Saving in Summer: Hang Your Clothes to Dry in the Summer Sun

Summer time is BBQ time and it is also the time to save on electric bills by hanging clothes to dry out on a line. There are a couple of ways to do this: (1) purchase two clothesline poles and attach standard cotton clothesline that tends to sag no matter how tight you get them and the poles must be concreted in the ground with stabilizers for stability; (2) purchase a retractable clothesline system; (3) Amish pulley system.

Clothes dried out in the sun has a better fragrance, and as they taught us in the military, clothes dried in the sun are sterilized naturally.

I chose the Amish Clothesline Pulley System configuration because you can hang your clothes to dry without leaving your porch. You can purchase the parts separately or in kits, price ranging from the Amish Deluxe System with a rubber brake, 50-pack clothesline pins, 250-ft clothesline cable, and an Amish clothespin bag for $140 or order it from Lehman's in 25-ft($29.95 + S/H), 50-ft ($39.95 + S/H), and 75-ft kits ($54.95 + S/H). A clothesline spacer is $7.95, which keeps your line evenly spaced apart, made of cast aluminum. Lehman's pulley system has metal rustproof zinc pulleys, while the alternate “deluxe” system pulleys are made of plastic.

Lehman's system uses multi-strand cabling that is plastic coated to prevent rusting. Lehman's sells quality products if you like to do things the old-fashioned way with quality made products that can be ordered online or from their catalog.

The following video is from Woodward Crossings Country …

Lehman's Hardware started out as a retail store in Kidron, Ohio and originally specialized in products used and made by the Amish community. Their motto is Simple Products for a Simpler Life. The building is one-quarter-mile long and is made of remnants of a log cabin and three pre-Civil War buildings that includes a hand-hewn barn. Needless to say it is also a local tourist attraction. A second, smaller and more traditional store is located in Mount Hope, Ohio where local Amish customers shop with less interference from tourists. It was founded by Jay Lehman as Lehman's Hardware, now just called “Lehman's” in 1955. Jay purchased a combination hardware store and gasoline station that had been in business since 1915. In the early years, the Amish community made up 95% of Lehman's customers. Now it is only 6% to 8%. It is a resource for homesteaders, missionaries, and other professionals working in developing countries. The American Red Cross and Peace Corps also purchases from Lehman's as well as Hollywood set designers for historically accurate items for period settings. Jay Lehman, in his eighties, is still a chairman of the business and comes to the store every day to interact with customers. The business is handled by his son, Galen Lehman, who started working in the store when he was a teenager and now is President. Jay Lehman's daughter, Glenda Lehman-Ervin, is the Vice President of Marketing getting experience from working at a large corporation. It is truly a family-run business.

In 2012, the storefront of Lehman's Hardware was redesigned to look like the original back in 1955. Amish who used to be customers are now vendors selling 40 or 50 products through Lehman's. Actual period pieces are on display throughout the store which makes it not just a retail store but a museum as well. Reportedly they are the world's largest supplier of non-electric goods ranging from traditional or historical items such as wood kitchen stoves or an Apple Peeler to the crank-powered radios and flashlights for homesteaders. 

Lehman's product line has been featured in several publications, like Country Living, Grit, Dwell, Modern Farmer, Mother Earth Living, and Organic Gardening. 

You can purchase a hanging clothes pin bag or make one out of those free canvas/cloth shopping bags and attach a hook for hanging. 

CordoClip also makes a 75-ft pulley system made out of modern plastic and comes with a clip system that retails for $144.99.