Restoring the Old Homestead - Clothesline, Check!

Restoring the old clothesline is a quick and easy project that will make our lives a lot easier and saves money too! We love hang drying our clothes and think a clothesline is a homestead essential!

[@SandraNelson063]

People forget; the sun's rays have an antibacterial and whitening effect. This makes sun drying the sheets an excellent idea. Also, there will be a wonderful smell in your clothes from being out in the garden. People who lived on big estates had big lavender bushes in their back yards to dry their sheets and clothes on. Can you imagine getting into a bed with lavender scented bedding? So, saving money by not using a dryer, getting the antibacterial action, and good smells. Win, win, win.😊

[@JohnnyUmphress]

I got rid of that power hungry clothes dryer in 1988. Don't miss it one bit. Clothes smell better, last longer, and there's something relaxing about hanging out clothes.

[@SrslyNoz.]

"They have some cutters on the side" pokes fingers into cutters while moving "ouch" classic.

[@elizabethmacdonald4605]

SrslyNoz yes, I laughed also! Too funny. Sorry Doug!😂

[@joellenbroetzmann9053]

Belle might like this story of an old ladies childhood: When I was young my dad was a math teacher. He had to dress professionally for work. So Mom had to wash some dressier pants and white shirts every week. We would insert pant stretchers into every leg of the pants, which kept them less wrinkled and made ironing easier. Then we would use a little sprinkler that had a cork bottom, and fit into a Coke bottle filled with water. We would sprinkle the dry shirts with water, roll them and put them into a special heavy plastic bag. They would go into the fridge until the water had a chance to just dampen the fabric. Then we would iron them. There were no steam irons in the 50s, so the dampness made the shirts look much more professional. I remember Mom instructing me to first iron the yoke, then the sleeves, then the collar before ironing the rest of the shirt. If you sat in one place too long the shirt scorched which was very hard to get back out of the fabric. Bringing in pants from the line on winter days was funny. They would be frozen with the stretchers inside, and could stand on their own.

[@melindalewingellis1923]

I notice that the plastic mildews on my clothes line. I have to remember to wipe it off occasionally or I get a black smudge on my sheets etc. , my son built it for me when he was 12 and he’s 34 now. I use it all the time. 🥰

[@paulmonk7820]

Probably all the squirrels and birds playing on it without wiping their feet😁

[@Rowdymotmot]

I loved hanging clothes and sheets outside. They smell so good and save a lot of electricity.

[@daydreambeliever6603]

Wow, paint! I’ve never had my clothes line posts painted! I’m kind of jealous🥰 Don’t forget you need a couple of props to keep your lines up when you hang bedding.

[@karencrislip7693]

I am just trying to be helpful, but I have been hanging clothes out for 50 yrs...…….if you would put the shirts on hangers and hang them out...…..they don't stretch the wrong way , also pants hung by the hems upside down will pull the wrinkles out...…...not being critical, just a few hints from a veteran...…..love your videos

[@abbystonehocker]

FYI: Been hanging out clothes all my life so not being mean or anything. The pants will dry better/faster if you hang them from the back waistband. Same for the shoulder seams on the shirts. This allows for air flow from the wettest on the top of the garment and for them to whip in the breeze so they are not stiff. Hanging them out, the water goes to the bottom of the garment so you want the thickest/wettest/seams to be at the top where it will wick down into the thinner material instead of wicking down into the thickest, prolonging the drying time

[@AfterTheRains]

The nicest feeling after a hard day is climbing into fresh bedding that has been dried in the fresh air - aaah!

[@iowagreatgrammie1079]

gave me peace just watching you hang the clothes Ashley. back in the 60's, when I had my babies, there was kind of an unspoken competition with the "clothes hanging mamas!"..who had the whitest diapers on the line....What a hoot!..

[@robinr.770]

There is absolutely nothing finer than line dried bed linens and clothes. Thanks. :)

[@fionafowlks6661]

Just a couple of clothesline hacks from my mother who grew up in Scotland during the war: Always hang your unmentionables on the middle line so the sheets and towels on the outside lines will keep them private from passersby. Also, stiff jeans and towels that have been air-dried can be tossed in the dryer for five minutes with a damp washcloth to soften them a wee bit and get rid of wrinkles. T Your clothesline looks fantastic, and it makes me miss mine!

[@chichi6796]

This is what keeps me coming back to your channel. Everything you guys tackle you do with love. No halfway job.

[@misscurlylocks1]

Yay for drying clothes the cheap and environmentally best way!!! Also nothing beats the smell of fresh outdoor dried sheets!

[@A10TOES]

So true!

[@darreollmooney6881]

You even make restoring old clothes line poles fun to watch! 😀

[@FlowerLadyLorraine]

I also love line drying laundry and have been doing so for almost 50 years. The clean solar dried laundry smells wonderful and there is something peaceful about hanging out and taking down the laundry.

[@Patricia.R.]

I love hanging the laundry out! Winter ,spring ,summer, fall! If the sun is shining or the wind is blowing- the dryer is working! Great, quick project.

[@readycool9600]

I love the smell of clothes,bedding and towels dried in the fresh air on clothes lines!

[@barbaralevel7225]

Love the smell of clothes line dried.

[@melindaoa8668]

I hang dry most of my laundry. It saves so much electricity and extends the life of the clothing. Great job!

[@WandaKay4u2c]

I'm with you on the pulley system. LOVE mine! But I have to say that if I had a daughter, I would want her to be married to a man who was so kind and thoughtful to want to make sure her old clothesline posts were looking beautiful. It's truly the little things! .... and I couldn't help it. I just had to laugh when you said, "These have some cutters right on the side.... OUCH!' LOL

[@blueyzsf]

Hmmm...I have two t-posts in my yard I've never used, and now that I think of it, I always air dry my shirts on hangers outside...need to get mine fixed up!! Thanks for jarring my brain! :P

[@cherylemaybury2540]

Good job on the clothes line. I always hang my clothes out on the line to dry. I love the fresh smell in my clothes. A little tip for hanging out bedsheets though, if you fold them in half first and then peg them on the line they are much easier to get them off. When you need to hurry to get them in because it’s starting to rain you will really appreciate the tip.

[@lindanichols7296]

There’s nothing any better than to dry bedding and towels on the clothes line and clothes as well. They smell so fresh and to me I think the sun makes the whites brighter. Another project checked off the list. Great job as usual you guys.

[@ftwtexasstephens9629]

Definitely mow under the clothes line and cut all the tree branches as high as you can. Birds love to poop on fresh washed clothes.

[@rbirkheimer59]

I love hanging out our laundry. Smell so good and ya don't add to the electric bill! Win, Win:)) Good job by the way. My grandpa had a old saying. Use it up wear it out make it do or do without. That's a good one to live by. God Bless. Hugs from OHIO

[@darbla1961]

Thanks for sharing guys! Love it, the clothes always smell so clean when hung outside. I lived in a small town growing up and mom would never let us hang the laundry out because it had to be hung a certain way! It wouldn’t do to have the neighbours see it done wrong or hung out too late in the day! You were considered lazy if you didn’t get your laundry out before noon! Small towns! You got to love them! This was many moons ago, I won’t say how many but let’s just say that bell-bottom jeans were the only way to go!!🤪🤪😂😂👍🇨🇦

[@diyfferent]

😂😂 Thanks for the great story :D

[@reneep9968]

Darlene Blandford and the bigger the bell the better....

[@darbla1961]

Renee P you’re so right! My mother would sew a piece of material from the knee down and around the bottom because they had to be too long also! 😁😁👍🇨🇦

[@terryseidel1386]

Brings back some good memories, thank you for sharing your awesome lifestyle. Love the wildflower shots.

[@indigoblue4791]

Me too!☺

[@jackieb.hedstrom5269]

Love the wild flowers. You guys bought a beautiful property.

[@NoRmAsJeAnS82]

I love this simplicity so much. You guys are great!

[@debbiecrum7585]

I love hanging our clothes on a line. I definitely see this as an essential homesteading element for living. I used my clothes line most every day in the nicer months.

[@kathrinekerns8398]

That's a nice way to dry your clothes. Except in the wintertime. I had 4 older brothers and a wringer washing machine. I washed clothes for the whole family every Monday. We had that same clothes line. Used to start with the white clothes all the way through the colored in the same water. Wow what memories.

[@lenellamaxwell6934]

Great job! Looks so nice! I know there are newer clothes lines available, but I have to say, I am partial to the T-posts. Perhaps that is because I grew up with them. One thing my dad did was to make a moveable post for in the middle that had a flat square piece of metal and then the eye hooks on the top to run the wire through. That way when mom had heavy blankets and the like it would keep the line from dipping in the middle and dragging on the ground. Clothes smell so much better when they are dried outside. Thanks for sharing! Blessings to your homestead!

[@janicepoole9541]

My dad did the very same thing! I'm hollering at the computer... you need a post... haha

[@lenellamaxwell6934]

@@janicepoole9541 hahaha!

[@hollysamson3808]

I have hung clothes out my whole life, I am a farm girl. NOTHING than clothes dried on the line. I have clothes out today! I tried a plastic clothes line but the clothes pins would move then the wind would blow. I put the old fashioned cloth line on...but my line is a pulley line. Ashley will love it!

[@debbiealtman4572]

You are so handy at fixing things and coming up with ways to rig things. Hard working people. Great job guys.

[@windycindy11]

I used to hang my children's diapers outside on a rope clothesline and wooden clothes pins. The sun did an excellent job of bleaching them. People used to tell me that they liked the smell of air-dried laundry, but whenever my neighbors put slurry on their fields, I had to rush out and bring in the laundry. Otherwise, it would smell like cow manure. I also put a baby swing on one post, so I could entertain the youngest child while I hung laundry. Nowadays, like other people have commented, I live in a place that prohibits drying clothes outside, so I have a small drying rack that I put in the bathtub.

[@HaroldReece]

I think I would mow under the clothes line.

[@ellenchappell1574]

I am the only one in my neighborhood with lines and I love them. I actually enjoy hanging out the clothes. They smell so good!

[@DLRyoung]

Great job! Here in Australia most every one drys the washing out side. During the winter we dry it inside on a wire rack by the heat. Saves money and is better for the environment. I believe that it’s better for the clothing as well. 😉👍🏻💕

[@DLRyoung]

In bad weather we dry inside on a rack.

[@diyfferent]

Most people in the USA don't hang their clothes outside to dry - at least in all the areas we've lived. It's a rare site to see clothes hanging on a line!

[@yolandadavila4110]

Nothing like the smell of laundry hung out doors.

[@Bunefoo401]

Bed sheets hung out on the line smell sooo good when you’re getting into bed ❤️

[@jerriewyatt905]

That takes me back to when my kids were little and babies.. I had clothes lines and hung out my diapers and bedding ..all my clothes were dried out on the line..

[@JcUDE]

You made me smile when you showed the clothes lines poles. The poles felt the love yall will show them by using them. The land, the house, and the clotheslines are so happy for the love your family is showing for it. Many blessings to yall love your show.

[@deblong56]

I love my clothes lines. My husband notched out 1x2"s, making props (about 6-1/2' long). They help keep bedding and towels off the ground (and we have little dogs running underneath). I sometimes hang long or heavy things (ie coats) on the plastic or wood hanger, and then on the crossbars of the poles, Thank-you for sharing another one of your projects!

[@lemonlover6559]

You could even do a video with the family sitting in a field , enjoying the sunshine and the birdsongs. I would like that!

[@dianneknieriem7962]

That really brought back my childhood. I helped my mother hang and bring in the clothes from a set up just like that.

[@smallfootprint2961]

Love hanging clothes outdoors. Good work.

[@johnorabone6112]

IT IS GOOD TO SEE SOMEONE WHO KNOWS HOW TO SPRAY PAINT. NOTE HOW HE RELEASES THE SPRAY BUTTON AT THE END OF EACH STROKE. THIS IS THE PROFESSIONAL WAY TO DO IT.

[@tammywalton3819]

Love the smell of line dried laundry :-)

[@phyllisjohnson1657]

You guys took me down memory lane with the clothesline. During the summer we could not use the dryer. My grandmother had us to hang the clothes on the line and that's what we did. Wow, thanks for the Memories. 😊😊😊

[@maryjimenez9995]

Brings back a lot of memories, I would like to have one today along with the old ringer washer. From the desert southwest thank you

[@williamblair3610]

I just got a ringer washer

[@priscillabohn4621]

we always hang dry our clothes. I got a comment the other day " Does your husband always treat you so cruelly? No dryer? and we live where it is 100 plus degrees in the summer

[@shannoncollins37]

I love to hang my clothes on the line ❤️ I don’t like to make my air conditioned work so hard in the summer. Were I live I’m not allowed to have a clothes line ☹️ so I bought a clothes drying rack that close and when I’m done I just bring it in the house 🏡 no won should complain because I dry in the the morning on my deck and bring the rack in before 3:00 . Thank you so much for sharing all your wonderful knowledge

[@notsheeple2019]

You did an excellent job ae making our old clothesline look bad. Lol, Our son has run over one post too many times. I need to put up a new one. Living our lifestyle, we don't use a dryer.

[@maryofventura4767]

I love hanging my clothes out! When we were homeschooling hanging out the laundry was mom's break!

[@loribollinger2457]

Oh the cloths lines reminds me of when I was a kid. Sheets, blankets, running inbetween them. And me helping my mom and wooden clothes pins. You guys are awesome. Take care🥰

[@dianecharles881]

I laughed out loud when you said the clothes line was probably 40 years old ! 😂 I’m 65 and I have a clothes line pole just like it ! I use the green vinyl coated wire. I still use that today, only had to change the wire off just once ! Wouldn’t change a thing! I love hanging out my laundry, and I actually took pictures of some my clothes just to share with my now grown children! ❤️

[@histarfish]

I miss my old clothes line. Nothing like clothes dried in fresh air and sunshine.

[@fab4gal342]

Nothing like the smell of freshly hung laundry when you take it back into the house...

[@foxsea451]

Clothes lines are the best! I have one! Nothing like the smell of fresh air on your clothes. PJ'S and sheets smell awesome. 👍❤️🦊

[@louvin5671]

Using the metal cable will prevent the line from stretching like rope sometimes does. And I agree you should get the long stuff out from underneath. I would love a line like that. I had a big long line at my old house, but not at this one. We just use the dryer. As usual, you did a great job.

[@jacquelinepokoo8659]

Lol happy wife happy life ....job well done

[@lindadobberstein2035]

Nice job on the clothesline posts and line. I remember my mom hanging clothes on the clothesline in the backyard back in the 50’s. I never did it but my oldest sister always did even with a clothes dryer.

[@BirdSaver]

Nothing better than the smell of clothes dried outdoors.

[@debbiepovlock9819]

Love the clothes line. 🙏💜🌺🦊🤗💙

[@ArthurValencia9438]

It's has been a lot of years since I have seen someone hanging clothes up on a line with clothespins. Love it. Art

[@glorialeach7301]

Arthurs Realm , maybe it’s 12 people who would never hang their clothes on a line. 😄 I did as a child and still love to now. 👍

[@trinam4179]

Easy peasy lemon squeezy! There's nothing like laundry dried outside and even better sheets straight from the line to the bed! Smells like sunshine! 🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞 I dry all mine too! 🌞

[@laurieannyandabyrd5402]

NOTHING wrong with temporary...it works till up grades can be had. We only have a washer...see no need for a dryer. You two work as such a good team.

[@michelemorgan5118]

Had the same type of clothes line ,when I bought the house the owners took it down. I was so sad. I put a new one up.

[@maggiesue4825]

I have wonderful memories of helping Mother hang up clothes. Needless to say, I have my own clothesline in my back yard!

[@GreenAcreHomestead]

Nothing like a clothesline video from Doug & Ashley. 😀Those old T styles ones are pretty #beefen too! 👍

[@carolinebeck807]

The house we had when I was a kid had a clothesline like that. Birds would nest in the ends and I loved watching the progress from egg to first flight.

[@indigoblue4791]

Awesome, and 3 lines for drying from, such a luxury with great solid posts too. You would laugh if you could have seen the two lines l had to use, running out from the gutter of the house into a tree at the end of the garden!!!Totally unsuitable but I got by with them, not without incident though.😂 I noticed some nice little touches in the editing today, very good it looked too!☺

[@goingslightlymad7172]

I air dry all of my clothes. Saves energy, better for my clothes (they last longer) , and I love the smell of freshly air dried laundry. :)

[@dianewilliams9858]

Mmmm nothing like falling asleep on fresh airdried sheets and pillowcases😊💖

[@mikegriffin3437]

Good job on the solar clothes dryer. Should work great for a long time.

[@TinaLouise528]

That's super. I bet she is so glad to get the clothes hanging outside. Yay!

[@meanmamameanest6314]

Nothing smells better than line dried bedding🤗

[@gelwood99]

Man, brings back memories, bringing in jeans that were frozen. LOL I have tried to find the one you like but haven't found it yet. I would love to hang out my pillows and sheets and blankets to freshen them up. I can't hang up everything because of my health but I miss that clean sunshine smell!

[@janetottaviano3481]

It's so funny that you just did this, I was noticing on many homesteading vlogs that no one hangs laundry anymore. I do and have been teased by co-workers and family about it. Enjoy.

[@marilyngordy3670]

Ahhhhh......the smell of clothline drying! Ashley, are you going to metal detect your property?

[@diyfferent]

Yea, at some point when we feel motivated and have some time :)

[@skyure]

Just a Pro Tip, if you hang laundry, hang the black and red pieces into the shade of the tree, if possible. Their colors can fade real quick in the sun's light. Greetings from Germany.

[@diyfferent]

Hi! Great pro tip! I do that :D

[@mtak1127]

Looks fantastic. Nothing like the smell of fresh dried clothes from the line.

[@lisakindhart5505]

Nice repair and a lot less slack using the coated wire ...It's been several years since I've hung clothes out to dry a storm took out the tree that ours was attached to and we just never put it back up . Miss hanging my quilts and sheets on the line , nothing like crawling into a bed that smells like fresh air ! I remember hanging baby diapers to freeze dry in the winter, they'd come out so white and soft !

[@413MassDigger]

Geezz .we need to come up with a new word for Multitasking.. and name it Dougitasking 😂 ✌️ your non stop bud! Nice- Ray

[@lindapeterson7166]

AWESOME Doug & Ashley!! Line dried clothes smell so good !!

[@jacquicoder7160]

Oh my, you took me back a few years - nope, a lot of years! We used to hang laundry out on a clothesline when I was young and I do remember how fresh everything smelled. But, alas, I must admit to being spoiled to an electric dryer except for the more delicate things that get hung on a wooden rack inside the house. Doug, great job and Ashley, you set a great example for all of us.

[@lindacruikshank2656]

I remember hanging laundry on the line in the winter. They would be frozen. But smelled so good

[@samwright8599]

I love how it's for Ashley... lol... it's actually so lovely watching you, it so reminds me of how we started, hubby build and repaired and I painted and I also picked out the decor... it was lovely xx

[@mjc42701]

That's how we dried clothes when I was a kid, the towels are not as soft as a dryer but everything else smells so fresh, especially sheets.

[@hollandspinehaven2634]

Love the reconditioned clothes line. I have used the plastic coated wire for clothes lines for 2 yrs and love it..

[@HyacinthDaisyRose]

nice, always good to revamp a sturdy, perfectly good clothesline post. :)

[@onemorchatykathy]

I use to love hanging out my clothes. Where I live now I don't have a clothes line. I miss having one!

[@ingridwalter4870]

There are a lot of treasure flowers and plants in your wonderful garden! Thanks for showing. It's a lot of work you are doing! Hope you have rests between, too.

[@lottiefaith6935]

I love hanging out clothes when it's not too hot, it reminds me of my grandmother. I hang things out and then put then in the dryer for a short time to soften them up.

[@yvonnezyirek5167]

That was awesome! I bet Ashley was stoked!!! Thank you for that little bit of information on the stringers!

[@elmaelmar2761]

Yaaaa!! Hanging out the wash is the best!!!

[@barbaraquiltinggardening5261]

I have had a clothes line again since last spring. Last one I could have was early 90's. I love having it. Your refurbished posts and new lines blend in and look great! Blessings

[@jonmac6133]

Yay for using a solar dryer! Here in Memphis the humidity is too high to dry clothes outside. Miss this from when I lived in Boston. 😎👍🏻