Beautiful Day

It's a beautiful day, perfect for hanging clothes out to dry. Of course, even when the weather isn't so nice, we still hang up clothes. We have 4 wooden racks, a tall metal rack, the side of the crib we never used propped between the dryer that collects dust and the old change table plus a clothesline strung across the basement. It can get very humid here and take days to dry clothes so that is why we have so many. Plus it's not often the weather is nice enough to hang out as we live by the ocean and are often plagued with fog, rain and very damp days, even if it's not foggy or rainy.

For drying inside, cloth diapers are the worst. When both kids were in diapers 24/7, it seemed we were always doing diaper laundry. Now, thankfully, they just need them at night but I still aim to wash every two days to also launder the cloth TP and my pads.

I love using the dryer, don't get me wrong, but I hate knowing what an energy hog it is. When the power bill goes up, you know that the world's resources are going down.

Lots of people wonder about stiff, crinkly clothes and we don't have much of a problem. I always give the clothes a couple of good shakes before hanging out and that seems to help. On occasion I use a tiny bit of fabric softener (I admit, I love the smell) and some people use vinegar, but I don't find it necessary.

In a nearby city, there are communities which have actually banned being able to hang clothes outside as it was once deemed unsightly and a sign of poverty. I'm guessing this isn't uncommon. NDP MLA Howard Epstein introduced a bill to stop the restrictive rules in subdivisions that ban clotheslines. They actually had him on the news one night hanging up his laundry :). Bravo for stepping up and making people aware that even small changes can have a huge impact! I'm wondering how many houses you could power if everyone in North America stopped using the dryer.

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So if it's nice where you live, go hang out some clothes!!