Tips for Line Drying Your Clothes

Line drying has been a traditional way to dry clothes which was easily possible in ancient times because there were no machines to do the job. Nowadays there are dryers that do the drying within a few minutes, but at the cost of missing out the benefits of line drying.

In line drying, clothes are hung along the clothes line in the morning and are left to dry out completely till evening. On the contrary, in our apartments we do not have enough space to arrange a clothes line and give sufficient time for clothes to dry. But if you plan correctly, you can find a place to arrange a clothes line even inside the house.

Though line drying is a traditional method, it has several benefits over machine drying or any other indoor drying method. Following are the benefits of line drying your clothes:

• The first and the most obvious reason to dry clothes naturally, outside the house, is that it saves money. A machine dryer uses maximum electricity than any other appliance in the house. You might not notice it because you use the dryer for a few minutes, but those few minutes if calculated for a longer period, can make a huge difference.

• You should also consider the amount of carbon dioxide emission from your household which will increase global warming. All the household appliances emit CO₂ on a large scale and you can control it by drying your clothes naturally in the sun and stop using a dryer.

• The sun acts as a natural whitener, sanitizer and a bleaching agent, which removes any hardest stains from white clothes and make them look milk-white. Line drying is kinder to printed materials such as T-shirts, and prevents loosening of the elastic from socks and other clothes.

• Though machine drying softens clothes, it also makes the fibers weak, hampering the life of the garment. But line drying helps in preserving clothes for a longer time.

• A machine dryer has limitations while drying. Materials like car mats, floor mats and large blankets cannot go into a dryer and you don't know what to do to dry them. However, if you have a clothes line, you can easily put them on it and air dry.

• Line drying clothes proves to be a great exercise for your body, which is not possible while using machine dryer. Along with good exercise, you also get to breathe fresh air and vitamin D from the sun.

Once you have decided to line dry your clothes, you just need to follow some easy instructions to get the best effect for your efforts and save your clothes from premature wear and damage. Take a look at the following tips while drying clothes on a clothesline:

• The location is the most important factor to be considered in this matter. In some areas drying clothes outside is forbidden because clothes hanging outside the house is not a very good sight and it lowers property value. In such a case you need to know about the local rules.

• The clothes line should be stiff enough to hold maximum clothes and should not droop when clothes are hanged on it. Never forget to pin the clothes with pins after hanging them as it will prevent them from flying away.

• Use plastic hangers for delicate clothing. Plastic because other hangers can stain the cloth. Be careful while using a hanger on a windy day as the hanger can blow away or clothes can slip off the hanger. You can pin the clothes to the hanger and clip the hanger to the clothes line to prevent it from slipping off.

• Keep the clothes line clean, else dirt on the line will pass on to clean clothes and damage them. Wipe it with a kitchen sponge and detergent regularly, to avoid accumulation of dirt and dust particles on it.

• Rotate the clothes at regular intervals to ensure even drying of clothes. Since, fabrics vary in their drying rate you need to monitor them regularly. Remove dried clothes and hang wet clothes in their places to dry them faster.

• Hang T-shirts by the hemlines rather than shoulders to prevent bunching at the shoulders which is again difficult to remove.

• You may want to dry too many clothes and so you crowd the clothes line, which will only increase the time required for drying. Instead, you can arrange one more clothes line and put the other set of clothes on that line which will provide enough room and sufficient time for all clothes to dry.

• Use vinegar while rinsing clothes which will prevent the clothes from stiffening after they have dried.

• Use clothes racks and place them under the shade to dry the clothes in cold weather. You can add salt to the final rinse water, which will avoid freezing of clothes on the line.

All in all, you can make your laundry day a little simpler by following the above easy instructions. Line drying is an easy and effective method of drying clothes which will make your laundry cheaper and more convenient. Adopt the method and keep your clothes safe for a long time.