Line Drying Your Clothes

My favorite place to be on a hot summer day is outside at my clothesline on the hill. I love to hang the laundry and watch it blow in the wind. I lie next to the line and rest for a bit, enjoying the breeze and feeling proud of my productive self. It's my "mama-time" and no one can take it from me. I'll gladly do all the laundry for those few precious moments of reflection, watching the laundry blow and the clouds roll by.

In addition to providing me with my personal moments of reflection, line-drying is a great idea for environmental reasons. Drying the clothes on the line is eco-friendly and healthier than using those mega machines. According to the Green Guide, "line drying a single load of clothes saves approximately 2.6 kWH of electricity and prevents 3.35 pounds of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere." Surely we can all put a load on the line.... you know, take one for the team, team Mother Earth!

"Well", you may say, "I need to bleach my clothes to get them white and dry them in the dryer with fabric softener to get them soft and wrinkle free". Did you know that sunlight is the best bleaching agent and disinfectant there is? It's true...and it doesn't harm aquatic life or off gas dioxins into the atmosphere like chlorine bleach. Best of all, it's FREE! Dryers waste both money and natural resources. Instead of harmful chemical laden fabric softener sheets, give plain old white vinegar a try. The sun will bleach them and vinegar and the wind will soften them right up!