Keeping it Clean

4 Comments

Posted on September 17, 2016

While I do not have huge areas to declutter or sort out there are always ongoing jobs to do. Some are so small that they are barely noticeable but 5 minutes can literally make the difference.

My clothesline is 5 parallel lines under the verandah. Every few months I wipe down 4 of the lines with a damp cloth to remove any dust and grime. The last line does not get done because I have 12 hanger holders positioned along the line.

Yesterday I took the hooks off because I was washing a couple of sets of sheets and needed the extra hanging space. I realised the hooks were very grubby and the line was filthy. I wiped the line thoroughly before I hung the white sheet on it and then washed the hooks. A quick soak in some warm, soapy water then scrubbed with an old nail brush before I spread them out to dry.

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Once the sheet was dry I replaced them on the line and hung out the next load which included plenty of items to dry on hangers.

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A few minutes well spent to keep everything in working order.

Loads of Laundry

1 Comment

Posted on February 6, 2016

We live in a relatively high rainfall area and I have written before about the challenges of getting the washing done, and more importantly, getting it dry. I do have a clothes dryer but choose to use it as little as possible. Apart from the power required to run it, the wear and tear on your clothes is significant and can result in substantially shortening their lifespan.

Despite the high humidity and showery weather, I needed to do the washing today. Much like women of previous generations, I spent the day doing the washing. However, I was not slaving over a scrubbing board and copper. I was kept busy trying to make the most of the intermittent breeze and small snatches of sunshine.

I hung some of the smaller items on the airer.

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I had to race out and move it under the verandah every time a shower of rain started but I did manage to get it dry.

The rest of the clothes were hung on the line under the verandah.

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I also did the ironing from the washing I did last weekend. When the atmosphere is so damp, I do not like to put them away in the cupboard until they are absolutely dry.

I use the portable dehumidifier in the bathroom and close the door. Within a couple of hours the room and the clothes are warm and dry.

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I also have a portable rotary clothesline and in the cooler months I hang washing on it and the airer and set them up in the lounge room in front of the fireplace.

There are many options for drying clothes. What are your creative solutions?

A Laundry Gadget

2 Comments

Posted on September 23, 2014

Several months ago I was searching for clips that would hook onto the clothesline to hold shirts or dresses on a hanger. I have some old ones that came from my mother-in-law but I had not seen in any the shops recently. Naturally, I turned to that guru, Mr Google and found this site. The Hook-Ups which are about halfway down the page were a better version of what I was looking for.

However, it is a UK site so I decided to wait until we went there on holidays. Now I am home with my packet of Hook-Ups that I bought at Lakeland in Glasgow.

Once they are clipped on the line it is a simple matter of slipping the hanger through the hole. I have about 5 clipped on the line and the rest are in the peg bag on the end of the laundry trolley.

It is quick and easy to get the clothes off the line and I can hang them on the rack in the spare room ready for ironing. Even better, there are no peg marks.