Originally Posted by May in Jersey
Oh, those rules that my Mother made me follow. We lived in the city and our clothes lines went from our kitchen windows to a tall utility pole in the back yard. There were 3 apartments in the buildings on my block and you can imagine what the back yards looked line on Mondays. Believe me neighbors did check out your laundy, was it out on time, where the whites bright, do Mrs. So and So get a new blouse, no laundry out for Mrs. So an So was she sleeping all day again?
When I married and had my own apartment I broke most of those rules. I washed and hung my clothes out whenever I had the time, sometimes late a night. Had 2 kids in diapers so diapers went on the line no matter how cold it was. First they froze, then the main part dried so I brought them indoors to finish drying on the steam radiator. They were a little stiff but there were no pampers in those days.
I've had an indoor and outdoor dryer since I moved to Jersey 50 years ago. Over the years as the family got smaller I've used the outside one less and less. Mostly for jeans and knits, usually hung inside out so they didn't fade as I tended to leave them out there for a day or so. Haven't used the outdoor one at all the past year as I have a knee problem. Can't leave everything in the indoor dryer for a day or so, although undies and towels can hang out in there until I have time to fold them. May in Jersey
May, your memories are much more like mine. I grew up in New Rochelle, NY and we lived on the 2nd floor of a 3 family house. Our clothesline ran from my brother's bedroom window which was at the back of the house to a very tall oak tree that bordered on the neighbor's property line about a hundred feet away from our house. The line was attached to pulleys on each end so we had to hang out the window to reach the line and reel the clothes in and out as we pinned or unpinned them. I can't imagine how my Mom ever trusted that we wouldn't fall out the window! I hated having to wrestle the frozen pants in and out of the small window, especially if they had those metal stretchers in them and I also hated it when I dropped a piece of clothing out the window and would have to go all the way downstairs and around to the back driveway to retrieve it. I also remember that my Mom rolled up my Dad's cotton shirts while wet and put them in the refrigerator. I think the theory was that it would give the fibers a chance to relax, the starch could penetrate more evenly and Mom could get all of her housework done and dinner prepared during the day so that she could stay up until the wee hours ironing (even Dad's underwear) and watching the Late, Late Show or Million Dollar Movie :)