Umbrella Clothesline

Umbrella Clothesline: Being Green And Saving Money

Have you considered drying your clothes outside using a traditional umbrella clothesline drying system?  While since the economic downturn many people these days are trying to find ways to save money.  While the economic hardship losing jobs and bad economy can cause is very unfortunate, one good thing has come out of all of this.  That is a revival in the green movement, saving money and reducing in general.  Sure some of the reduction has been due to people losing their jobs which again are very unfortunate.  However, the down turn economy has also forced many people to really evaluate their way of life.  We can no longer get by on the consumption model of doing business that we have in the past.  Many people these days are starting their own vegetable gardens, spending more time at home and trying to reduce costs and save money as well as becoming greener and saving the earth at the same time.

One really easy way to severely cut back on your electricity bill and reduces your carbon footprint and reliance on fossil fuels is to use the sun to try your clothes.  That’s right no expensive solar panels, no major installation projects.  Just a simple umbrella clothesline in the backyard which might take at most an hour to install and you are in business.  Not only that but drying your clothes on a clothesline is way more efficient then the greenest most energy friendly dryer.

So if you are considering doing some of your own clothes drying by hand and looking for the right clothes line then you will want to read through this article.  There are a few different options to choose from and depending on your yard space and where you plan to dry you will want to make sure you buy the right clothesline for your situation.

Portable Or Not

The first consideration that you should really figure out is if you need a portable umbrella clothes line dryer or not.  If you are planning on having it in one place and always out because you have room in the yard for it then you will want a model that installs permanently.  Typically it is as simple as digging a whole and filling it with some rocks and then a bit of concrete.  It might take 2 hours tops.  However, if you have a small yard, or are working only from a balcony or just don’t want a clothesline in your yard all the time you might want to consider a portable version. The portable umbrella clothesline dryers are often not much more expensive, they can easily be set up and moved in minutes and it offers a lot more flexibility to move to where the sun is best.  One other option that we have seen and liked a lot was a non portable model made portable.  The person a friend of our bought a permanent clothesline dryer and then sticks the end of it through their patio table where the umbrella would go and has a concrete umbrella base at the bottom of the table.  When she is done she just takes it inside or lays it down along the side of the porch.  It works really well for her needs no eyesore or permanence and easy portability.

Styles, Style, Style

Another thing you should consider is what style do you want.  Of course there are the retractable multi-line clotheslines that install against a wall of the house and then can be pulled out across the yard to a catch post.  Then it can be retracted back when not in use.  The other option is the portable and non portable umbrella clothesline dryers.  These can fold up at the top or the arms can be pulled down and wires run between the folding arms creating a lot of hanging space for clothes with minimal yard space being taken up.

So if you are considering getting back to a simpler time in life and getting into the zen of laundry then you might want to consider drying your own clothes using the sun. Just think our grandparents back in the 50’s dried clothes this way all the time and it was very common.  My grandmother who has a dryer still normally dries their clothes out on the line and only occasionally uses the dryer.  Again you can feel good about drying your clothes this way.  You are reducing your electricity bill, saving big money each month and saving our environment at the same time.