I’ve been cleaning my house, lately [it’s mostly OK now BTW] and in the process, I have been doing absolute shittons of laundry. Y'know, mostly because there were drifts of dirty clothes in there that were a foot deep.
I had been doing a load a day, but thanks to my unsister, Powerhouse, I’ve been going through load after load after load. And putting it all on the clothesline to benefit from the absolutely vicious summer sun.
I haven’t been benefitting from said summer sun, I’m as red as a beet and sore to boot.
BUT.
There are distinct advantages to using a clothesline rather than a dryer. And here they are:
1) it’s quieter
2) sunlight is free
3) it’s exercise [try pegging up a wet doona and tell me I’m wrong]
4) sunlight kills all of the bed-loving pests that make us itch
5) the smell of sun-dried cloth is practically orgasmic
6) it uses less electricity
7) it can be a social activity
8) there are no tiny dust particles floating through your house and causing breathing problems as a direct result.
Yes, it’s old-fashioned, but that doesn’t automatically mean that it’s bad. Yes, it takes some effort, but I’d take people power over fossil fuel any day. All people power needs is food for fuel, and you can grow your own (see previous posts). And yes, you do need to keep an awareness of the weather.
You are also allowed to keep a dryer for the wet weather. Just because you’re going frugal doesn’t mean you have to throw out everything that ever cost money.
Consider this, though: The average Hills Hoist can hold about four loads of washing. A dryer can only contain one. On a hot day, a load can be dry before you’ve finished hanging up the second one. Dryers always take ages.
Just remember to be sun safe, okay?