Using a Clothesline Is Making a Comeback, Acadiana Would You Try This?

I spoke to a friend not that long ago who told me she had decided to go back to washing her clothes in the washing machine, but thing hanging her clothes on a line to dry.

When I was a kid several decades back, there were still people who would hang their clothes, using clothing pins, to wires to dry their clothes. When I got thinking about it, I realized how genius it is if you plan things just right. The Farmer's Almanac says it coming back in style.

It's easy to take your clothes from the washing machine and shove them into the dryer, but you are going to spend money to run the dryer when you could just hang them on a line and let nature dry your clothes.

My friend doesn't do this for all of her clothing, but because she is closer to the country than I am, she has some areas on her property where she has the space to have a nice clothesline.

You don't have to buy dryer sheets if you aren't using a dryer. I don't know how this will work since I haven't taken clothes off a line in too many years to count, but I really think I want to try this as an experiment. As the website, homemaking.com points out there are both pros and cons to leaving laundry on the line.

One of the biggest pros about putting your clothes on a rack indoors or a line outside is you are not going to have to run your dryer which is going to save you some money. According to sixdollarfamily.com it will save you about $280 a year for a family that typically does 5 loads a week. And even if you're single, sometimes you do that many loads a week.

One thing that is for sure according to tru.earth.com if you are hanging your clothes to dry either indoors or outdoors, you aren't going to be shrinking those clothes by throwing them in the dryer, and in general, it seems like your clothes will last longer.

One of the biggest cons that we can all guess is that you have to be ready to bring your laundry inside if the weather gets bad. Another thing I wonder about is whether this going to take up too much of my time. Space can be a factor, but I do have enough in my yard which isn't huge, but I could fit a clothesline.

One of the biggest downsides of putting clothes to dry on a clothesline is they do end up stiff, and they are likely going to have to be ironed. I don't know about you, but I hate ironing!!

On the upside, homemaking.com does point out that putting your clothes on a line will expose them to fresh air and sunlight, which can be a natural odor eliminator. Most experts also that when you air dry your clothes, they do last longer.

The bobvila.com website gives some great tips on what not to do to get the best out of the experience. For example, a great piece of advice in the article, MAKE SURE YOU CHECK WITH YOUR HOMEOWNER ASSOCIATION BOARD to make sure they actually allow clotheslines in your backyard. If they don't allow the whole clothesline maybe they will let you have a small rack for drying some delicate clothing.