How To Line-Dry Sheets On A Windy Day

by Texas Homesteader ~
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Do you struggle drying your clean sheets outside due to the wind? You know the drill, you fight to get the sheets onto the line. Then the wind catches them & makes them want to set sail into the next county!

But I’ve discovered a secret to keeping the sheets on the line on windy days!

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I’ve got a whole list of our natural cleaning posts at the end of this post. I encourage you to check it out if you’re looking to simplify your cleaning routine.

And an important part of our simple cleaning routine is our laundry choices. Such things as:

Not only that, but all of our laundry is air-dried, whether inside on folding racks or outside on the clothesline.

Clean Laundry Dried Outside On A Clothesline

There’s no substitute for the fresh smell of sunshine on clean, line-dried sheets, #amiright??!

The ‘add good-smelling stuff ‘ corporate guys have tried (unsuccessfully) to replicate that delightful aroma for years and sell it in a bottle. But why buy a sub-standard artificial substitute for that crisp, clean sunshine smell when Mother Nature offers it for free?

Plus line drying also makes clothes last longer. Think about it, that big ball of lint you’ve just pulled out of the lint trap of your dryer? Most of that is actually pieces of your CLOTHES!

So our clean laundry is always dried outside during all seasons – spring, summer, fall or winter. But what about those windy spring days?

Drying Our Clothes For Free

We own a gas clothes dryer but we don’t ever use it. Heck 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 in my utility room to store my large stock pots & my *9-Tray Excalibur Dehydrator! LOL.

Our laundry is most often dried outside on a 2-line *retractable clothesline. I love it because when the laundry is brought inside, the clothesline is too.

It makes for a more beautiful unobstructed view of our backyard surroundings.

If the weather is inclement for days on end I’ll pull out my folding clothes *drying racks and dry our clothes in our guest bedroom instead.

By using the guest bedroom when drying clothes inside, I can close the bedroom door in the event of unexpected company.

When the clothes are dry I simply put the clean clothes away, fold up the drying racks and place them neatly back into the closet. There they’ll await their next chance to do some eco-friendly duty.

Drying Clean Clothes In Breezy Weather

I’m almost ashamed to admit I struggled with how to line-dry on windy days for years without figuring out an easy solution.

Oh sure, I’d try to pick only a lightly breezy day to hang my laundry outside. But sometimes you can wait no longer. You’ve just got to get the chores done, ya know??!! Especially during the spring months when almost every day is windy.

Sheets Dried Outside On Windy Days

So on one windy laundry day I sighed as I loaded the clean wet sheets into my laundry basket.

I hauled ’em out to the line & finally got them pinned on, fighting the wind every step of the way. But I wondered if I’d need to keep an eye on them to make sure the stiff wind didn’t rip them from the lines.

But wait a minute, there are wet jeans already hanging on the line 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 that little cartooney-shaped light bulb appeared above my head. You know the one. 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.

Sheets Stay On The Laundry Line

As expected, the uncovered edges of the sheets still flapped wildly in the stiff breezes but the jeans kept the sheets firmly on the line. SUCCESS!

If the wind gets even higher or starts to be swirly I can pin another pair of jeans on the other side of the sheets so the sheets wouldn’t wind around & around the line.

And both the wet sheets as well as the clean jeans are getting line-dried at the same time.

Yeah, that’s right folks: Two Birds. One Stone.

Why oh why didn’t I think of this years ago??

~TxH~

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16 thoughts on “How To Line-Dry Sheets On A Windy Day”

Jo at

I felt a bit silly searching for this but I knew someone clever and generous would have a simple solution for me!

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1. Texas Homesteader Post author at
  
  LOL – I hear ya. But necessity is the mother of invention. I tired of worrying clean sheets would blow off the line and be drug through the dirt. This works beautifully for me and I use this tip often. ~TxH~
  
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Alicia at

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…

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1. Texas Homesteader Post author at
  
  Oh yeah Alicia. You really can’t beat the smell of sunshine on clean sheets! ~TxH~
  
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Henrik Hafstrøm at

Another simple solution is to use clothespins with a strong spring. Like these http://www.popotamus.net

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Charlene Dryman at

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.

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1. Texas Homesteader Post author at
  
  Murphy’s law, eh Charlene?? ~TxH~
  
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ColleenB. at

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.

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1. Texas Homesteader Post author at
  
  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?? ~TxH~
  
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  1. ColleenB. at
    
    “Why oh why didn’t I think of this years ago??” Me thinks we get smarter and wiser with old age. :} :}
    
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Michelle O at

Brilliant!

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1. Texas Homesteader Post author at
  
  Sometimes the simplest solutions really ARE the best, Michelle! ~TxH~
  
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Ruth at

Very clever. Thanks for the tip.

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1. Texas Homesteader Post author at
  
  Why didn’t I think of this simple solution years ago, Ruth?? So many frustrating moments could have been eliminated! LOL ~TxH~
  
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Cynthia D at

I never thought of this either. What a great idea.

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1. Texas Homesteader Post author at
  
  Sharing simple solutions with each other is one of the blessings of our little group, eh Cynthia? <3 ~TxH~
  
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