Nostalgic Choice to Save Money

MESA, Ariz. - Dec. 15, 2020 - PRLog -- Hanging clothes out to dry saves money and energy. This isn't a new concept. It was a regular routine in my childhood neighborhood.

When our family moved from Chicago to Arizona we left a few appliances behind. One item was the clothes dryer. My father promised to replace it. In the meantime mom could use the backyard clothesline. However, the dryer never materialized. Mom preferred using the clothesline.

I, on the other hand, enjoy my creature comforts. But my environmentally-conscious spouse, CB, thinks clothes dryers are energy hogs. At first, the suggestion was to take the soggiest items (towels and jeans) and find a place in the garage for them to hang out. I had shirts hanging (and dropping) from hangers, jeans lopped over the wooden kayak in the garage, and socks dripping all over the place. Finally, I had it. I told CB that if I was going to hang the  laundry, I needed a clothesline.

Before I could say, Maytag, CB installed a retractable clothesline.  Begrudgingly I used it. Then a strange thing happened. I began to enjoy it. I heard the birds chirp and caught a glimpse of fluffy clouds. As I hooked the clothes on the line I remembered how my mom taught me to hang things up so it wouldn't put clothes pin creases in the clothes. I also had a flashback when I was a young mother hanging out baby shirts, dresses and socks.

I used cloth diapers for my first daughter, Alicia. When I hung out her diapers I found it refreshing to watch the white rectangles waft in the breeze. It was soothing to pin diaper after diaper on the line and not have to worry about anything - except maybe a dust storm. Who wants dusty diapers? But that was rarely an issue. A couple of hours later it would be time to gather up the clothes. Sometimes I would put Alicia in the laundry basket and let the diapers fall around her. At times she would play peek a boo. Other times she would just toddle around in the grass while I hung out the next batch of clothes.

Now my laundry items have changed. I smile as I straighten out the sleeve of one of CB's favorite shirts. Next, I match the socks and I think about my deceased parents. It's been almost 50 years since they moved the family out west. In their minds, Arizona was the perfect place to live because their children could play outside and enjoy fresh air and sunshine all year round.  Ironically, this is true when I hang out the clothes. For a few minutes I enjoy the sun, the breeze and the satisfaction of making a greener choice. I guess mom knew what she was doing after all.