by Texas Homesteader ~
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We have a gas clothes dryer but we don’t ever use it. If I weren’t afraid we’d need it in an emergency situation I’d sell it. I could sure use the chunk of real estate it takes up to store my large stock pots & my *9-Tray Excalibur Dehydrator! LOL.
I typically dry our laundry on a *retractable clothesline most of the time. If the weather is inclement for days on end I’ll pull out my folding clothes *drying racks and dry our clothes in the guest bedroom. I can close that door in the event of unexpected company. But what about those windy spring days?
You know the drill, you fight the sheets onto the line. Then the wind catches them & makes them want to set sail into the next county!
I’m almost ashamed to admit I struggled with this for years. Oh I’d try to pick only a lightly breezy day to hang my laundry. But sometimes you’ve just got to get the chores done, ya know??!!
So I sighed as I loaded up the clean wet sheets into my laundry basket. I hauled ’em out to the line & finally got them pinned on. But wait a minute, there are wet jeans already hanging here from the previous load. They don’t seem to be having much trouble with the wind at all. The heavy denim simply waves gently in the wind. Then a little cartooney light bulb appeared above my head. Yep, I had an idea!
So I pulled a couple of pair of wet jeans from further down the line and pinned them right there on top of my wet sheets. Then I stood back to watch. As expected, the sheets still flapped wildly in the stiff breezes but the jeans kept them firmly on the line. SUCCESS!
If the wind gets even higher I can pin a pair of jeans on either side of the sheets so they wouldn’t wind around & around the line. And both the wet sheets as well as the jeans are getting dried at the same time. Yeah, that’s right: Two Birds. One Stone.
Why oh why didn’t I think of this years ago??
~TxH~
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I haven’t used a dryer in years. Solar dryer is the best and you can’t get the smell of sunshine and fresh air in a commercial dryer. I Love your idea of the pants…. never thought about that before. You always have the answers…
Oh yeah Alicia. You really can’t beat the smell of sunshine on clean sheets! ~TxH~
Another simple solution is to use clothespins with a strong spring. Like these http://www.popotamus.net
I live in the city, but every once in a while the wind is really blowing. It takes the wrinkles out when the wind is high, but when I really need some wrinkles out and the clothes are on the line, the wind just won’t blow.
Murphy’s law, eh Charlene?? ~TMH~
Great solution and great thinking. You so smart to think of such a simple solution. You need to write a small booklet with all your simple tips and solutions. Nothing beat the smell of clean sheets blowing in the fresh air.
You’re right about that Colleen, nothing like the smell of sunshine on clean sheets. I love it! I’m so happy I *finally* figured out how to line-dry those sheets on windy days. I’ve struggled for years just mumbling under my breath as I picked the wet linens off the ground. Why oh why didn’t I think of this years ago?? ~TMH~
“Why oh why didn’t I think of this years ago??” Me thinks we get smarter and wiser with old age. :} :}
Brilliant!
Sometimes the simplest solutions really ARE the best, Michelle! ~TMH~
Very clever. Thanks for the tip.
Why didn’t I think of this simple solution years ago, Ruth?? So many frustrating moments could have been eliminated! LOL ~TMH~
I never thought of this either. What a great idea.
Sharing simple solutions with each other is one of the blessings of our little group, eh Cynthia? <3 ~TMH~