To the editor:

April 19 is National Hanging Out Day. This is not a day to lounge around with friends, but a day to revive the ancient custom of hanging our clean laundry out to dry in the sun. If you have been looking for a relatively painless way to reduce your carbon footprint or a simple way to reduce your energy bills, this is it.

Invest in a couple of clothes poles, some clothesline and pins, and you are set. Begin by hanging out your sheets and pillowcases on a sunny day. You will be delighted at their fresh smell when you climb into bed. Expand gradually by hanging out laundry whenever the weather cooperates. Towels fluff best on a breezy day.

If you get really serious, read the weather reports several days ahead and plan when you will do laundry. On a warm breezy Saturday, I do as many as four loads, all dried on the line. A folding drying rack will do for the few periods when it is really impossible to get clothes dry outside.

A clothesline is such a small thing, such a simple step. Sometimes simple is the way to go. It feels good to hang out. Try it.

Joy Lominska,
Lawrence