My friend Michele told me a story about a woman at a party who announced that she had to go home to check her yogurt. Although at the time we were discussing a mutual desire to try making yogurt, we shared a good chuckle about someone saying such a silly thing. I am remembering this today after I heard myself tell Co-pilot that we needed to get home so I could hang up the laundry.
For the last two summers, we’ve been hanging our out laundry to dry. Sure we throw a few loads into the dryer every once in a while, but from May to October we mostly let Mother Nature do the work. This act is no major breakthrough in the green revolution. People all over the world have and or still hang laundry out to dry. Some may have even washed the garment by hand. It’s not enviro-chic to do this in most places. It’s just that there aren’t the machines or resources to do otherwise. I imagine that for many people all over the globe, having a dryer would be a wonderful thing. And it is. I just really like hanging laundry out to dry.
It definitely takes more work and time. You can’t just shove your wet clothes in the dryer and press start. First, you need to take a heavy basket of wet clothes up the basement stairs to the outside. Then you pull the laundry line across the yard. From there you start, one garment at a time, shaking out the wrinkles, balancing it over the laundry line and clipping it with a clothespin or two. I also obsessively smack and tug at the cloth to loosen the fibers to make it softer when dry. Repeat these steps 25 more times. If you packed the washer tight, that’s even more to hang up. Your arms will probably feel a little tired when you’re done. If it’s sunny, plan on returning in about an hour to flip the laundry over to ensure even drying. Give your clothes more time on the line if it’s cloudy or the wind is not blowing. If you want to do two loads in one day, make sure to start the cycle earlier, especially if your drying area gets an afternoon shadow.
What I like most about hanging my clothes out to dry is that I find it relaxing to pay such close attention to a task. I also love the crispness of a t-shirt dried outside and the sweet smell of fresh air that clings to your clothes after hanging in the sun. That reminds me, I need to go check my laundry.
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