Any suggestions on hanging clothes with allergies?

**tay** · 04-14-2011, 02:44 PM

I hang out my husbands and my own clothes on the line outside - but both our toddlers sneeze and have watery eyes after I hang theirs out. I'm determined to get this utility bill down this month so I need suggestions on alternatives on drying their clothes.

They wear 2t and 4t clothing so you can imagine they are smaller items - maybe a line in the garage to try so it's not quite so smelly? Otherwise I guess I could put a drying rack somewhere in the house and hope they don't knock it down, lol!

I do roughly 6 loads of laundry a week total for four people including towels and sheets. Everything but the kids clothes and all our socks go on the line.

**pollypurebred39** · 04-14-2011, 02:54 PM

For your DH's I'd just put the shirts on regular hangers and the pants on pants hangers and hang from the shower curtain rod, that's what I do. I do use my dryer for somethings, but everything I can hang on the curtain rod I do. I also put a box fan at the bathroom door.

**Libby** · 04-14-2011, 02:56 PM

Will both of you parents wearing line dried clothes around your children set off their allergies as well? Maybe switch to hang drying everything inside the house? Food for thought.

**tay** · 04-14-2011, 03:42 PM

strangely enough our wearing the clothes dont' bother the kids. I'm going off what happened when I hung out their sheets earlier in the year.

You got me thinking though - if our wearing it doesn't bother them AND we have the windows open during the day AND they are outside at least 2 hours a day without it bothering them....I wonder if I should try their clothes out there again. Hmm...

I'm just frustrated with this crazy electric bill!! We have a 1600 sq ft house, I'm a light nazi and open the windows as much as possible and it's still around $200!

Granted that's our water, an all electric house, trash pickup (non-optional) and sewage.

**maw-p** · 04-14-2011, 05:02 PM

My DD has allergies and, with my experience, the more I hang out the less it bothers her. This may not work with all but with mine it did.

**frugalfranny** · 04-14-2011, 07:14 PM

Originally Posted by tay

Granted that's our water, an all electric house, trash pickup (non-optional) and sewage.

So, basically, that is all the utilities, except the phone. I don't think that sounds too bad at all.

Experiment with the hanging clothes thing, but with our evergreen pollen here, I wouldn't think of hanging my clothes outside. Would
kill my allergies. Anything I hang to dry is in the basement.

Maybe the kids allergies are from a food item.........have you experimented in that area to find out? Or had tests run?