Line Drying Your Clothes

*from the rabbitgeek archives
Q&A - Line Drying Your Clothes

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Here's a few questions that came to mind when I was hanging up some clothes on
the line - from a guy perspective.

Q: How do you keep clothes from fading in the sun?
A: Try turning the clothes inside out before hanging them. Don't leave them out
any longer than necessary to dry.

Q: My shirts are getting "peaks" on the shoulders. How do I prevent that?
A: Don't hang the shirts by putting clothespins on the shoulders. Hang the
shirts upside down and put clothespins on the bottom hem of the shirts. Or hang
the shirts on clothes hangers, then put up to dry. When dry, take them directly
to the closet. (That's a guy thing)

Q: Why do my underpants look so big on the line?
A: Because the clothes on the line are flat and do not reflect going around the
body. It's a geometry thing. But if it bothers you, hang towels or sheets in
front to hide them.

Q: My towels are stiff and scratchy when I line dry.
A: If you have a clothes dryer, use the "air fluff" cycle which uses no heat but
tumbles the clothes to make them softer and remove lint. Otherwise, you have to
smash and fluff the towels by hand to soften them. Pick lint off the clothes by
hand.
*Added for 2009: Occasionally add 1/2 cup of white vinegar to rinse water for
a load of towels. It helps cut through soap residue, leaving softer and more absorbent.

Q: What kind of clothespins should I buy?
A: I prefer wooden clothespins with a metal spring. They last longer than
plastic clothespins. I don't like the big wooden pins with a slot and no spring.
Those are better suited for making dolls as craft projects.
*Additional for 2009: Wooden clothes pins attract paper wasps, so look before you grab!

Q: What other tips would you pass along?
A: Have a chair or small table nearby to put the basket of wet laundry on to
reduce the amount of bending. Don't try to hang clothes with one hand unless you
are a woman. Then you may hang clothes with a baby on one hip, a phone on the
shoulder while running a political campaign and preparing a meal for 14 persons.

Heels are optional.

Additional for 2009: When using an "umbrella" type clothesline, hang clothes on every
other line to maximize air flow and shorten drying time.

Have a good day!
Franco Rios
(orig. post was Aug 11 2008 on different forums but apparently not this one)

The Artificial Enhancer

Imagine there is a process where trucks full of material are driven to farms and orchards to increase harvest to a level far greater than would occur without the material. Every year this material is transported via public roads and interstate highways. The increased production this material causes also creates the need for more soil amendments to support the larger harvests. Although the material is not native to America the USA agricultural industry is addicted to it. Shortages of the material are causing anxiety among food producers. The shortages are causing production per acre to fall and prices to go up.

This material is not made by Monsanto or any other chemical manufacturer. Farmers are learning to work around Monsanto's grand schemes. Farmers may not be able to work around their dependence on this material. The material is Honeybees. The process is called Pollination. The shortages of honeybees will persist and agriculture will have to find additional strategies for pollination and probably have to accept smaller harvests. First we must understand this honeybee pollination process is not altogether "natural.". Honeybees do pollinate crops. Honeybees do not normally travel thousands of miles each season to pollinate a wide variety of crops, moving as the seasons change. They do not swarm and migrate across the continent. We put them on trucks. We use honeybees to push production beyond what occurs in the natural order of things. This situation is created by humans. Our dependence is created by us. If we can scale back our production goals to match what is occurring in the field then we can get our land back into sustainable production levels that don't require truck loads of honeybees which also requires trucks and fuel and related logistics activity. There must be a way to localize the pollination process. Increase beekeeping locally and restricting interstate transport of bees. This would reduce dependence on travelling honeybees and minimize the risk to the bees.

I felt the need to share that with people. This is my opinion based on my observations. Your mileage may vary. Void where taxed or prohibited.