That’s my husband, and that’s me in the background hanging the laundry. But this isn’t our house, this is the London home we stayed in last summer when we did a house swap with a couple there. It was fabulous: they stayed in our home in Los Angeles and we stayed in theirs in London. It felt just like living there, and was much more fun that staying in a hotel, on top of being actually affordable.
Our “exchange partners” had a very small washing machine in the kitchen, and didn’t even own a dryer. Since it rains a lot in London, even in the summer, a lot of days we were hanging laundry inside the house. When it was fairly nice out, we’d hang it outside. Hanging out the clothes seemed to be much more common there, so it made us start thinking about doing it back in L.A.
In May, I issued this baby steps challenge to stop those catalogs and junk mail once and for all. So far, I’ve accomplished 75 percent of that goal, and I won’t be able to see the full effect for a couple of months. But I feel good about the progress I’ve made on that issue so far. Now for June, I think using a clothesline to air dry the laundry is appropriate for the warm weather.
I’ve got to admit I have some trepidation about air drying the laundry. I know it’s absolutely better for the environment. But I’ve resisted because I know it will take more time, I’m not crazy about the aesthetic of the line hanging across the backyard, and I actually worry that the smoggy air isn’t healthy for drying clothes. But I’m moving forward, with a little nudge from my husband. Because even without my asking him, he’s put a clothesline up in our backyard. It even took him some time, because he had to saw the poles to the proper length and install a retractable line. Now all we have to do is actually use it.
Do you want to join me in the June baby steps challenge? Or maybe you’ve been air drying your laundry for years. Either way, let me know in the Comments section.
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