The Clothesline

Last week we had a small problem with the propane tank.  It wasn't a big deal to fix but I didn't have time to fix it until the end of the day.  In the morning I had washed a couple of loads of clothes and had put them into the drier.  Little did I know that there wasn't any heat floating around as the clothes tumbled.  It wasn't until I turned on the stove and had no flame.  Definitely a problem! 

Well, not really a problem, we just had to change the way we did things.  I put the grandkids oatmeal into bowls and stuck them in the microwave.  OK, we may not have a microwave if TSHTF, but perhaps we will.  The solar panel can provide power to the batteries and I can run the microwave for short periods of time...for things like making oatmeal. 

With breakfast taken care of, I went into the laundry room, opened the drawer under the drier, pulled out the clothes line and clothes pins and went to work hanging the line.  We have a post at the patio cover and another post at the wood shed that I tied the line to.  I was able to use most of the 100 feet of clothes line by starting and ending the line at the patio.  I also have a line stretcher.  It's a handy device that you put the line through and you pull the clothesline.  It has three little balls that close up to hold the line tight.  I hung two loads of laundry up on the line and tightened it up.  I then started another load in the washer. 

By the time the washer was done in an hour most of the things on the line were dry.  I love the spring and summer here!  Clothes dry on the line faster than they do in the drier.  They smell better too.

So now it's about a week later.  Grandson wanted to know why I was still using the clothesline rather than the drier since I fix the propane problem.  Son-in-law asked the same thing.  I told them both that there are several reasons.  First, it's cheaper.  Second, it's better for the clothes.  The lint that collects in the drier is really the fabric shedding some of its fluff.  Third, the clothes dry faster.  Fourth, you don't have to iron as much (not that I iron much anyway).  Fifth, since grandson still wets, it helps to disinfect and get rid of odor. 

The down side?  There are some.  First, if you leave the clothes out all day they may get bleached by the sun.  Second, it takes about three or four minutes extra to hang the clothes than to throw them into the drier.  Third, I can't think of any other downsides.  At least until winter.