extraordinaire-by-proxy! : )
 

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Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
 
Um, thank you?

We always hung clothes to dry when I was a kid, so this is really old hat, and that was in northern climates, too, like northern Alberta, where you've got to really maximize on drying capacity since it wasn't that warm up there. *shrugs*
 

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Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
 
Oh, I should mention... In early spring and late fall, we wound up with clothesicles. Then it's really really stiff.
 

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Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
 
But the cool thing is, you can watch the ice sublime (go directly from a solid to a gas) if the conditions are right.
 

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Posted by Jeesh (Member # 9163) on :
 
That's when you hang your pillowcases out.
 

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Posted by cmc (Member # 9549) on :
 
Cool visual, Jeesh!
 

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Posted by katdog42 (Member # 4773) on :
 
Thanks for all the tips! Most of it is really common sense but I wanted to make sure I didn't do something really dumb. Now I'll be able to get straight to my laundry in the morning.

Kat
 

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Posted by Stray (Member # 4056) on :
 
What sort of monastic community are you living in, Kat?
 

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Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
 

quote:

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We don't use fabric softener - Fahim and I have sensitive skin.

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You know, you can use white vinegar in the final rinse, and it makes an excellent fabric softener for those of us with sensitive skin.
 

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Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
 
Yes, we could. But then we'd smell like fermented coconuts.
 

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Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
 
(Because white vinegar is so difficult to find here as to be practically impossible, but coconut vinegar is everywhere and the cheapest vinegar in existence in this country. That's why. )
 

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Posted by cmc (Member # 9549) on :
 
Where are you? Feel free to not answer... : )
 

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Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
 
Sri Lanka.

(Nearly) everybody knows, but then, it helps that I announced my impending marriage and move halfway around the world here back when it all happened.
 

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Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
 
Hmmm. What about rice wine vinegar? That works almost as well and doesn't stink.
 

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Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
 
On the rare occasions that I found it, it still cost about 8x as much as coconut vinegar. So, no.
 

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Posted by katdog42 (Member # 4773) on :
 
I, too, have found white vinegar to be a very nice substitute for fabric softener. Many of us use it here at the monastery as it is cheaper and doesn't mean exposure to even more chemicals. In America, it is very easy to get vinegar of many sorts.

Stray, I live in a women's Benedictine monastery.
 

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Posted by Jeesh (Member # 9163) on :
 
Is vinegar better than fabric softener?
 

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Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
 
Works about the same, but is a lot less expensive than, no dye unscented fabric softener.
 

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Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
 
(Apple cider vinegar during the wash part of the cycle also removes urine smell from clothes that kids or cats have peed on.)
 

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Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
 
That sounds like a really good idea; I'm going to try it. Fabric softener irritates my skin.

-pH
 

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Posted by starLisa (Member # 8384) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by sweetbaboo:
I dry almost anything out on the line but beware that whatever you dry has the tendency to be stiff

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quote:

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Originally posted by ketchupqueen:
(Apple cider vinegar during the wash part of the cycle also removes urine smell from clothes that kids or cats have peed on.)

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I wish I'd known that a year ago. <sigh>
 

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Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
 
I'm really surprised you said to "unzip" things, Laurie. I was always taught to zip up or fasten all fasteners because it helps the fabric keep its rightful shape better as it dries.

FG
 

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Posted by Artemisia Tridentata (Member # 8746) on :
 
One more "worry thing". Clothing with some synthetic components, for instance, elastic or "plastics" may weaken or discolor when exposed to the sun. Hang them on the shady side of sheets etc. or put them on the indoor hangers.
 

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Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
 
Also, turn things inside-out if you don't want them to fade (dark colors, those plastic type designs on t-shirts, etc.)
 

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Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
 
Hatrack Online!
 

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Posted by Artemisia Tridentata (Member # 8746) on :
 
Oh Yah! If you are going to dry a Hat don't use the Rack, you need to block it or it won't fit right ever again. I used to use my son. (Put it on his head tight and make him stay out in the sun until it dries)
 

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Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
 
So it is both sun-dried and son-dried.
 

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Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
 
I zip when I wash things - unzipped zippers can tear holes into fabric - but I find that that's enough for the garment to retain shape. Unzipping when I dry dries it faster, but it retains shape perfectly fine this way.

Oh, keep in mind we don't have coats and such, so that may affect your zipping/unzipping. The only zippers we have are on pants and the occasional skirt, so the zippers tend to be less than 8" long, so not as much warping involved anyway.


Another thing about washing - I tend to wash things inside out because it puts less wear on the outer surface of the garment, so it looks nicer longer. It also helps in cases of, shall we say, rashes and the like where dead skin collects on the fabric (both Fahim and I have sensitive skin and are prone to skin reactions and rashes, so this, of course, is something I notice.)

Keep in mind that we don't own polyester, nylon, acrylic, or other non-natural fibres - our skin prefers cotton, linen, and rayon, so that wears more. That contributes to the wash inside out philosophy.
 

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Posted by plaid (Member # 2393) on :
 
If you live in a humid area, during the summer a good strategy for line-dried clothes is to dry them for 5-10 minutes in a drier after they've been out on the line. That helps to get more moisture sucked out of the clothes and keeps them from getting musty as fast while they're stored.

(But, if you're like me and you don't have AC... the clothes absorb humidity from the air soon enough, so the extra help from the drier doesn't make that much difference.)
 

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Posted by katdog42 (Member # 4773) on :
 
Thanks again for all the tips.

I had wondered if turning clothes inside out would be a good idea. Logically, it seemed that there might be less fading that way, but I just wasn't sure.

Good news... I did get my laundry cleaned (and dried!) so now I have clothes to wear again!

Kat
 

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Posted by Artemisia Tridentata (Member # 8746) on :
 

code:

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Good news... I did get my laundry cleaned (and dried!) so now I have clothes to wear again!
  

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Good. The alternative is hardly acceptable in your line of work.
 

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Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
 
Do you guys know how I can get my clothes drier without having to run them through the dryer (teehee) twice? I've already figured out that I can't put towels in there (which means that I keep having to buy new towels because machines taht only take quarters in laundry rooms without change devices don't work well for me). But a lot of times they still don't get dry, even if I put the dryer on hot (which I really hate doing).

-pH
 

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Posted by ssasse (Member # 9516) on :
 
(I'm guessing it's the southern Hoosier in me that keeps reading the title as "Hanging up the warsh.")

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pH, if your laundry facility has a maintenance person, you might try asking him or her to check on the airflow tubings and any filters that you can't access.
 

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Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
 
pH, you could iron 'em dry.

Yeah, not a great solution in that it takes time and work, but with a hot setting (assuming the towels are 100% cotton) it would work.
 

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Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
 
You could hang them up on the towel racks and shower bar and backs of chairs and so on to let them finish drying. That's annoying, though. Better to get the maintenance people to fix the dryers or clean out the lint traps/filters. Obviously there isn't enough air moving through them if they are getting hot enough.
 

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Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
 
quid, I always end up with scorches when I do that.
 

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Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
 
Ouch.

I used to - I got scars and everything - but I think I finally outgrew that. Or the aversion therapy worked or something.
 

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Posted by Artemisia Tridentata (Member # 8746) on :
 

quote:

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Do you guys know how I can get my clothes drier without having to run them through the dryer (teehee) twice?

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