Well I'm 52 & do remember the clothesline rules :). My Grandparents hung clothes out year round & yep they freeze dried in winter. Monday was wash day & never ever on Sunday.

The "stick" for propping up the line is called a "Clothesline pole or prop". My poles actually have 2 bent nails placed a few inches apart, so you can chose the height you want the line to be. My poles are never left propping up the line. They are taken down & laid on a bench. This prevents the wind from blowing the lines back & forth & stretching them out.

I don't hang clothes out much anymore due to huz's issue with dry skin, so everything has to be tumbled dry with farbic softener. Actually my Huz does all the laundry, except for washing drapes, rugs, etc :).

I'm with you Ditter43!

When we bought our house in 1965 (I'm still here), my MIL gave me an old wringer washer - it was steel, square, and stood on long legs. It was very old, but it did have an electric wringer. I used that machine for years. One day, the wringer mechanism quit working so that you couldn't swing it around and lock it in place every quarter turn. (You would wring the clothes from the washer into the first rinse tub, swing the wringer around so it was between the first and second rinse tubs, then wring the clothes into the second rinse, swing the wringer to the front of the second tub and wring them right into the laundry basket on the floor, then right outside to hang them out. One day the wringer mechanism broke so that you couldn't swing it around. That means that I had to wring the clothes out by hand, and my daughter would help me wring out the sheets, my husband's work pants, towels, all the heavy stuff. She'd stand at one end, I's stand at the other, and we just twisted the clothes until we couldn't twist any longer. It was hard work.

Then one day, an elderly egg farmer lady gave me an ancient wooded wringer that clamped on to the laundry rinse tubs in the middle where they stood side by side. It was hand cranked, but it worked! Used it for the longest time! It was also a good bit of work.

Then my mom offered to buy me a new washer for my birthday which was a dream come true. But you know what? I just loved the way that old wringer machine washed clothes. They got so CLEAN! I asked my mom to buy me another wringer washer and she thought I was crazy what with having no dryer and 3 kids to take care of, housework, cooking, etc. But I insisted, so she got me a new Maytag. I just loved it and used it until the mid-'70's by which time my 2 oldest kids were married and gone. Turns out a relative was getting a divorce and breaking up her household, so I bought her washer and dryer and I must say, I did like the convenience.

However, all those years with the wringer washer were well worth it. I followed all the hanging out "rules" although I didn't know they were "rules" - that was just the way it was done. I absolutely LOVED comparing my laundry on the line to my neighbors' laundry. I can remember thinking, "My whites are whiter than yours"! I was proud of it!

Oh well, now I wash and dry clothes like everybody else, and none of us ever see anyone else's. I don't even have white sheets any more, just colored.

I guess there were lots of "rules" we followed without knowing they were rules - just the way we did things. But the memories are great!

OMG this is scary, I am still doing this. No clothes dryers in Argentina, unless you live in Buenos Aires. :lol:

To our Australia friends. I love your country, lived in the South Australia outback for a couple of years. Hanging clothes was an adventure. During FLY season, I wore a "cork hat" to keep the flys out of my ears, eyes, mouth and ect. To you Yanks, a cork hat is a large rimmed hat with corks hanging down all around the rim. To shoo the flys away, you would just shake your head and the corks would shoo them away.My clothesline was the umbrella model. Center pole and crank down lines. It was great, only no break. When I let go of the line, it would spine around in the wind. I'm laughing while writing this and remembering, but at the time I sure wasn't laughing. LOL

I come from a very large family(17 Kids)and we of course had a cloths line,and we all had to help hang cloths,mom would be in the laundry room with the old ringer washer my brother and I would go hang cloths. My brother would astound me at how fast and affishiant he was. I would love to have one but hubby says no.

Hmmm, hubby says no huh... Wonder what his story is... LOLOL!!!!!

Those were the good old days. I wasn't aware of the rules at that time. My Mom was easy going, and with 6 kids, I helped her every chance I could. She never made me hang the clothes, I enjoyed doing it. I even helped with the wringer washer and rinsing over and over. Clothes were supper clean in those days and smelled fantastic. My Mom ironed in the mornings at the crack of dawn. We all had clothes every morning that were freshly ironed. Mom also made breakfast for my Dad and us kids. Anything we wanted. It was like a restaurant. I do miss those days when life was much easier and more fun.

I still have a clothes line and the props :D We always had to "sort" the laundry when taking it out of the washer that way all the wash cloths, hand towels and bath towels could be hung together. And OH MY!!! "Unmentionables" had to go on the inside lines. We had 4 lines....Bath towels and sheets had to go on the front lines to hide those pesky "unmentionables" LOL I still use the lines for sheets and towels...too much softener on the towels and I can't get dry...they don't absorb like when hung on the lines.

Mom even used to hand laundry in the basement on a million lines in the winter when we were little...not to mention all over the house on wash day. Ironing day was a totally different story. :D Great memories :D

these rules sound like i wrote them..my mom used to hang cloths outside when it was cold..i hung cloths just like you mentioned plus you sprinkled them with water and put the cottons in a plastic bag and were put a fridge then ironed the next day......i can't wear anything that is not ironed....i've seen cloths worn that look like they sat in a dryer for a week....i guess i was raised in the old school....i bet there are a lot of house holds that don't have an iron....lol....

That sure brings back memories. Raised four kids with cloth diapers and they had to be done everyday. Sometimes they froze stiff and we lived in the South. Mother had a wringer washer when I was small but when I married, lived in apartment and my mother-in-law gave me a second hand washer that you put on the stove and ladled water in and turned on the fire and rinsed the diapers by hand in the sink, then put them in the washer and washed. Then had to take lid off and let it cool and ladle out the water and then refill for rinse. Ugh. It was a Kenmore. By the time we had the second child we lived in a house and bought a "real" washer and hung things on the line - big improvement. Then when the third child was born, we moved again and got a dryer also. I thought I was in heaven. Wish I had a clothesline now just to hang out quilts and blankets to get fresh air. I have the frontloaders now and they are nice - I do appreciate them. Can't imagine how I made it in the old days, of course, I was young.

That sure brings back memories. Raised four kids with cloth diapers and they had to be done everyday. Sometimes they froze stiff and we lived in the South. Mother had a wringer washer when I was small but when I married, lived in apartment and my mother-in-law gave me a second hand washer that you put on the stove and ladled water in and turned on the fire and rinsed the diapers by hand in the sink, then put them in the washer and washed. Then had to take lid off and let it cool and ladle out the water and then refill for rinse. Ugh. It was a Kenmore. By the time we had the second child we lived in a house and bought a "real" washer and hung things on the line - big improvement. Then when the third child was born, we moved again and got a dryer also. I thought I was in heaven. Wish I had a clothesline now just to hang out quilts and blankets to get fresh air. I have the frontloaders now and they are nice - I do appreciate them. Can't imagine how I made it in the old days, of course, I was young.

And, I open my mouth about this subject and my mom's voice comes out. oooooooooohhhh nooooooooooooooooo! I still use those rules, only, I've figured out how to go without clothespins at all.

This is exactly how I remember all the rules. I have been wanting to have one put in my back yard again, I guess it's been 15 or so years since I used one. Maybe I'll tell my husband and get one soon.even if I didn't hang close for drying, they make a great holder for photos of quilts. And the wonderful freshness of bed sheets straight off the line and back to the bed. That's a really special cozy,homey feeling.have a good day.

One of my grammas used to hang her undies INSIDE the pillowcases. I used to HATE hanging clothes on the line when it was my job as a kid. Now, of course, I love hanging my sheets out for the great fresh smell. I always 'wipe' the line first, and the wiping cloth is always dirty. I think I still have some pants stretchers in the basement. Obviously haven't used them in years, or I'd know for sure!

Do any of you remember the term "getting clothes-lined"? It came from kids running through back yards in the dark ~ ~ ~ probably up to no good ~ ~ ~

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Same here! I think he doesn't want to have to go around it with the lawnmower.

:lol:

BTW -- I had one of those wringer type washers and it was downstairs in the garage below our garage apartment. I would sometimes put things washing and "forget" them there for a very long time. My DH (who was a mechanic) had the cleanest clothes in town. :o) When the first baby came we "invested" in a washer. The dryer came later. But I still used the clothesline when the weather was nice.

We live in sugar cane country and when the farmers burn cane, soot flies everywhere. Not a good thing for wet clothes on the line. So a dryer was much appreciated.

Oh my am I showing my age if I admit I knew all those rules.

I remember these and I have used them! Did you ever see a man's leg that shape!

:lol: And did you ever see a man wearing a pair of pants that had just come off of one of those thingys? :lol: :lol:

I remember those rules. I have a clothes line now, don't use it all the time. It the spring time when there is a wind blowing I love to put my clothes out. The sheets and pj smells so nice and fresh. My mom had a dryer but she always used the clothes line even in winter.

OMG, i'm 51 and i remember all that stuff. i learned at about 3 how to do it, by watching others and neighborts. remember the stiff metal thingys for putting in mens pants so yu wouldn't have to iron them???? and the pullys system for hanging out cloths from the widows walk on the second floor???

I still hang my clothes out on the line when the weather permits. I enjoy doing it...somehow it make me happy. Oh the simple things in life...maybe I'm nuts!

Weather permitting and no humidity, I still hang clothes out and for the most part, still follow the rules. Heck, even living in the 'hollera in the country, I can't have the farmer next door when he is in the field see my undies!

Because I never leave the clothespins outside on the line, I still have most of them from 33 years ago.

Nothing like clean smelling blankies and sheets. Towels dry great 'cuz they soak up more moisture from your body.

Got some news...cloths dry just fine on a clothsline when its freezing outside.
The only real problem is pinching cloths pins with mittens on.
The process is called sublimation. If you don't use the ice cubes in your freezer, you'll notice they evaporate away also.

Boy do I remember having to do all of this. Ironing --- well I still do alot of ironing, because I like the looks of ironed garments.

Hey, I hate to say it, but I still have a clothes line!!!!!! And I use it. Not like I used to, but enough. LOL

And we did that every day except sat and sun. Because we took in washings. we lived in a little town and did a lot of people's laundry. 20c for a pair of cacky sp. pants. washed starched, sprinkled and ironed. Many bushel baskets full a week. We ironed everything but towels, dishcloths, sheets, undies, slips on and on and on. We did it in the winter and hung lines thru the house and finally someone slammed the door and all the clothes and ceiling fell in the floor.ha.

Yes, naturalmomma they do freeze dry on the line. I live in Texas and if it rains just a little and freezes the moisture is gone

Cobaltjars62, you got it exactly right! You didn't miss a thing!

I remember the wringer washer very well. I also remember the starch bucket. One of my stuffed animals fell in it! My mom would sprinkle my dad's white shirts for church and put them in the refrigerator. Then when we got to be about 11-12 my dad made us iron the shirts so we could learn to iron. In the winter my mom hung the clothes on lines in the basement.

Wow - brings back memories. Clothespins were always kept in the bag that could be hung on the line after you cleaned it! Hated hanging sheets out when it was freezing and worst was bringing in frozen sheets. Don't miss that.

Remember cooking starch? My dh was in the Army and wanted his uniforms (fatigues) to be stiff as a board and the ony way was using the starch that you cooked.

Rules of the clothesline
 

I was taught these rules at a very young age... especially when I was tall enought to reach the lines.

Actuallly, we have only had a clothes dryer for the past 4 or 5 years...And Yes I love having a dryer... still use our clothesline for skinny jeans ..

Judy in Phx, AZ

Yep I still do it ,well except the ironing that is :)

I have never had a dishwasher either,just the ones I am typing with lol.