Drying Laundry Outside

As those of you who use cloth diapers know, they take a bit of time to dry in the dryer.  I've figured it out that it costs us $.87 per load in the winter, and $1.02 per load in the dryer to dry diapers/cloths electrically.  Since I do 2 loads per day of cloths and diapers, that adds up to roughly $50 per month!!

When the weather gets warm, we start drying everything out on the line.  However, we still line dry in the winter!  Our house gets so dry in the winter, that it can easily absorb the humidity of drying laundry (and we stay much more comfortable, too).

However, there are 3 things I don't like about line drying:  carrying a heavy basket of wet cloths up the stairs, standing at the line to pin cloths up and take them down (especially when it's hot outside), and the stiffness of the clothing when they've dried. 

This year, we came up with a solution to all three! 

Summertime:

1.  Hang the cloths, with clothes pins, onto hangers.  Each hanger becomes a mini-clothes line that I can pin and unpin in the comfort of my basement. 

2.  Then, my children (ages 4 & 5) can carry them out to the clothes line and hang the hangers up.  (The line is within their reach, and my husband tied loops into the line for the hangers to go into.) 

3.  When the clothes are dry, the children bring the hangers back downstairs to the washroom - and we throw everything into the dryer for a 5-minute fluff (which only costs $.05-$.10 per load).  The result?  Everything comes out just as soft as if it had dried from start to finish in the dryer - money saved!

Wintertime:

Everything is the same except for the location that they hang to dry - we use the unfinished basement's ceiling.   

Breakfast Oatmeal:

We are trying to keep our kids away from processed sugar as much as possible (until they are older, that is).  So, to sweeten oatmeal, my husband came up with a wonderful idea.  Instead of water, we use Juicy Juice!  Simply heat the juice in the microwave, just as you would the water.  Add to oatmeal and dried fruit - stir.  Voila!  Sweet oatmeal that changes flavor with each new jug of juice!

Unloading the Dish Washer:

My children are being trained to be willing helpers - from that first blush of wanting to help when they are much more of a hinderance.  Well, unloading the dishwasher (Corelle dishes are blessedly child-proof) was one thing my 2 year old could help with - but he couldn't reach up into the cupboard to put anything away.  Solution?  Our dishes and silverware are now in the lowest two drawers near the dishwasher.  He joyfully bangs the dishes out of the dishwasher and into the drawers every time he is asked.  It's worth bending over every time I need a dish!