It’s hard to believe that before the days of our high-tech washers and dryers that can actually talk back to you, folks use to use a rather simple method for drying their clothes — hang them outside on the clothesline.
Today, kids would find that pretty insane, but even when electric dryers became a thing, many families simply could not afford them or simply didn’t see the need to change what has worked all those years. And so they continued to air dry laundry by pin them up outdoors. That said, there was more to it than simply using a few clothespins to secure clothing to a piece of string.
There were actual methods or techniques used when hanging laundry to ensure that the clothing didn’t fall or fail to dry properly. And there’s a good chance that if you ask just about any grandparent, they could tell you what they are. But, since right now it’s not safe to visit our elders, we’ve compiled this list of secrets passed down from generation to generation. So if your dryer ever breaks and you want to save a trip to the laundry mat (if any are open where you live), then here are seven simple rules you should follow when hanging out your laundry.
1. Wipe off your clothesline
It would not be very productive if you were to hang your clothes on a wet or dirty clothesline. For each load, you need to make sure that you are wiping down your line before putting up new laundry.
2. Hang your socks by the toes, not the ankles.
You never want to hang socks by the heel or ankles that can stretch them out. And if you’ve ever struggled with loose socks, you know how annoying that is to deal with.
3. Hang your shirts upside-down
While it seems intuitive to hang shirts right-side up by the shoulders, this actually creates bumps in the fabric once they dry, which don’t iron out easily. Instead, try hanging them by the tail, and many give it a bit of a crimp from the clothespin, however, this isn’t usually noticeable and irons out a lot more easily with an iron.
4. Color-code clothing
You always want to hang white linens and sheets together with other white clothing, while allowing your colored laundry to hang on the opposite end. You do this for the same reason you don’t wash colors and whites together to avoid any bleeding of colors.
5. Hang your sheets by the ends, and delicates in the middle
Since sheets are big enough to hide those more private pieces such as your bras and underwear, you may want to keep those in the middle where folks are less likely to get a peek at your bloomers!
6. One clothespin can hang more than one thing
Back in your grandma’s day, they would save money by hanging multiple pieces of laundry on one clothespin. They dried about the same amount of time, saved space, and of course, Mula.
7. Pay no mind to the weather
Most think drying clothes outdoors only works when the weather’s sunny outside, but grandmas everywhere will attest that you can hang laundry in just about any weather condition, even freezing snow.
By following these simple rules you can dry laundry like an old-timey boss!
