As long as the sun is out and bright, we as humans need not worry about drying our clothes. It’s not hard maths, the sun is hanging up there ready to dry up every last drop from anything you spread outside. And of course, no one’s going to charge you for harnessing the sun’s energy.
Tapping From the Sun
Tapping from the sun’s energy to dry up clothes is a pretty simple task, the problem comes in when we enter into the colder months.
Homeowners who want to use their clotheslines during winter might encounter a few problems, luckily, Amish families have a solution for us.
The Amish Are Known For Flapping Clothes On The Line
During the summer, the Amish are known for their iconic and colorful clothes flapping on the line. I mean just like every other household out there, they make use of the most common way to dry their clothes and that’s by spreading it on a clothesline.
Most people believe that when the weather is cold, it gets harder to dry clothes the traditional way. Then they just opt for dryers, spinners, and other ways of drying clothes. But the Amish people are here to tell us that they have the perfect solution to our problem.
Drying Your Clothes The Amish Way During Winter
This hack was discovered by a journalist named Kevin Williams, he documented this Amish secret way of drying clothes in winter after studying the Amish and Mennonite cultures and recipes for 30 years. In his write-up, he explained that even though the Amish people use clotheslines during summer, it still works perfectly for them during winter.
Regardless of the weather, most Amish people still make use of clotheslines to dry their clothes even when it’s like 10 degrees outside. These clothes are allowed to go through a process called a “flash freeze”. It might sound unusual, but honestly, it works!
They Let Their Clothes Go Through The Sublimation Process
Yes! This special Amish technique is called “dry freezing”, the Amish people still use their clotheslines during sub-freezing temperatures. When clothes are hung on the line during this period, what we call sublimation occurs. This is the process where the ice transitions directly into water without necessarily going through the liquid phase.
As the wet clothing freezes, the ice evaporates into water vapor, which then allows the cloth to dry. Mind you, the clothes may initially freeze, but thanks to the sublimation process, it removes the moisture, giving you your perfectly dried clothes. Well, you might need to lay it flat on your bed after bringing them inside.
Other Amish Families Might Set Up Clothesline In The Basement
While we have the majority of the Amish families, spreading their clothes on clotheslines outside, understandably we have those that prefer to spread their clothes in the basement. They create a clothesline, but instead of it being outside, it’s in the basements.
While this can be an effective method, it has some drawbacks and limitations. It can cause and increase the dampening in the basement. This method is not indoor friendly but it still gets the work done. It remains a functional approach for those who prefer to dry their clothes in the basement.
Some Even Set A Line Over Their Stoves
Observing and watching the Amish cultures for years has taught Williams a lot, it has exposed him to the various ways the Amish people spread their clothes during winter, and here’s another one. To get their clothes to dry perfectly, the Amish people will make a line above their stoves so the heat from the stoves can dry them up.
Of course, you need to be extra careful when using this method, to get the clothes to dry perfectly, they need to set it almost close to the stove, while also making sure that they don’t set it too close to the stove to avoid it catching fire. Although this method might sound silly, somehow it works like magic.
Bicycle Wheel Dryers Are Just As Effective
This one is also very popular amongst the Amish people and most houses make one for themselves. The bicycle wheel dryer is made of a bicycle wheel festooned with clothespins. This is mainly used to dry lightweight clothing like washcloths, head coverings, socks, and undergarments.
This procedure is very effective and convenient for an indoor dryer during the winter. And it doesn’t get abandoned during summer, because it can easily be moved outside to a porch or affixed to a tree during the warmer months.
Save Money And The Planet Using These Amish Hacks
Hanging clothes the Amish way will be of great benefit to you. Not just about you saving your clothes from the ruins of cloth dryers or saving the environment, you get to save money! Yes, this is a reliable way to save money on laundry. With this method, you can easily dry your clothes without having to own a dryer.
This saves you from having to spend so much on gas or electricity. And you’re also saving the planet. The lower the electricity demand the fewer power plants to generate which will significantly reduce the pollution produced by them. This will also help reduce trapping gases in the atmosphere and stop the planet from overheating.
Reminiscing About The Beautiful Amish Past
Williams got a lot of comments on his write-up about the Amish people and their winter drying hack. A lot of people were taken back to the period when they were kids and lived with their Amish families. A man talked about how he loved spreading his clothes outside during winter and how his clothes smelled even better that way.
Another user talked about how these methods were popular among the rural residents, talking about childhood memories of hanging clothes in the basement and how effective it was. These hacks are still being used in this present age, although some have been improved. You can find the improved bicycle wheel dryer in some homes.
