Rediscovering Line Drying

Honestly, I've never been a fan of line drying.

 

As a kid, during the summer's while my mom worked and I was babysitting my younger cousin's in our home, one of my duties was laundry.  My mom had one of those big square clotheslines in the backyard and during the warm weather we didn't use the dryer at all if it could be avoided.

 

My dislike of the clothesline was twofold.  One, I hated dragging those baskets of heavy, wet clothes into the yard and spending the time to hang each item from the pins.  For two, I never liked how stiff the clothes felt.

 

There are other things to dislike about line drying.  Bright clothes can fade.  Birds can perch on the line and re-soil (even stain) your clothes.  Neighbors might seem your unmentionables. Items can blow off.  And if you have a dog that can reach your line.... well.... you might come up missing an item or two.  Of course there is always the risk of your friends and family asking you if you're having money trouble when they see your clothesline (yep, seems strange, but I've had a couple ask it).

 

Regardless of this, I'd been kicking the idea of putting up a clothesline for awhile.  Even with all the negatives, there are definitely some positive reasons to do it.

• For one, you save electricity.  I realize it's not much per load, but added up over time the savings can be quite large.  And if you run A/C in the house in summer, your home cooling will benefit from not using the dryer as well.  Not using electricity is also helpful for the environment, and who doesn't feel that's important?
• Another thing that's wonderful about line drying is that your clothes smell wonderful!  Unless someone is out burning or some other noxious smell is in the air, your clothes can really only benefit from a good airing out.  There's a reason all those fabric softener companies try to market their items with outdoorsy scents!
• Depending on conditions, your laundry may dry in half the time!  Yesterday it was 90 degrees with a breeze.  By the time I had gotten an entire load up (15 minutes or so), the first items were nearly dry.  Much, much quicker than the dryer.
• If you have enough line space, you can finish laundry in less time.  The average washing cycle for a large load of clothing is about 30 minutes (though for some HE machines it can be longer).  The average drying cycle is 45 minutes.  So that means that for each load you lose 15 minutes of time waiting for the dryer to finish.  If you are doing multiple loads like I do, that can add up.  I did four loads of laundry yesterday, so line drying saved me quite a bit of time!
• Line drying saves your clothes wear and tear.  As the drum turns in a dryer, your clothes are rubbing up against each other.  Think of this like very fine sandpaper.  Sure, it's not doing much harm, but over the life of a garment you'll loose more fiber that you will using a line dry method.
• Exercise!  Okay, so I had to through that in.  Yes, line drying will make you get out and move!  Instead of standing in one spot and going from washer to dryer, you're going to have to put things in a basket, carry them outside, hang them, then come back later to take them down and fold.  A little more work, but it also is going to but a few more calories and get you a little more fresh air!

So here's some tips to get a good line dry:

1. Don't forget the fabric softener.  The fabric softener will help keep the wrinkles out while drying.  It's always good for keeping your clothes from getting too stiff.
2. Turn bright colored clothes inside out.  This keeps any fade from being noticeable.
3. Hang shirts by the hem, not by the shoulders.  Nobody likes those strange looking pinch marks that clothespins make, so put them somewhere they won't be seen.
4. If your line is in the sun, try not to let them over dry.  The longer they are out the more likely you are to get stiff clothes.

What do you do if your clothes do end up stiff?  A quick fix is to take the load, or the parts of the load that need softening into the dryer with a fabric sheet.  Turn it onto a low heat and tumble for a few minutes.  I know, you're thinking, how is more heat going to help?  Well, remember that fabric softener you washed the clothes in?  Most of the fabric softeners on the market today work best when heat activated, just like laundry detergents do.  Applying a little heat will activate the softener and relax your clothes.  Your body heat will also do this if you choose not to use the dryer.  And while I realize that using the dryer to relax your clothes seems to defeat the point, consider the fact that you won't do this to everything, and 10 or 15 minutes of a warm (not hot) cycle is still using far less energy than a full cycle.

 

Wondering how you can get started?  Get some pins, find a place to put a line, and go!  Hardware stores and home improvement centers either still carry or can get you the big square line dryers if you desire them, but you can put a line just about anywhere. 

 

Now, I'm funny about not wanting a line out in my backyard all the time, so I purchased a retractable unit at Lowe's for about $16.  It has a 49' line, and comes with all you need to mount it.  In my case, I was able to attach the unit bracket to the house, and the hook that the line attached to on a nearby tree.  My line is roughly 30', and the excess is looped around a knob at the base of the unit to keep tension.  When not in service I just unloop the cord, unclip it from the hook, and it rolls up.  When winter comes and line drying becomes not an option, you can remove a pin and take the unit inside for storage.  The bracket and hook stay in their location for quick set up the next time.  Easy peasy.

 

Happy laundering!  Until next time!  :-)