Curious about clotheslines? Some power user tips

I've had a number of people ask about how I set up my clothesline, so I'll explain a bit, link to some older posts, and offer a few "solar dryer" power user tips...

Although there are many ways to hang clothes on a line (umbrella lines, retractable lines, and a simple, old-fashioned line strung up between two posts), I'll give you an idea of what we do. I pondered this for a long while, since I'm working with a small yard, the sun is on the mountain view side, and I didn't want to spend a whole lot of money on it. It also helps that I can easily put the clothesline up and down based on when we need it.

For our back yard, I string two lengths of clothesline, with a loop knotted at each end. In each loop, I link a small bungee cord that then stretches to a sturdy branch in between our back and side hedge. I have a shepherd's hook (designed for holding hanging plant baskets) in the center of my line for support. The shepherd's hook cost $11, the cord $4, and the clothespins a few bucks -- all from my local Fred Meyer.

Here's my power user tips:

• Use the extra spin cycle/max extract on your washer so that the clothing starts out as dry as possible. That makes it much less likely to dry stiff as a board.
• Add some white vinegar to the wash load as a fabric softening measure.
• Wash all clothing in cold for extra money/energy savings.
• Turn dark clothing inside out so that it doesn't fade in the sun while drying.
• Enjoy the fact that whites will whiten even more while drying in the sun.
• Socks and undies take a long time to clip to the line, so I don't put them on the line. They dry very quickly in the regular dryer.
• If crunchy towels will bother you, claim a towel exclusion and use your regular dryer for things you want to be extra soft.
• Figure out what will work for your family. Don't feel like it has to be all or nothing. Use your regular dryer when you need it, and just feel good for every load of wash you dry via the solar dryer!

{Edited 6/26/2008:  Our family was featured on a local news station, KOIN, in their KOIN Savers feature yesterday for our laundry line use. You can view the segment via a youtube video:}