a Tip for Stiff Laundry from the Line

[homesteaderbelle]

I love the smell of clothes after they have been on the clothes line! They smell of outside!

Here is a tip for those of you who do not like the stiff feeling that laundry gets when it is hung on the line. After your laundry has dried on the clothes line, put the laundry in the dyer for 5 - 10 minutes. This will 'fluff up' you laundry a bit making it less stiff and it will also kill any bugs that might have crawled in your laundry.

Belle

[mom]

also, rinse again. Soap left in laundry is what makes it feel really stiff and then use a very tiny amount of fabric softner.

[MNMOM]

It really helps to have a windy day for line drying also.

[Shamrock1121]

I used homemade laundry detergent for years, and last summer I switched to Charlie's Soap - http://www.charliesoap.com/ - and was amazed how soft the line-dried clothes were. NO soap or detergent build-up. I don't even need to put vinegar in the rinse anymore - and I NEVER use chemical softeners on clothes :o http://shop.sixwise.com/index.asp?PageAction=Custom&ID=92. Softeners (sheets AND liquids) are dangerous stuff!

I could even tell the difference when I took the clothes wet out of the washer that they were softer. It took several weeks of using Charlie's to eliminate all the old soap build-up.

I was so impressed with this soap that I purchased the 1280 load (5-gallon bucket) size container (ended up costing 9 cents per load). We figure this will last us at least 3.5 years.

Besides soap or detergent build-up, something else that contributes to stiffness is the type of cotton in the garment, and the brief tumble in the dryer Belle described, works great.

The better grades of cotton will stay soft - even line-dried, UNLESS you have detergent build-up. Lower grades of cotton will stay stiff. I use cheap cotton yarn to knit our dish cloths and they always dry stiff. I used some quality cotton yarn leftover from a sweater I knit for some dish clothes, and it's NEVER stiff. I use towels that are made with better-quality Egyptian cotton, and they are never stiff line-dried. I have 3 off-brand hand towels I purchased at K-Mart (on clearance) and they are ALWAYS stiffer than most towels - even when they were dried in the dryer.

I've noticed a difference between different brands of hubby's briefs. Fruit-of-the-Loom are much different than the better quality Stafford brand (J.C. Penney) because Stafford are made with high-quality cotton and FOTL briefs don't last nearly as long as Stafford brand. So occasionally better quality pays in the long run, even though they cost more initially.

A couple other hints:

1. Use the slowest spin on your washer. The weight from the additional moisture left in your clothes will help gravity pull the wrinkles out. I know if I use the 1000 rpm spin on my washer, I get even MORE wrinkles to contend with, then I discovered I had a spin cycle designed for line drying which leaves the clothes a little wetter and not nearly as wrinkled.

2. If something normally goes on a hanger, I also dry it on a hanger. If I take an few seconds and hand press shirts a bit and smooth out any wrinkles, they will dry wrinkle-free.

If there are a few wrinkles after they are dried, I just give it a spritz with a fine mist of water and hand press the wrinkle out. I rarely need to iron clothes and we use a lot of 100% cotton fabrics.

3. I've found TIDE hangers to be an excellent investment to use for drying shirts/tops/sweaters. They are made from plastic, wider in the shoulder and vented so air flows through them. Great for heavy shirts, cotton polo shirts, and sweaters.

The wide shoulders of the hanger prevent what I call "bunny ears" from traditional hangers (points from the hanger on the shoulder). I used to put old shoulder pads between the hanger and the shoulder to give it form and prevent "bunny ears" from the hangers, but the TIDE hangers work much better.

I dry everything in the basement these days. Last fall we put up enough clothes line in an unfinished room in our basement so I could line dry clothes ALL the time - no matter time of day or weather conditions. Our clothes were fading from the hot sun, and the Kansas winds whip them to death. For the last 2 months I couldn't hang anything outside because the cottonwood trees were shedding seeds and pods that stick to everything, and now that they are burning wheat stubble, so you no sooner get your clothes on the line than black flecks of straw from the fields falls everywhere. Putting lines in the basement was one of the smartest things we've done. We installed a ceiling fan to move the clothes and they dry in no time. NO bugs, NO bird poop, no rushing home to beat a thunder shower.... NO need for the dryer.

-Karen

[flatwater]

OK All when we do get up to the mountain for any extended vacation we also hang the laundry but does anyone have any tips for keeping the birds off the line and leaving their little calling cards on the what used to be clean laundry?
Flatwater

[HockeyFan]

We line dry as often as we can during the summer months, especially July and August, just to avoid running the dryer and heating the house up.

[Faye]

I dry all my laundry on the line except dress clothes. I hate soft towels and really like the roughness of the line dried ones. I tried putting things in the dryer after line drying but they lost a lot of the fresh smell.

[homesteaderbelle]

I hate soft towels and really like the roughness of the line dried ones.

I don't like soft towels either! Line-dried towels are so absorbant, I like that about line the line-dried towels!

Belle

[Drawbar]

I have been getting after my wife to use a clothesline for years, but now that propane has gone up, and our electric rates are the highest in the country, we just put up a clothesline.

I am not sure how much it saves, it takes extra time to put the clothes in a basket, take them out to the line, put them up and then reverse the whole procedure when they are dry. Since we pay our maid by the hour and not by a flat fee, I am not so sure that we save all that much. I'll have to run the numbers.

As for the soap build up, are you sure that's the problem, or is the soap buildup coming from hard water? I am not arguing with you, but I know where I live I have very hard water and it keeps soap from lathering up and some other stuff. I'm wondering if there is a cause and affect?

[Shamrock1121]

I have been getting after my wife to use a clothesline for years, but now that propane has gone up, and our electric rates are the highest in the country, we just put up a clothesline.

I am not sure how much it saves, it takes extra time to put the clothes in a basket, take them out to the line, put them up and then reverse the whole procedure when they are dry. Since we pay our maid by the hour and not by a flat fee, I am not so sure that we save all that much. I'll have to run the numbers.

As for the soap build up, are you sure that's the problem, or is the soap buildup coming from hard water? I am not arguing with you, but I know where I live I have very hard water and it keeps soap from lathering up and some other stuff. I'm wondering if there is a cause and affect?

Soap build-up information: http://www.charliesoap.com/research.asp

Diapers washed in Tide (using recommended amounts) had a 2% increase in weight after only 8 washes. See the difference using water and Charlie's Soap in this test.

A little test for soap build-up, wash your bath towels for 2 or 3 washes without adding any detergent. You'll more than likely still find suds in the wash water. If you also use softener, this actually penetrates the clothing with a fat substance and will build-up and hold all kinds of "gunk" in the fabric.

Typically, the harder your water, the more detergent you need to use - see previous information about soap build-up. That's why I have used vinegar in the rinse.

Vinegar Tips/Laundry: http://waterquality.cce.cornell.edu/publications/CCEWQ-50-HardWater.pdf

Hard Water and Laundry:
http://www.bae.ncsu.edu/programs/extension/publicat/wqwm/tc1.html

http://waterquality.cce.cornell.edu/publications/CCEWQ-50-HardWater.pdf

Savings: (info. from another message board) "Estimating an electric dryer at 4,800 watts, at my current summer electric rate of about $0.13/KWH, it'd cost ~$0.62 per hour of run-time (and keep in mind that's with the heating element active continuously ... which it doesn't work that way, the heat cycles on/off to maintain a target temperature and there's a cool-down period at end of the cycle). $50 covers 80.5 hours of running time. Giving an average load 1 hr of drying time (most loads should be less than that), that's 2.66 loads per day." (end of quote)
-----------------------------
http://www.duke-energy.com/indiana/savings/appliances-cost.asp

Electric clothes dryer About 5 loads per week 85kWh per week = $6.97
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I tend to work on logic, and am also known for being very efficient (in other words, I'm not ADD nor a time waster), so this is how I do the laundry in stages for hanging it outside. I think it saves me time to do it in these stages.

We change bed sheets on Friday morning so I can launder them on Saturday morning (I usually start about 5-5:30 a.m. - I'm an early riser and usually get up before 5) - Launder the sheets, bath towels/hand towels/washcloths and hang on the line. This leaves the rest of Saturday free, other than the 15 minutes it takes to remove, fold, and put away the dry sheets/towels.

Saturday evening - (while watching TV or a DVD) Wash the laundry and place it wet in the basket/s. Take a little time to smooth and semi-fold things flat to help prevent wrinkles setting in them.

I also put like-things together so they get pinned on the line together. All my undies, then hubby's (since they are stored in the same room), p.j.'s, socks are paired and hung together, all the kitchen towels, dish rags, ....

Everything that normally hangs on hangers (other than slacks/jeans) also is put on a hanger to dry. If I hang these items over a floor vent on a rack, the air from them will usually dry these items overnight. Otherwise I hang them in the loops of the clothes line on the umbrella clothes line - my clothes on one side of the clothes line, and hubby's on the other. That way they go from the line to the closet. The loops on the side of the clothes line keep the hangers from blowing off the line. I use wooden hangers that have wire hooks.

I had a friend who's husband put up a length of chain up between some posts. She could slip the hangers through the links in the chain. This also kept the hangers from flying off. It's not unusual to have 20-40 mph winds around here.

Early Sunday morning I hang the clothes. If the sun's not up yet, our umbrella clothes line is next to the patio (no walking through wet grass) and I can turn on the backdoor light to see to hang clothing while it's still cool. Hubby made me a bench to set the basket on so I don't have to stoop. I also use the bench as a folding table. When the clothes are dry, I also fold them as I take them off the line - which is another reason to hang like-things together.

Another plus... we can remove the umbrella clothes line and put a patio umbrella into the same hole and have shade for the patio when we have friends/family/neighbors over.

Since putting up 6 lines (11-foot long each) in the basement, as well as a 6-foot clothes rod that holds everything on hangers, I can dry everything downstairs. Occasionally I'll need to use a drying rack as well, but drying kitchen towels or wash cloths on a drying rack makes quick work of them - NO pinning and they are half folded when they are dry. Now I wash the clothes on Saturday night and they get hung downstairs and dry overnight.

-Karen

[MNMOM]

I have been getting after my wife to use a clothesline for years, but now that propane has gone up, and our electric rates are the highest in the country, we just put up a clothesline.

I am not sure how much it saves, it takes extra time to put the clothes in a basket, take them out to the line, put them up and then reverse the whole procedure when they are dry. Since we pay our maid by the hour and not by a flat fee, I am not so sure that we save all that much. I'll have to run the numbers.

As for the soap build up, are you sure that's the problem, or is the soap buildup coming from hard water? I am not arguing with you, but I know where I live I have very hard water and it keeps soap from lathering up and some other stuff. I'm wondering if there is a cause and affect?

You have a maid?

[Drawbar]

I've had a maid for years. We got her when the wife was pregnant and had to be bed-ridden for months or we would lose the baby.

We thought about getting rid of her, but she's an awful big help around the house (wife's reason for keeping he) and I think she's cute (she is 22 years old). :-*

[walls0stone]

my folks have a helper one day a week. Actualy gets more done cleaning in 2 hours than Mother could becouse so Much can come up. when you think about all the time they save it pays.

[Red_Diamond_Ranch]

We don't have that Stiff Laundry problem here in Oklahoma. Mainly because in takes 19 clothes pins to keep one dish rag on the lne. LOL

[Shamrock1121]

We don't have that Stiff Laundry problem here in Oklahoma. Mainly because in takes 19 clothes pins to keep one dish rag on the lne. *LOL

AH HAAA!!! :o Now I know where the 19-clothes-pins- on-one-dish-rag winds (aka hairspray test days) come from.... ;D Good one!

-Karen (in Kansas)

[Red_Diamond_Ranch]

Shamrock1121:
Thank you, for the info on Charlies Soap. Your post prompted us to purchase a 5 gal bucket of Laundry Powder. We use rainwater as much as possible here for laundry, plants. Much better than chlorinated water.