When the weather is warm, laundry duty brightens up by a trip to the clothesline. Here are 8 reasons to use and love your clothesline!

Washing machines and automatic clothes dryers are household appliances I would never want to do without. I’m convinced my family would be destined to perpetually wear clothes crusted with baby spit up, dippy egg yolk, and smoothie remnants without them.

But when the temperatures are warmer and the sun is out, I love the opportunity to ditch the dryer and line dry our clothes. Our laundry routine needs to adjusted when I do, but I think it’s worth it.

There are multiple reasons to use and love your clothesline, from the scent of line dried clothes to the lowered electric bill. For me, eight reasons really shine and keep me returning to our backyard when the laundry needs dried.

 

8 Reasons to Use and Love Your Clothesline

1. Frugality

With our large family, lots of laundry means lots of hours with a running clothes dryer, and that equates a higher electric bill. Air and sunshine are free, however!

2. The Smell

There’s just nothing like the smell that clothes take on when they’ve been dried in the sun. It’s so fresh and clean! I just love to sniff our sheets after finally getting to line dry them for the first time in the spring.

3. Less ironing

When I dry my clothes on the line and lay them flat in the basket to bring back in, I rarely have any ironing. My handsome hubby wears dress pants and shirts six days a week, so I really appreciate that!

4. Exercise

Fit2B helps keep me in decent shape, but the long trek our to our clothesline works additional movement into my day without extra thought or planning on my part.

I typically hang up and take down multiple loads of laundry at a time, too. That makes the basket heavier and makes my arms work harder.

5. Nature Study

Line dried laundry sometimes attracts little creepy crawlies. Like a good homeschool mom, when I see something in outside that’s unusual, I pause the day for impromptu nature study! 

One summer there was a small tan beetle that looked like a bug version of an armadillo/aardvark cross. Another time we observed a wolf spider. Confession: I killed it after. It was in the house.

I’ve also been able to take note of the various weeds that grow in our yard, many of which have medicinal qualities! Watching the bats in the evening is one of my favorite things about hanging up clothes later in the day.

6. Change of Scenery

I just mourn when I come to the end of a beautiful day and realize I’ve been so busy in my house that I haven’t set foot outside.

Line drying forces me to go outside and get a change of scenery. Time outdoors is an incredible way to refresh the mind and lower stress levels. What momma couldn’t use more of that?

7. Quiet Moments to Recharge

When I go outside and hang up laundry, I generally do it alone, though a little baby sometimes comes along for the ride. The activity of many little children in a house can sometimes be overwhelmingly noisy, but outside my mind and spirit are calmed by the sounds of birds, insects, and breezes.

I especially enjoy hanging up clothes in the evening or at night because it is extra quiet, and I get to enjoy the stars. The mosquitos sometimes steal a bit of my joy, but it’s still worth it. Silence and solitude can be precious to a mother of young children!

8. Natural Stain Removal

Did you know that many stains will come out of clothes when they dry in sunlight? I find this especially amazing with our cloth diapers. Babies will do quite a number on a bright white diaper, and it will come out of the wash clean but quite stained. The diapers will be so spotty when they are hung up, but once dry, they are for the most part completely white again.

The same holds true for other items. It’s amazing!

Do you love your clothesline, too? Tell me your favorite reason for using it!