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Oh, I remember that so well!!! I still do the same routine, except no sub-zero for me.
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How funny and I remember this and these rules! Nothing smelled better than sheets and towels dried in the sun! I can still remember than incredibly fresh smell.
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love my sheets hung out to dry!! ever notice yellow colored material seem to attract more bugs?
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I love sheets on the line! And I love when it's a super windy day and the towels get so whipped that it's like they were in the dryer. I actually didn't have a dryer until I got married at 25 (and that was in '86!). I grew up doing laundry on Thursdays with a wringer washer and hanging it up either in the basement (winter) or outside. My mom always had to have the socks facing the same way, and that's the way I have to do it now too. Funny how those things stay with you!
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I still hang some clothes out on the line, then pop them in the dryer to fluff and soften them a bit. I love the fresh air smell!
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Originally Posted by true4uca
Rules for Clotheslines -- You'll love this......
You have to be a certain age to appreciate this. I can hear my mother now. My mother would have loved this! Do you remember? THE BASIC RULES FOR CLOTHESLINES: (If you don't know what clotheslines are, better skip this. 1. You had to wash the clothesline before hanging any clothes - walk the entire lengths of each line with a damp cloth around the lines. 2. You had to hang the clothes in a certain order, and always hang "whites" with "whites," and hang them first. 3. You never hung a shirt by the shoulders - always by the tail. What would the neighbors think? 4. Wash day on a Monday! Never hang clothes on the weekend or Sunday for Heaven's sake! 5. Hang the sheets and towels on the outside lines so you could hide your "unmentionables" in the middle (perverts & busybodies, y'know!). 6. It didn't matter if it was sub-zero weather ... clothes would "freeze-dry".(I so remember this) 7. Always gather the clothespins when taking down dry clothes! Pins left on the lines were "tacky!" 8. If you were efficient, you would line the clothes up so that each item did not need two clothespins, but shared one of the clothespins with the next washed item. 9. Clothes off the line before dinner time, neatly folded in the clothes basket, and ready to be ironed. 10. IRONED?! On Tuesday .. Well, that's a whole other subject! |
I had to follow these rules with my mom. My first "chore" was to clean the clothes line. It does bring back memories.
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Yep, I learnt these rules at mother's side plus panties should be hung with one pin so they hang shapeless and anonymous.
Dad's heavy railroad work clothes often froze but never freeze dried. As the oldest and tallest I'd be sent out into the icy darkness to wrestle them free of the lines--usually stiff as boards. A line was rigged in the kitchen just for them. Sometimes they had to go back outside in the morning. |
I still like to hang cloths out. The sheets smell so good fresh off the line.
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I can't believe there are some communities that prohibit clotheslines. Wonder what the residents do if their dryer breaks on wash day and the car is in the shop for repairs so they can't get to the Laundromat? Hang in the bathroom or the basement - borrow the use of the neighbor's dryer - move? Don't you think that is a bit much ..............
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When I was growing up we were given chores. Mine was laundry. We had 4 lines- like a big square. I could fit 6 loads of wash on them. My favorite part was trying to fill it up before the first load was dry. (There were 9 kids so this was not hard to do). We weren't allowed to go any where without our jobs being done first. I was always the last one done but to this day I love to do laundry and hang it on the line.
(and since I didn't want to go upstairs between loads I would sweep the basement and made curtains for the windows- anything so I didn't have to do more work. Every year we switched jobs- I hated the bathroom- traded my sister and all was well. Mom finally gave up and just let me do laundry.) |
Originally Posted by Suzi
I can't believe there are some communities that prohibit clotheslines. Wonder what the residents do if their dryer breaks on wash day and the car is in the shop for repairs so they can't get to the Laundromat? Hang in the bathroom or the basement - borrow the use of the neighbor's dryer - move? Don't you think that is a bit much ..............
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Just think how smart we women are that we can develop "rules" to streamline anything! For instance:
1. Clean the clothesline -- that insures that those metal lines have all the oxidation off them (& plastic ones that came later have all the polution off them) so the clothes don't have black lines on them. 2. Whites are first on because they got washed first. Before automatic washsers, the clothes got washed in order of the color, light to dark, because they were washed in the same water. (& that was before "green" became something besides a color!). Sheets were mostly white, so they were one of the first pinned on. They caught the breeze better on the outside lines. 3. Yep, shirts were hung by the tails. They caught the breeze to dry faster and dewrinkle better too. Pants were hung by the legs on two lines for the same reason and they were all ready for ironing if needed. 4. In many case washing wasn't a Monday chore -- large families required several wash days each week! Thanks for the memories, they were fresh & sweet! |
Mom would go to take my Dad's good "Freeze Dried" shirts off the line in the winter - and they would CRACK!!!
I could always tell when it happened because I could hear Mom in the backyard, mumbling to herself "Well, there's another trip to the clothing store!!!" :shock: :roll: :? :shock: :roll: :? :shock: |
We had a dryer that my mom never used (never did figure out why). I remember sharing the clothespin thing.. I still like to hang out but only because I like the smell and can't afford (width wise & length wise) to have anything shrink. We are a TALL family. Must confess that I leave the clothespins out there all year. Now hang most stuff on hangers and then on the lines. Neighbors are not close.
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My mother followed all those rules, except wed, thur, friday was house cleaning days. Don't know how she managed to raise a huge garden and can almost everything we ate. Plus sewed my clothes. We had a wringer washer and of course you washed the whites first, then lighter colored ones next, then darks because everything was washed in the same water.
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I only hang blankets and pillows on the fence twice a year, its the fence used for dog area, neighbors are 1/2 block away.
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This is getting to be a long thread but I just had to add how much I love hanging laundry. And I do follow most of the guidlines. I don't follow the day rule. I love to see a well hung line of cloths blowing ans snapping in the breeze. It shows care and pride of ownership. Hanging cloths in a "proper" manner also keeps clothes from becoming lopsided and stretched out so they wrinkle less last longer.
peace |
I miss having a clothes line. I love the feel of fresh, crisp sheets! We also live in a neighborhood where hanging clothes on anything outside is not allowed. I'm beginning to dislike the HOA's with a passion.....
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Oh how I remember... especially in cold weather! Momma really did instruct us this way!! But they are actually sweet memories... I find myself wishing for a clothesline!
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You are so right about this, as I remembered us kids had to carry the water from a spring(about a block away) on wash day. She had an old Maytag with a motor my father had attached and there was a wringer too. She heated the water on a bottle gas stove, then carried it out to the wash shed. Then started washing whites, pastel colors, medium colors, going on until she got to blue jeans, dark pants or dark material cloths. Thanks for reminding me, as I had forgotten this.
IdahoSandy |
I'm 44 and i remember this and still do it when at my cousins when down for a visit.
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I used to line dry my sheets, before DH developed allergies.
Cut poem. I remember my Mom freeze drying our clothes and we would bring them in to thaw. |
I really do remember!!
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I remember all of these things! Also, don't forget the coke bottle with the sprinkler head - sprinkle the clothes, roll them up tight in the basket, and iron, iron, iron. I was thinking this morning when I was ironing a blouse for work and wondered if any of my grandchilren (or children!) know the correct way to iron a shirt.
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I remember. I still like to hang clothes,, especially sheets and linens, outside to dry in nice weather. Love the smell of the sheets. Saves money too.
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I still hang my sheets and pillow sheets on my retrackable clothes line. There's nothing that compares to crawling into clean sheets that have been line dried. The smell is something that you never will forget.
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Yes! And we lived by those rules!!
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memories....
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My grandmother used to make me hang each of her "Unmentionables" INSIDE the pillowcases!
( except her corset - It wouldn't fit!!! )LOL!!! Try that using the old larger straight legged pins! |
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