Hanging Out

If you’re living in a LoDo loft, it’s probably been a while since you hung your clothes out to dry.

Granted, the practice is more of a modern-day indulgence than a necessity, concede Denver authors Irene Rawlings and Andrea Vansteenhouse. But the two women say they wrote their book, The Clothesline, to celebrate a simpler life.

“I don’t even iron,” admits Vansteenhouse. “But whenever I hang towels out to dry, it feels like a luxury.”

Featuring historic and modern clothesline photos and artwork, the book is also full of handy household tips that your grandmother may not have told you. For instance, how to remove grease from clothing (Make a paste of granulated sugar and water. Rub it into the stain and let it set before washing. Dry in the sun). Or the proper way to store linens (Don’t ever wrap them in plastic; they might mildew).

But unlike the tips offered by domestic goddess Martha Stewart, Rawlings and Vansteenhouse stress that theirs are meant to calm instead of frustrate. “There is a part of me that loves to do just one basic thing, like make lavender water,” explains Vansteenhouse. “It feels special, symbolic of the kind of life that I wish I was living.”

With family recipes, remedies and personal stories taken from old diaries, the homespun book also commemorates a time when families and neighbors chatted over laundry lines.

“I think that women still really long for that kind of connection. It’s eternal, but it’s not part of the natural rhythm of life anymore,” Vansteenhouse says. “These days, instead of interacting over clotheslines or back fences, you really have to make an effort.”

While the collection may not reverse any trends, it will at least clue readers in to small changes they can make, such as how to dry their own herbs (Spread in single layer on newspaper. Put in a dry, warm and airy place. Turn the leaves every day until dry). And those bits of seasoned wisdom just may make 21st-century life a little more complete.