My dryer died in November, 3 weeks ago. I was able to use the clothesline the first week, since the daytime temperatures were in the 50s that week. We had company over Thanksgiving, and the temperatures fell at the same time my laundry pile grew. Last week and this week I haven't been able to use the clothesline ... or so I thought. I've been using my 3 indoor drying racks to dry 1 - 1.5 loads of clothes every day or so.
For some reason, I just couldn't get caught up and stay caught up like that. I finally had enough this week, and checked the weather report. Day time temps in the 30s yesterday, 40s today and tomorrow, and 50s on Saturday ... only 10% chance of precipitation. So yesterday I washed 4 loads of clothes, and all sheets, towels, undershirts, and dress shirts went outside on the line. More commonly used items were hung inside to dry. I almost emptied the 3 bin hamper.
Today I washed 2 loads of clothes (one was pukey blanket from the sick 2 yo). I hung the comforter on the clothesline, and the rest of the clothes inside. Tomorrow, I should be able to wash dark clothes again, and totally empty that bin in the hamper. Catching up, at last!
In the meantime, I discovered last night what a clothesicle feels like. I went out to hang a few last items on the line around 4:30 pm. The king size sheet I had hung an hour earlier was frozen stiff. I discovered that when I decided to adjust it and drape it over two lines, to raise it higher up from the ground. Clothesicles!
I checked the clothes this afternoon, when I was hanging the comforter. Nothing was dry yet. 24 hours on the line, and still damp. I'm sure the frost isn't helping at night. I'll check again tomorrow. Eventually they'll dry, right? Since my dryer does tumble dry with cool air, I could probably use it to "dry" the last little bit of moisture out of items. That, and drape them over furniture indoors, if necessary.
I can remember when we always hung clothes out, because we had no dryer :), but it really was not that bad. But I remember lots of winter days when the clothes were frozen and we would hang them all over the house and on our radiators so they would dry.
Hope you get your dryer fixed soon!
We are a Christian homeschooling family with 7 children (ages 13, 12, 10, 8, 5, 3, and 9 months). We love having "room to breathe" in rural Central Kansas, and are working to make the "family homeplace" our own home.
• Steve 36 yo hubby
• April 35 yo SAHM
• A - 13 yo girl
• R - 12 yo girl
• C - 10 yo girl
• J - 8 yo boy
• M - 5 yo boy
• L - 3 yo girl
• G - 8 month boy
