I’m sure that everyone has their own style when it comes to allowing their laundry to dry. My mother used to say that she could always tell who in our family hung it up just by looking at it. I’ve been wanting to write this post for a while, after reading Rebekah over at Surviving Toddlerhood’s version. Here are my efficient ways to hang up washing.
Hanging up washing is a great activity to do with a small child. Not that they can participate in it, (yet!) but it keeps you busy while they play outside. Nicky used to play a game where he pushed pegs through a hole in the shed. Now he rides his bike everywhere and kicks dirt! (I just have to make sure he doesn’t kick dirt at the clothes!)
1. Divide your area according to people. We have a washing line which is divided into four. So in the front section I put Nicky’s clothes. On the right I put my clothes and our underwear. On the left I put DH’s clothes. Most of his stuff are work shirts and pants that need ironing, which needs to go together anyway.
2. Start with the Small: Socks. I hang Nicky’s socks close to the centre. As different ones pop up I can place them together. I’ll do this for our socks as well. I then do the underwear beyond that.
3. Longer lines get larger clothes. I then hang his clothes beyond the socks and underwear. My clothes are hung on the right. DH’s clothes on the left.
4. Heavy clothes are hung in the empty quadrant. I hang the heavy jeans separately in the open section. If it is a heavy load then this part will have an overflow of clothes, particularly things like towels.
5. Pool fences are great for bedding and towels. The fence is so spread out so that you can space out your sheets and towels in a way that they can dry quickly.
6. When taking down washing, place clothes together according to people again. This will help when putting away. I always put Nicky’s clothes first, and then ours on the top.
7. Put your ironing clothes on the top. This makes it easy to separate it from the rest and place it by your ironing board.
I’m lucky to live in Sunny South Africa where clothes dry easily. We have to take advantage of the sunshine!
What are your tips for hanging up clothes?
I have a seperate drying rack for small stuff and I love to hang work shirts on wire hangers – then they iron way easier and you can fit a lot on a washing line
Wow Heather! Now I know that I’m 200% not domesticated! When I hang washing (maybe once a month), I just hang wherever theres is space and shove it in the basket when it is dry – my lack of domestic ways really annoys my mother. I know she will love this post – will be read it to her later 🙂
I don’t have any tips for haning clothes. But I do have tips for using this is an opportunity to enrich language development in young children. e.g. pass me all the green pegs, can you count the pegs as you pass them on to me, then using clothing items to talk about textures, seasons, etc.
those are some good educational ideas!
Love these tips! Especially the one about using the fence to dry bedding. Now I want a fence. 😉
I am considered a bit odd because of the way I hang the washing. Like you, I keep same type of items together and hang as much as possible on coat hangers so that they will dry quicker and don’t get too creased. It is very important that everything is hung properly to minimise ironing. I have learnt to keep quiet when my husband hangs it and tell myself that it will dry anyway
yes, you don’t want to discourage his help!
I love the line to look neat and tidy and I am abit OCD about it. Hubby thinks I am nuts. I also crazier and when I move washing from the machine to the basket, it must be in the order in which it will by hung up, so I do not have to dig through the basket. I leave socks until last because they are easier to sort with the basket empty.
I also need them to be folded straight off the line. I am nuts, I know.
K loves to “help” which is great but gives me more work but I let her be. I like the educational angle in the comment and I shall be using that going forward when I have to hang the washing.