Hanging Laundry in Winter
Posted on 05. Mar, 2009 by Laura-Jane - Whimfield in Outdoors
Hanging laundry in winter out in the elements wasn’t something I gave much thought to when we lived in the city.
But I fondly remember our cross-country trip when we left an urban city in favour of country living. It was on that trip that I saw that many people hang laundry outside in the middle of winter–even when snow abounds. This was something I’d never considered, and seeing the clothes hanging outside made me smile. It made me think about the people living inside the thousands of houses we passed during our 28-day winter road trip.
On cold sunny days, the usually-colorful clothes flapping in the wind were happy reminders of the simple pleasures of home.
The clothes were also reminders of having somewhere to go home to, period. Of having a warm place to head home to after a long, bad day. A place to pad around in wearing sock-feet. A place to store your old photographs and favourite scarves. A place to hang your laundry.
You see, because we had left our old life behind and were traveling toward a new home of some kind (although we hadn’t purchased a new home yet), we were living in our car and were basically homeless. Being without a warm spot and a place to hang your laundry sure gave me an appreciation for such simple pleasures.
Yesterday, as I walked through the snow to hang a few pieces of laundry on the line, I remembered those first sights of overloaded clotheslines.
It’s simple things like hanging laundry outdoors during winter that reminds me of the excitement I used to feel when dreaming about moving here and living this life. It’s so easy to get into routine, even here and now as we’re living our dream. But I try hard to conjure up those feelings and dreams that I used to have and appreciate where we are and what we’re doing.
In case you were wondering whether I have smartened up with my laundry skills compared to my last laundry story, unfortunately, I am still who I am. I still make the same bad choices when it comes to laundry.
Here’s my laundry in a snowstorm.
Gary Gray
Mar 6th, 2009
Hi L-J
I remember when I was young (quite a few years ago) my mom would hang the flannel sheets on the clothes line in our back yard.
There were three lines (I think) that ran between our house and the back yard barn and she would have all three lines filled with these sheets.
Because it was winter the damp sheets would freeze into semi hardened shapes with interesting puckers where they were attached to the line with the clothes pins.
Somehow it always seemed to fall to me to go out and retrieve these frozen sheets and bring them back into the house. My mom would then construct a clothes horse with hard backed wooden chairs and drape the sheets over it. Our space heater would then begin the drying process and when they were fully dried the sheets would then be deployed back to their respective duties on the various beds in the house. ( I hav always loved the smell and feel of freshly washed flannel sheets)
I never could understand why my mom would hang the sheets outside in the winter.
But since then I have learned that the frosty air would cleanse the sheets of any little unwanted micro organisms that may have survived through the washing process.
Maybe that is why I never shirked my duty to retrieve the frozen sheets from the line and also explains why they always smelled so fresh and clean.
Smiles :o)
Gary
Freda
Mar 6th, 2009
I remember many days when my boys were babies, hangin diapers on the clothes line. Freeze dried clothing!!
Nothing like the smell of freshly air lined clothes, linens, etc.
Looks like your line is a bit from the house, if so, must try and get it a little closer.
Unfortunately in my neighborhood we are not supposed to have “unsightly” clothes lines but I do have a drying rack set up in an unused bedroom which serves the purpose even if not the fresh air smell but the fresh laundered smell is still there. May take a little longer to dry but what the hey we have the time and clothing to cover and my electric bill shows the proof!!
Every picture you post could be a postcard. Beautiful photography!!
Freda
GP
Mar 6th, 2009
we do that from may-october here in montana but with -10 i think i’m heading for hte dryer… You’re a better woman than I
gp
Ben
Mar 6th, 2009
Sure wish we had the option, of either hanging outside, or using a dryer here in Korea. Our clothes are stuck in our little “office/computer room.” Just hang, turn the fan on and forget abou them for a day or two. OK, sometimes we leave them for 3or4 days when we feel lazy. hahahahaa.
Freda(mom) how dare you talk about my diapers. I believe this is a family sight. hhahhahaa. Can’t wait for you guys to experience PEI when you come this summer.
tipper
Mar 6th, 2009
Neat post! I love to hang my clothes out-but you’re making me feel guilty. In the winter I usually hang them all over the inside of the house instead of outside-and my winters are nothing compared to yours!
Laura-Jane - Whimfield
Mar 6th, 2009
@Gary Gray – Thanks for sharing that story!!!!!!!!!!!!! Don’t you think that should go into the BOOKKKKKKKKKKKKK that we are working on????????????????????
@Freda – Lol, freeze-dried clothing… I like that concept, it’s true. Those clothes pictured are still hanging outside and they are totally crisp, puckered, etc. I agree that we need to move the clothesline. It is too far!
@GP – It’s all relative. And I must admit that I don’t always hang our clothes OUTSIDE to dry. Sometimes I just hang them inside. Depends on my level of adventure. :)
@Ben – Lol, mothers have the prerogative to talk about our diapers and silly stories anywhere. I should know, my mother does the same! Right, mom?? Are you there?
@Tipper – It’s all relative. And, as I wrote to GP, I don’t always go outside either… :)
Julie K
Mar 6th, 2009
Have to admit I was excited to see a clothesline in the pictures of our new house to be. Fortunately it is much closer to the house than yours. I have to vote with GP though. During the winter it will be the dryer!
warren
Mar 6th, 2009
I love the smell of line dried laundry!
christy
Mar 7th, 2009
i loved this post!! it reminded me of back when i was little and kids on my bus would tease me, “her underwears are hanging outside!!”. i would get off the bus crying as normal. LOL. our family didn’t own a dryer until i was 19 yrs old; and the only reason we bought it was b/c my mom got cancer and had to go through chemo. looking back on it i think we couldve just done the laundry when she was sick. haha.
Laura-Jane - Whimfield
Mar 7th, 2009
@Julie – It’s funny, I do think that when buying a house sometimes its those little things that do get us excited, isn’t it?
@Warren – I was about to say, “me too!” but then I stopped and thought about it and I don’t think that I’ve ever really stopped to smell the
roseslaundry… lol… I will do that next time. :)@Christy – Oh, oh, oh, *why* must children be so mean? I hope your mom recovered OK?
Natalie
Mar 8th, 2009
I admit, I stop hanging my clothes outside in October (I hang them on a rack inside.) I have enough trouble getting them dry when it’s summer! But there is nothing like the smell of laundry that has spent time out on the line.
Cuidhil Meaban
Mar 8th, 2009
I bet you get some good nor’east winter winds there on the Whim …
It’s not the sort of thing that we can do out here in winter … the clothes would get frozen so hard they’d be too brittle to touch. And there’s nothing worse than shattered ’smalls’. :-) I definitely enjoy the freshness of the clothes when we are able to hang them in the summer months.
Naomi
Mar 12th, 2009
Do you miss that cozy, warm out of the dryer feeling sometimes?
Michelle
Mar 12th, 2009
My neighbour moved this past fall but she hung ALL her laundry ALL year round. I tried to hang clothes on a cool day and dang near froze my fingers off. No way I’m doing that in freezing cold weather unless my hotflashes start lasting a good 20 minutes or more. Then I might consider it. Come warm weather, though…. I’m hanging my clothes on the line. Sheets are the best thing fresh from the line provided you remember to shake any bugs off. :o)
Laura-Jane - Whimfield
Mar 20th, 2009
@Natalie – Hey, hanging on a rack is still nothing to be sneezed at! It takes effort, too. :)
@Cuidhil Meaban – Yes, there sure are gradations of Winter, aren’t there? You two are on the more Wintry extreme compared to us.
@Naomi – Of course! Especially when a nice mother would wrap me with a sheet fresh from the dryer.
@Michelle – Yes, shaking the bugs off is KEY!
Sal
Oct 11th, 2009
pole over the wood stove