My clothes line love affair...there is nothing more
sensual than feeling the crisp line dried sheets against your skin. The
smell alone sends me off on some daydream of wandering thru wild flower
fields...sitting on the edge of a bubbling brook and have the water
tickle my toes...standing under the shower with the cool water washing over
me. “Yes: I am a dreamer. For a dreamer is one who can only find his
way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest
of the world.” Oscar Wilde.
Time is a luxury today and one must spend there
time wisely...I spend my time doing what makes me happy and gives me eminence
pleasure.
The luxury of line dried sheets has
it's serious side and I am also a pragmatist when it comes to the
results...clean, fresh smelling, beautiful sheets to place upon my
bed. Just a note to think about...good quality sheets are a starting
point. I have two kinds of sheets Fall and Winter sheets are a heavy
thread count of long fiber Egyptian 100% cotton, or a 100% Dutch linen and
in Spring and Summer 100% cotton percale. I have a few sources of
delicious sheets, for the person who loves extravagance you can drool over the
sheets from Julia B Linens & Frette... or if you are looking for
something more eclectic, you can check out Jonathan Adler, Dwell Studio or
Castle which has some fun trendy printed sheets.
Line Drying Secrets for your sheets…
• Always line dry colors and bright fabrics in partial shade or in the
afternoon in order to prevent fading.
• Let whites take in a bit of sun
in the early morning, it might surprise you how strong a natural bleaching
effect solar rays can have on your sheets.
• Dirty clotheslines make for
spotty sheets. Once a month, use a rag to go over your outdoor clotheslines
with warm water and pine oil cleaner.
Whether you’re washing by machine or
hand, vinegar is a must-have in any laundry room. A cup of vinegar is an
effective fabric softener in the rinse cycle, and adding a little bit to a hand
wash will keeps anything from staying sudsy.
Adding a quarter cup of baking soda to
a wash will take care of stale, musty odors common during the summer months and
give your machine a fragrant boost to boot.
Bleached-out whites sheets can develop
a dingy, discolored look over time. Prevent this by adding one-half to one cup
of hydrogen peroxide to a load once the washing machine is filled with water.
Allow it to soak for half an hour and add about one-third less laundry
detergent than usual and wash as usual.
Line drying is an easy and effective
way to cut costs at home. Standard dryers account for 50 to 65 percent of the
average household’s electric bill. Not only that, but you can scratch dryer
sheets off your shopping list. Clothes that hang dry don’t develop static
cling.
How to Hang anything on a clothes line…
It’s worth taking the time to do it right. First shake each item to release
wrinkles, then straighten and smooth each sheet as it’s hung.
Give your
sheets some breathing room if you have the space. Leaving a foot or two between
each item on a clothesline reduces drying time.
Choose a
day that’s sunny and at the very least, breezy to dry clothes outside. The
motion of the wind prevents clothes from stiffening and if left for a few extra
hours, can help make your sheets noticeably softer.
For all its
pluses, asthma and allergy sufferers should steer clear of line drying
anything. Airborne pollen will easily stick to clothing, sheets and towels and will
remain on items long after they were washed.
It’s
important to take proper care of your clothespins and keep them clean. Place
them in a mesh bag, swish in a bucket of warm, soapy water, rinse thoroughly
and hang the entire bag on the line to dry.
Grow, Harvest, Cook, Eat...
Like I have always said with a small amount of work comes a tremendous amount of pleasure...
Like I have always said with a small amount of work comes a tremendous amount of pleasure...
Jenn
