Do any of you have allergies that line dry? Does it seem to bother you? I don't line dry outside because of allergies. I have lines in my basement that I use. I fluff for 10 min then hang up clothes. I cheat and dry the socks/underwear. I also put towels in the dryer.

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I don't line dry b/c I don't get sun in tiny backyard. Do I really need much sun? If not, I might start using a line...

No, no sun needed. Actually a place with less sun is better so your clothes don't fade.
I have drying racks and I have them placed on my porch, which is covered.

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"Before I was a Mom I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body." ~Anonymous

I used to line dry everything because I didn't have a drier. I got a drier, and my electric bill went up $30!!! No kidding! In just one month, and just because of the drier! Needless to say, I went back to hanging most everything to dry! Now I am in a different house, and I really miss my clothesline!

To address some of the questions:
1) Smooth the clothes as you hang - most of the wrinkles will come out that way! Shake things out before you hang them - then use Downy Wrinkle Releaser before hanging in the closet or folding. I hate to iron - the only things that ever get ironed for me are linen items and dress clothes!

2) Stiff towels - this is a tough one. Vinegar will sometimes soften them enough, but if your towels have a lot of fabric softner build up, it will cause them to dry stiffly - you may need to soak them in a vinegar solution in the washer over night to get the fabric softener yuck out of them. Sometimes it takes one or two washings to get them "clean" again, once you have used liquid fabric softner on them for a while. If you just can't bear it, dry them for a few minutes first with a drier sheet, then hang. Any form of softner builds up over time, so don't use it every load...

3) No, you don't need direct sun to line dry. In fact, full shade is much better for your clothes - no fading that way! My clothesline used to be on my covered porch. The only thing that got hung on the side where the sun would reach was whites!

HTH

I use drying racks, since we don't have room for a line, and my clotes ar never winkly. My towels ARE stiff sometimes, but I don't mind. They seem to be more absorbant, really, than the few that end up in the dryer when it rains, and I prefer that. I don't like sggy towels when I'm trying to drymy hair or something. Line dried seem to take more water and wick it away. I hang clothes 7-8 months of the year, just not in the winter, because they don't seem to dry outside.

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"And the state of his bathroom -- I'm not one to gossip, but there are things crusted on his sink that have not simply developed intelligent life but have in all probability by now evolved their own political systems." Cain describes Abel in in SANDMAN #70

Stiff towels - this is a tough one. Vinegar will sometimes soften them enough, but if your towels have a lot of fabric softner build up, it will cause them to dry stiffly - you may need to soak them in a vinegar solution in the washer over night to get the fabric softener yuck out of them. Sometimes it takes one or two washings to get them "clean" again, once you have used liquid fabric softner on them for a while. If you just can't bear it, dry them for a few minutes first with a drier sheet, then hang. Any form of softner builds up over time, so don't use it every load...


Do you mean, you wash your clothes in vinegar or do you use it as a rinse? I don't use fabric softener, just dryer sheets...but I think they are the same? As of a couple of months ago, I have stopped using the dryer sheet on my towels. I always just assumed you should use them on everything...once I was told you shouldn't use them on your towels because of the build up, I stopped. Saves on dryer sheets !

If there is a really bad build up, or to get out smells, I fill the drum with cold water and about 3 cups of vinegar and let it soak, then I wash them, and put a cup of vinegar in the rinse cycle.

Thanks, I'll have to try that, some of my facecloths smell sour....hopefully that will help !

Those of you who hang outside are really lucky!! I finally have my own home (in a manufactured home park) and we can't have a clothes line!!! It is against the rules.

So, I save where I can.. I dry my towels for 10 minutes and then hang in the bathroom. I also have my dryer set to not dry all the way when it is a load of shirts and dresses. Jeans, I do dry a little longer, but that is only because there is nothing worse than putting on a pair of jeans when the waist band is still damp.

-sarah

You should do what some of the other ladies do...get a clothes rack for drying inside the house.