July is the month when summer breezes are a rare and welcome treat! Many of you may remember summer days out on the porch reading the latest summer novel selections while sipping on homemade lemonade or iced tea.
Some of us remember hanging clothes out on the clothesline for both drying after washing and experiencing that sense of renewal and freshness in the air. While we may find ourselves in an age of technological advances, the chance to refresh our bed linens the old way should be considered more than a fond memory. The cotton and organic sheets featured by Down Etc during our Celebration of Americana are engineered around natural drying so as to conjure images of freshness and renewal!
Did you know? Bedding and Linen Summer Cleaning Tips and Trivia:
- Sunlight is a natural sanitizing and bleaching agent
- Hanging bedding out on a clothesline uses no additional energy
- Line-drying is kinder to your linens, causing less wear and tear than the conventional dryer
- Line-drying keeps moisture outdoors
- Line-drying is a great form of personal exercise and actually stretches muscles
Here are a few steps to enjoy the Americana of summers passed while refreshing your bed linens:
Step 1 – Find a secure and suitable place to dry your just-washed sheets. Some places do not allow residents to hang clothes outdoors. Although, we do not encourage breaking local laws, we suggest secluded space on your porch, deck, or in your backyard.
Step 2 – Setup the clothesline itself. We suggest you purchase highly durable cording from your local hardware store. While you might find something called a “clothes horse,” a folding rack from which smaller clothes and pillow cases can hang, a clothesline is much better suited for bed linens.
Step 3 – Purchase a set of clothespins. These are the wooden clips shaped like prongs used to secure the bed linens to the clothesline. Keep in mind you will likely need at least 8-10 clothespins to hold queen or king-size bed linens in place on the clothesline.
Step 4 – Plan to hang the linens outside on a nice summer day. The best drying weather is sunny, warm, and dry with a moderate breeze. A nice summer breeze will dry linens while the breeze will “iron out” the wrinkles.
Step 5 – Placement is important. Place the bed linens on the clothesline so approximately one-third of the piece hangs over the clothesline and clip the bed linens in place. Check and make sure the linens are drying out evenly. If not, flip the linens the opposite way over the line.
Step 6 – Put the fresh bed linens right back on the bed. Make sure the linens are fully dry, unclip them, fold them, and refit them on the bed. Freshly-dried bed linens will help bring the fresh air and sun of the outdoors into the sanctuary of your bedroom.
Updated August 3, 2022
