Airing My Dirty Laundry
Today, Sarah shares an environmental epiphany (and an apology to her mom):
“My mother was an environmentalist before environmentalism was cool. She reused paper and plastic bags (embarrassment: lunch in a reused vegetable bag!), left the heat off until the first frost, and to this day does not own a dryer. Seriously. She hangs her laundry outside in the summer and on dry winter days, and inside in front of a heater vent in inclement weather.
The absence of a dryer was the source of much agony growing up: picture me running next door to dry my favorite jeans before the big dance, ironing a shirt to get it dry before school, or taking my dirty laundry back to campus with me after winter break. I was so thrilled to get a dryer in my first house; I did laundry almost daily, drunk with the joy of how easy it was. I even was known to run downstairs to heat up the comforter in the dryer before bedtime.
But the other week I had an epiphany. I was in the laundry room (i.e., basement) on the first sunny, dry day in what felt like months (okay, it was months), wondering why I was about to chuck the wet clothes into the dryer when they’d probably finish faster outside. And I was startled to find myself arranging the kids’ clothes on the drying rack on the back deck five minutes later. More startling still was the calm, Zen-like meditation of shaking out the wrinkles, laying out the laundry on the rack, actually checking whether the stains had come out before setting them in with the dryer, revisiting memories of when my older son had fit into my younger son’s hand-me-downs. (It didn’t hurt that there wasn’t a cloud in the sky, the dog was peacefully chewing a stick and not chasing neighbors, and both boys were at camp.) And when the whole load of clothes was dry an hour later without using a drop of electricity or natural gas, I was understandably smug.
So along with my fresh, environmentally responsible clean laundry, I’m having a double-helping of crow. And I owe mom an apology: even though we hated having to hang out the wash on the line, and air-dried jeans are still totally the pits, I get it now. Along with so many other things, I guess you were right after all.”
Image credit: Honey-Can-Do Chrome Drying Rack from Amazon
Comments
I'm typing this as I listen to todays beach towels spin in the dryer...but I swear that my next purchase will be a drying rack. This post has converted me!
Posted by: tori | August 11, 2009 7:37 PM | Reply to this comment
Two years ago on Mother's Day I received that retractable line from my children and the installation (jungle gym to house) from my hubola. Turns out it has endless possibilities as a toy for young boys when it's not being used for laundry.
Posted by: Betsy | August 11, 2009 9:36 PM | Reply to this comment
haha! My mom used the clothesline while we were growing up and I loved helping her. I dry my clothes outside as often as I can...there is nothing like sunshine warming my clothes:)
Posted by: carlyk | August 12, 2009 3:36 AM | Reply to this comment
oh my yes!
I started drying clothes for environmental reasons, but soon became hooked on it for exactly the meditative qualities you mention.
Thanks for a great column, which I will probably share with family to whom I have not been able to explain.
Posted by: jen | August 12, 2009 5:59 AM | Reply to this comment
And the wonderful scent of sheets dried on the line in the summer! Loved your story!
Posted by: Jo-mama | August 12, 2009 7:26 PM | Reply to this comment
I miss having a clothesline! But I was told by the allergist that DS#2 would be much better off if we didn't line dry (pollens, etc). I do use my drying rack in the basement for the nylon shorts and stuff I don't want to melt in the dryer.
Posted by: WorkingMom | August 13, 2009 12:44 PM | Reply to this comment
another bonus to line drying (OK I dry on hangers on my shower curtain rod) is that the clothes don't fade/wear as quickly which is great if you're passing them down to another kid. If your line dried clothes/towels are a little stiff I run them in the dryer for 10 minutes with a couple of tennis balls. Does the trick every time!
Posted by: Condo Blues | August 14, 2009 10:10 PM | Reply to this comment
Nice story! Though it wasn't necessarily for green reasons, I remember, too, when my mom would dry clothes on the line in the backyard. These days I find myself getting caught up in the speed of getting things done and your post was a nice Zen read that made doing laundry nearly poetic.
Thanks for sharing!
Posted by: Kenmore Social | August 18, 2009 4:52 PM | Reply to this comment