Back in the day, doing the laundry was a lot more of a rigorous task than today. It was common for the whole laundry process to take several hours from start to finish, as there weren’t any handy machines to do it all for you.

One of the few things that hasn’t changed about laundry today is that we still hang our washing on the clothesline to dry. But how many of us follow the clothes-hanging rules that our grandmas once did?

Check out the list below to learn everything you need to know about the art of clothesline drying.

1. Wipe down the clothesline before hanging clothes from it

It seems like a bit of an annoying job, but you wouldn’t want to get your newly washed laundry dirty by hanging it on an unclean line. Just give it a quick wipe with a dust cloth and you’ll be good to go.

2. Sheets and towels should be hung on the outer edges of the line

There are two reasons why sheets and towels should be hung near to the edges of your line: first, because they’ll prevent that middle-line dip that happens when something too heavy has been hung too far from the edge; and second, you’ll prevent your neighbors from being able to spy on your undergarments.

3. Hang your socks by the toes

Nobody likes an extra-long sock, which can often be caused by ankle stretching when you hang a wet one the wrong way round on the line. Hanging socks by the toes will prevent them from getting stretched out as quickly.

4. Only the rain should stop you from hanging out your laundry

Not so long ago, the weather was far from a deterrent when it came to hanging up laundry. Whether it was baking hot or icy cold outside, the clothes would be hung out to dry. The fresh air would always provide the easiest way to dry clothes, whereas hanging them inside by the fire could cause them to pick up a smoke smell. Only when it rained were the clothes dried inside.

5. Hang your shirts by their tails, not their shoulders

When you hang clothes from the shoulders, the indent left by the pegs will be far more noticeable than if you choose to hang them upside down from the tail. In this case, the tail is more likely to be hidden or tucked away out of sight.

6. Save on cost by sharing clothes pegs

Since the beginning of time, clothespins have had a bit of a reputation for being easy to lose. Back in the day, they were costly to replace, and one solution for buying new ones was to share clothespins between laundry items.

7. Hang your similarly-colored items together

Just as you wash your whites separately from your darks and colors, you should hang them separately on the line too. This should stop the colors from bleeding while the laundry is still wet.

8. Clothes pegs belong indoors when not in use

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Back in the day, when clothespins were left outside, they weren’t only exposed to the elements – they could also be stolen by a thief. No matter what the situation, when they weren’t in use, clothespins had to be stored safely indoors.

Who knew there was so much to learn about hanging your laundry? Keep these points in mind if you fancy becoming a clothesline drying pro!

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Source: 12tomatoes