30 day laundry challenge

For Mother's Day, my husband made me a clothesline.  Not just like any other clothesline you might see.  Well actually we have seen these before.  The Amish have them, and it is where he got his inspiration.  One day when we were traveling through Wisconsin, I snapped a few pictures and pointed out how fun a giant clothesline might be. 



The Amish Clothesline

This got the wheels spinning, and he did some investigating, until he found exactly what we were looking for.  He ordered all the parts from Do it Best.  We purchased the 100 foot clothesline for our family of 7.  It is a pulley system and stands about 12 to 16 ft above ground. 







My 100 ft. clothesline

The kids were all so enthusiastic about it, they have been arguing over who gets to hang the clothes and take them down, so we just did one load right after another.   Today, I don't even have one load of laundry left to do.  I can't tell you the last time that happened!  I'm sure the excitement of "helping" mom will wear off and then I will get to enjoy it myself.

My husband built a post a few feet into our deck and placed another post at the end of our property line.  I can hang all the clothes, right there from the deck.  It's very convenient.



So, to get back to the 30 day laundry challenge.  For 30 days, I will not be using my dryer, unless I absolutely have to, if it's raining all day.  I am trying this for 2 reasons:  #1  I want to see how this will effect my electric bill.  When I got to thinking about it, I run the dryer 3-4 hours a day and most of the time, an extra load at night.    #2  It will be better on our clothes and who doesn't love the smell of fresh laundry from the line.   I figure after 30 days, I will have formed a habit, and it won't feel so time consuming.  Besides, there is something therapeutic about it.  I do enjoy going out in the morning with a fresh load of laundry and listening to the birds sing and feeling the crisp morning air... it's a beautiful start to the day!  So if you have a clothesline and never use it, try it out again.  If you don't have one, think about investing in one.  I think you'll enjoy it! 

From my laundry room to yours....

♥  Shannon