It’s spring, and when you go out to hang your clothes on the outside line for the first time this season, you might find that your clothesline doesn’t look like it’s been sitting in a fresh mountain breeze all these months, but that it’s been sitting in mud and other strange things the whole time. You don’t want to put your freshly washed clothes on that dirty clothesline, do you?
What You Need to Clean Your Clothesline
- 1 small bucket of hot soapy water
- 1 C vinegar
- 8 drops Tea Tree oil*
- Rags
Step-By-Step Tutorial on Cleaning Your Clothesline
Mix your ingredients and soak your rag in it, then run it a few times over your line. You’ll be cleaning off dust and grime carried by air as well as any inset ‘leavings’ where they have tried to attach egg bags, etc. I can usually do 2 lines at a time on my rectangular clothesline, and I overlap as I go – so each line gets done 2 times. Because it is plastic coated, it does stain, but I don’t care about the stain left behind, I just want to be sure nothing is actually on the line that will transfer to my clothes.
If you choose, you can actually remove your cloth/rope line from your traditional clothesline and soak it in a bucket of hot soapy water + vinegar to clean it (or even put it in a mesh bag or clothes pillowcase to run through your washing machine before hanging back on the line to dry.
This is also a good time to check to make sure you have tight screws/bolts, that any hinges are oiled for foldable clotheslines, and check for any signs of rusting that need to be repaired.
Alternative of Cleaning Your Clothesline
*You don’t have to use tea tree oil, and can replace it with 2-3 TB of household bleach, but I rarely use bleach, and I don’t want it affecting the ground below (nor get it on myself as you might get a bit wet from the water running down your arms if you’re like me! Tea Tree oil acts as a disinfectant, and I use it for a lot of my household cleaning.
Katy Willis is a writer, lifelong homesteader, and master herbalist, master gardener, and canine nutritionist. Katy is a preparedness expert and modern homesteader practicing everyday preparedness, sustainability, and a holistic lifestyle.
She knows how important it is to be prepared for whatever life throws at you, because you just never know what's coming. And preparedness helps you give your family the best chance to thrive in any situation.
Katy is passionate about living naturally, growing food, keeping livestock, foraging, and making and using herbal remedies. Katy is an experienced herbalist and a member of the CMA (Complementary Medical Association).
Her preparedness skills go beyond just being "ready", she's ready to survive the initial disaster, and thrive afterward, too. She grows 100% organic food on roughly 15 acres and raises goats, chickens, and ducks. She also lovingly tends her orchard, where she grows many different fruit trees. And, because she likes to know exactly what she's feeding her family, she's a seasoned from-scratch cook and gluten-free baker.
Katy teaches foraging and environmental education classes, too, including self-sufficient living, modern homesteading, seed saving, and organic vegetable gardening.
Katy helps others learn forgotten skills, including basic survival skills and self-reliance.
She's been published on sites such as MSN, Angi, Home Advisor, Family Handyman, Wealth of Geeks, Readers Digest, and more.
Please, please don’t mix vinegar and bleach! This creates chlorine gas!
Thanks for advice
It’s been a pleasure helping you, Lynda!