Line-dried laundry is one of life’s simple pleasures. Clothes smell fresh without artificial fragrance. Gravity pulls out most wrinkles without the need of an iron. And one of my favorite reasons… enjoying the sounds of nature while sheets dry on the line… no hmm of a dryer interrupting song birds. But one other item goes hand in hand with a clothes line. It is the humble clothespin. Its purpose in life is to securely attach your laundry.
If you use your line frequently, you have encountered a problem when using wooden clothespins. Mold. Even though we may glance to the skies or follow the weather forecast, laundry and clothes pins get rained on (and in some instances snow makes an unexpected appearance). All of that weather can have an impact on those clothespin… even in arid climates. With prolonged exposure, it may just be a matter of time before the tell-tale black spots make their appearance. But clean sheets and moldy clothespins aren’t a good combination. Just what is a person to do besides run out and buy replacements? Bleach them!
Don’t toss out those pins just because of mold. They can be cleaned quite easily. All it takes is a little time, a large bucket or bin, water, bleach, and some time.
Steps to Removing Mold from Wooden Clothespins
- Combine ten parts water to one part bleach. (Use cold or warm water and do this in a well-ventilated area.)
- Add your clothespins carefully so as not to splash the water/bleach mixture on your clothing.
- Allow the clothes pins to soak for at least 6 hours or overnight. If the pins still have black spots, let them soak for a few more hours. (We generally soak overnight for best results.)
- Drain the water/bleach mixture.
- Place clothes pins on a screen and air-dry.
Once the clothespins are completely dry (turn them over just to be sure), they are ready to use. Now get out there and hang your laundry. If the pins get moldy, you are now armed with 5 easy steps to clean them.
Reblogged this on servprolongbeachoceanside and commented:
Mold can be anywhere and here is just another helpful tip from a fellow blogger.
Wow, what a difference!
Right? I was hopeful, but didn’t expect them to get this clean. They are now back to their duties hanging clothes on the line.
I have hung out clothes for 40 some years and never had mold on my clothes pins. I always bring them in, never leave them out side. Thanks for the tip, will file it, and hope i don’t need to use it.
We live in an arid state and so I was surprised when this happened. But am so happy that the water/bleach mixture worked.
I’m guilty of leaving my pins out so I have far to much experience with moldy pins 🙁 Thanks for the tip!!!
It is just one of those things that can happen when you hang laundry rather than use a clothes dryer. Glad you enjoyed the tip. It was amazing to see how well the bleach/water mixture worked.
I use an old plastic bottle to keep my clothespins in, one with a screw on cap and a medium to large size opening (like an old liquid laundry soap bottle). My clothes pins stay clean and bug free. But occasionally the clothes get left out in the rain and after awhile, the pins start to spot. This is a great solution!
Clever idea. I have an old-fashioned cloth holder for my clothespins. Our climate is pretty arid, so I was surprised when the mold spots appeared… but so glad they cleaned up nicely.
nice ideas, thanks for posting.
Thank you.
I’m glad I have read this, thanks for the info
You are welcome.
who knew it could be so easy to remove mold from wood! I love it. Thanks for sharing
You are welcome!
Worked like a charm. So glad I didn’t have to replace them. I will be more careful not to leave them outside when not in use
Yay! That is great to hear. I still have to remind myself not to leave my clothespins outdoors.