Hang Out Time
Hanging washing would have to be one of my favourite chores in this busy household. Perhaps some of you must be thinking WHAT, HAS SHE GONE MAD?Picture this, it’s a beautiful sunny day; the children are running a muck in and around the home, fighting, yelling, screaming (or perhaps they are quietly reading or playing some games – wishful thinking right), anyway you need to escape and what better way to do this but by hanging out the washing on the line ALONE away from the noise and chaos in the home.
It is amazing what you think about while doing this daily task; the thoughts just roll through the mind (including the idea for this post of mine) such as; your schedule or jobs needed doing, what you might wear to an upcoming event, what to cook for the evening meal; many ideas can spring to mind. Even thoughts of escaping and imagining you are far away on a tropical island somewhere (ok, perhaps not).
Most of my ideas, thoughts or reminders spring to mind while hanging the washing. I also like listening to the birds chirping, feeling the warmth of the sun (getting that needed sun tan) and the gentle breeze (without sneezing due to hayfever). Therefore, I love this job.So now I have established that hanging washing can be enjoyable. I would also like to pass on some hints on how I make this task a little easier.
To begin please take a look here as it will give you an idea how my laundry is set up including: sorting the dirty washing and folding it away.
Getting back to the washing line; hanging washing can be an art in itself, there is not just ONE way of doing this. And no real rules on the subject either. However I did come across this video. (I bet you have a giggle while watching it).
Some of the things Mrs Jenkins does in this video I also do and some I do not. For example I also match my socks and turn them out the right way when they are hung on the line. However I also go a step further and have made some handy hangers for my underwear and socks (click the image for instructions).
When hanging my washing; another thing I do is turn all my clothes right way out as well. That way folding them later saves time. I also hang shirts on hangers and also the girls school uniforms (the school dresses I never need to iron).I like the idea of hanging Jeans inside out though 
Also the towels idea about using three pegs is also a good idea (I might have to start this for my next load of towels). Same with the sheets on very windy days; I don’t know how often I have had to untangle the sheets wrapped around a line or other washing, the peg at the bottom may help with this.
On the other hand the matching pegs – who has time for that? As for hiding the “unmentionables from all the world to see” (this was hilarious).
I am wondering though, do all men hang the washing the way described in the video? I know mine does on occasion; I call this Tornado Hanging; you know the man has hung it out (as mentioned above in the video) hence the clothes have not been shaken, they are twisted with one leg inside-out and the other the right way, shirts tangled etc. When ever this happens, I also take the washing down and re hang it again.
Do you know anyone that is Neat, Precise & Thorough? One that matches pegs, items of clothing and garments? Are you fussy when it comes to hanging your washing?
With a big family, I can not afford to be fussy while hanging out the washing and I don’t stress over it (apart from a Tornado Hanging job). If someone comes over and helps with hanging out my washing, I am very grateful – as long it is on the line then I am happy. If they want to fold them as they take them off (some people do) that is also fine with me, however, I personally don’t do this as I find it easier to fold in my laundry.
I do on the other hand have a PET HATE; this is when pegs have been left on the empty clothes line. This drives me crazy to the point where if a single peg is left on that line, I would even go out in the rain to get them off.
Firstly it is much harder to hang washing on the line when pegs are still on there, the others get in the way while you are hanging and this also wastes precious time.
Secondly, pegs dry out and fade and break in the sun. Therefore my pegs are kept in a large bucket.
So, how do you “hang out” at the line? Are you a Tornado Hanger, Neat, Precise and Thorough, do you match pegs and are fussy with the way things are done?
Please a comment here or on my Facebook page; and I will read it later; after I attend to my washing.