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This was certainly a walk down memory lane.Pleasant, tho sad, because they are all gone, I was the baby and now I am the matriarch of the family. I carried the clothes pin bag, made by my grandma on the same treadle that I sew on today. As I grew, I was the one who placed the poles and pushed them up as high as I could. We had an old beer bottle with a silver thing on top with lots of holes. You would fill the bottle with warm water push the cork part down in and sprinkle the clothes as grandma rolled them tightly and put them down in a wooden basket that had a fitted lining. When full she would put several towels "to keep the moisture in". Happy times but sad also.
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I developed a nasty allergy to tree pollen, especially pine pollen. So I don't hang clothes outside anymore. I wish I could I loved the smell of freshly laundered sheets hung outdoors.
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I still use my clothesline. Esp. for hubbys everyday chore clothes.This really brings back memories for me as we didn't have a lot of money my Mom took in ironing.We would sprinkle shirts, tableclothes,sheets,etc., with the cork bottle "thing" roll them in a tight little ball till time to iron. Spent many afetnoons ironing watching Days of Our Lives and then at 3:30 the hi-lite of the day Major Astro.
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I remember those! We bought some aluminum ones recently and of course they bent under the heavy load. Wasn't it called a clothes pole? at least in western PA :-)
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here in Colorado it's definitely true about wiping the clothes line off. i've never seen so much dust in my life!! i do have a dryer but use the clothes line once in awhile.
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That's how I still do it, with the exception of the 'unmentionables' after loosing all the weight I have I want EVERYONE to see my undies! I didn't realize any one had written those things down, always thought it was common sense. Oh yeah,... there's a BIG difference between 'freeze dried' in Michigan, and 'freeze dried' in Colorado; in one you get more 'freeze' than dry! LOL
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oh I remember these so well, LOL
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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 :) |
We dried the frozen clothes on a line in the living room around
the wood stove. Oh, my! |
WOW, I never realized that so many of us would comment on these "rules".
These were sent to me by a good friend and I do remember having to wipe the clothesline down before Mom hung anything on it. I can still see her with a pin or two in her mouth as she hooked the next pin on, her hair up in a kerchief with the knot up in front. Cats eye shapped horn rimmed glasses so you know these were the sixties. I can hear the whip of the sheets in the wind also. :cry: Funny how I never realized how much I would miss those times. I'm glad you all have enjoyed them. Faith :lol: :XD: |
My mom actually has a rope line that she hangs when she has stuff to hang out. I remember is that I pushed my bike under the laundry and hit my tooth on the handlebar. My preference is definitely the dryer.
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I love my clothes line and follow many of the "rules". There is nothing like the smell of that fresh air on sheets, towels or anything you put out there. I will even use it when there is snow on the ground as long as the temp is above freezing, there is bright sunshine and a breeze. I put some stuff out late on Saturday and was mad because it didn't dry and I had to use the dryer! :lol:
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I remember all of those rules LOL
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Here in UK it is the norm to hang out the washing on the line!A lot of people still have a long line with a prop and some have a whirleygig like me. There is nothing like drying washing in the fresh air(Weather permitting!!) Tho it can be a bit hit and miss here!! (I do have a tumble dryer as backup particularly for the winter months)!!!
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Oh, do I remember! My favorite thing was the smell of the clothes after we took them down.
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I recall seeing them at Gram Ruth's house on Grampa's pants.
Originally Posted by theoldgraymare
Do you remember the metal stretchers that were inserted into the legs of Daddy's khaki work pants so they wouldn't have to be ironed? I hated those things with a passion...
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Oh wow, I do that but I didn't know there were rules to it. Whew, I am glad I didn't unknowingly break them. The clothes line police would be after me! LOL :D
I love my clothes dried on the line. On nice days I say "it is a good day for a hangin'!" |
Originally Posted by Matilda
Oh wow, I do that but I didn't know there were rules to it. Whew, I am glad I didn't unknowingly break them. The clothes line police would be after me! LOL :D
I love my clothes dried on the line. On nice days I say "it is a good day for a hangin'!" Our lines are in the back yard and can't be seen anyhow. lol #3 hanging the shirts by the tails makes sense, no pin marks on the shoulders. |
I had to put them in my husbands national gaurd uniform pants. They were very fussy about the pleat being straight down the front and back of the leg. Glad those days are over. I am talking about the pants stretchers.
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We had a "Maiden Lady" live with us when I was growing up and she taught me many rules, especially in hiding the undies. :wink: During the summer I hang a line up at the cottage for towels, the electric company used to send me a thank you every month, I think they miss my donation.
Yes, alas, I too have allergies so the sheets get dried inside. piney |
Originally Posted by purplefiend
#3 hanging the shirts by the tails makes sense, no pin marks on the shoulders.
piney |
We have one of those square ones with a center pole. The plastic piece in the ground was pulled out (along with the concrete) when we added on to our house, but it's still back there. Maybe this fall I'll dig a hole and put it back up. Sure love the fresh clothes smell! But my DH hates the scratchy towels (I kinda like that). HHHmmmm. . . . sounds like a Saturday job to me! Thanks for reminding me.
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When my dryer went about 5 years ago, I started hanging clothes outside. I remember it as a kid too...running though the towels.
I still have not bought a new dryer and I am OK with it. Saves money and it is free. Some people at work caught on to it and started doing it too. |
WE lived in the country and did not have running water. We would draw the water from the well in a bucket heat it and pour it in the old ringer washing machine. We would run it thru the ringer into a tub full of rinse water and swish them around and then back through the ringer and out to the line. All rules above aaplied and Mom always sprinkled them and put in the refrig and then Ironed. I do not miss that and love the washer dryer age.
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The myth that clothes smell better on the line. Where do you live that your is air scented!?! My clothes smell like nothing, the latest brush fire or whatever the crazy neighbors are burning in the fireplace (they don't burn wood).
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that is just it - no smell equals fresh!! I spend winters in a condo complex with laundry rooms, the stink coming out of the dryers from fabric softeners etc is nauseating. Give me fresh air or even wood smoke any day.
And can you believe it, there are some municipalities that outlaw outside clothes drying (doesn't look nice, you know...) |
Originally Posted by ptquilts
that is just it - no smell equals fresh!! I spend winters in a condo complex with laundry rooms, the stink coming out of the dryers from fabric softeners etc is nauseating. Give me fresh air or even wood smoke any day.
And can you believe it, there are some municipalities that outlaw outside clothes drying (doesn't look nice, you know...) PULEEEZE!!! Its free to use the solar clothedryer! We figured out that we saved about $50 per month this summer by not using the clothes dryer except for towels. DD has ecema, so scratchy towels are a bad idea. We don't use any products that have perfumes in them because they are very bad for her. |
Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!! Darn I remember those days as a teenager. My mother followed most of those rules!!
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Originally Posted by Ditter43
I am so glad to have a dryer! Although I like the smell of sheets dried on the line, I have learned to love the smell of convenience!!! ha ha ha :lol: :-D
This is hilarious. Dryers are a blessing! I have been considering putting up a clothesline for summertime, to save on electricity though. But alas, I guess I love the smell of convenience too!! |
OMGoodness!! I never knew there were "rules," but I do know that I have been following them all these years.....without ever realizing it! :oops:
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OH MY GOSH!!! I didn't know those were official rules...I thought my mother was just being annal!!!!!!! You sure brought back memories....and I'm refusing to think of the ironing part. :)
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I love to line dry, and have for years. I have two nice big drying racks for winter, too, because I don't feel like handing the electric co all my money! We always hang panties etc on the side that faces the garage, because the kids don't think it's proper for others to see their privates. I used to hang my two oldest kids cloth diapers outside in winter(we were poor as churchmice) and bring them in frozen solid, lean them against the wall, and in the morning they had melted into a pile on the floor. Smelled good!
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Speaking of clotheslines... Kathy at my LQS gave me some good advice about hanging my quilt to air (in the shade of course, she told me to buy a few of those pool-noodles, cut about 1/4 of the way through & place them on the clotheslines then drape my quilt over them. This prevents pressure lines on the quilt. I've done this a couple of times & they work great.
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I remember the clothesline very well. Ours went from the corner of the back porch (about the height of a second floor of a house) to a tree at the end of the yard. It was on a pully mechanism. We also had a clothes pole to help hold the clothes up when we got the real heavy towels and such on them.
When my sister was little (before I was born) my parents lived in a town and my sister liked to wander away from home and down the street. My parents attached her to a leash and attached the leash to the clothes line! It was the stationary square clothes line type (I think). BUT Sis was able to wander and play in the yard, but could not wander down the street! I wish I had a clothes line now! Miss those days. |
It is called a clothes prop. At least that is what it is called in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. When I moved to Texas I left mine behind and so wish I could find some to purchase in Houston Texas. With our humidity I have 2 lines in the garage to use when it will not do to hang outside and I use my dryer very little. One note, my garage if finished with a tile floor ,is heated and air conditioned, and is the most wonderful sewing room ever.
Donna |
love this post...................i love to hang clothes....got my first dryer when ex hubby helped me hand clothes out...they were freezing befor e u could hang...ha........love to see sheets blowing in wind.............good memories
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Oh I love all this clothesline talk! How I loved the smell of freshly hung laundry and especially the towels and sheets!
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Lordy, I never thought there were rules, but this IS the way mama had us hang the laundry!
I'm so thankful to have a dryer inside the house and no line, but hubby wants one now to cut down on the $300.00 monthly electric bill. Oh well, the more things change the more they stay the same. Roxanne |
I still have a clothes line use it all the time the only time I use my dryer is when it rains.
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When I was little, we had a washer but no dryer, so my grandmother hung clothes out on a line strung between our back porch and the storage shed. The line was on a pulley system so she could stand on the back porch and hang or retrieve the wash. It was pretty neat, now that I think about it. :) Once we got an electric dryer, she fell in love with it and only used the line to hang "delicates". She enjoyed those modern conveniences, in her youth she had to wash clothes in the creek!
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