I don't have a drier at my new place, and I was actually looking forward to having to hang my laundry to dry. It's one of those country type things I've always wanted to do. And yes, sometimes I like doing things the "hard" way. What I learned, however, is that it's really not that hard to hang laundry out.
Before going outside I put my cowboy boots on. I'd been walking around in flip flops and realized from the weird looks my neighbors were giving me that this is not smart where I live now. Not only will your feet get incredibly dirty, but there are briers, spiders and who knows what else out there.
My washing machine is outdoors, and I had to pick out leaves and clean the dirt out of it before using it. I'm hoping I don't have to do that every time and it's just that it was sitting there a while since it had last been used...
Hanging my laundry on the line was a cinch. It probably took 5 minutes, and by the time I was done with the last piece, the first piece I'd hung had already dried. I was able to fold it in my basket and take it inside. Voila! Super simple.
It's funny, but my coworkers, who are very much city people can't believe I actually hung my clothes up to dry on a line (They don't know why I wanted to move to the country in the first place). They feel sorry for me! I suppose if I had children and was doing multiple loads a day, it might be too much. But for one person, it's no trouble.
More "city girl" country updates to come...
A few bits of advice from someone (ME!) who grew up in the country. Our dryer broke last Fall or Winter. I can't remember. We have alway hung alot of our clothes anyways. But I hate hanging socks. Our water is so hard you can take the clothes pins off and the pants are still hanging on the line. haha. They really do. One thing that works really well is a metal mesh basket for the clothes pins hooked on the clothes line with a "S" hook. It works soooo much better than the cloth bags that get full of leaves and spiders. You never know what you might grab when you reach in there.
ReplyDeleteGoing from city water to well water. Remember there isn't chlorine in the water so your clothes can sour in the wash overnight. If your worried you wont get to it in time, add a "tiny" bit of bleach.
Yah, flip flops really don't work out well. Especially if you have any chickens or waterfowl on your property. They act as poo slingers. Yuck! But sometimes some trusty leather strap on type sandles work well.
Invest in a good pair of mud boots, like Mucks or a knock off. The plain cheapo ones can really mess up your feet.
Isn't it funny how people just can't understand what all they (and their children) are missing out on, by not living in the country? It's sad really.
Kimberly