7 Great Reasons to Use a Clothesline Instead of a Dryer (2024)

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7 Great Reasons to Use a Clothesline Instead of a Dryer? ›

The heat and tumbling action inside dryers can damage clothing fibers over time. Air drying avoids that wear and tear. Without extreme heat exposure, line-dried garments maintain their color vibrancy and structural integrity for more years of use.

The heat and tumbling action inside dryers can damage clothing fibers over time. Air drying avoids that wear and tear. Without extreme heat exposure, line-dried garments maintain their color vibrancy and structural integrity for more years of use.

Overall, whether you're using an outdoor line or an indoor rack, the main benefit is the preservation of your clothes' quality and longevity. Additionally, it's an environmentally friendly choice, reducing energy consumption and saving on electricity bills.

I estimate that by hang drying clothes in my family, we save $341 per year, while the average American family could save $200. These totals alone aren't that significant, but they add up over time. In other countries, cost savings play a bigger role.

A clothesline takes up a lot of space, requiring a place that is not under trees and gets plenty of sunlight and breezes. A clothesline also requires two good anchor points for stringing up the line, and you must be able to reach the lines easily. Retractable clotheslines are an excellent solution for temporary use.

Hanging laundry to dry outdoors can capitalize on natural air circulation and sunlight, experts say. Beyond the fresh smell, exposure to the sun can also have antimicrobial and whitening effects on fabrics, Karpova says.

It's entirely up to you exactly when you hang the washing out - if you need to leave early in the morning, you can hang it out while it's still dark. Nothing bad will happen! In fact, in the summer you can even hang the washing out before you go to bed so that it's all ready for the sun as soon as it comes up.

If you need your laundry done quickly, tumble drying might be the better choice. If you have time to spare, line drying offers cost-efficiency and environmental benefits.

Air-drying your clothes can reduce the average household's carbon footprint by a whopping 2,400 pounds a year. Not many people can afford to spend any more than necessary on energy bills, and many households pay more than $100 a year on the electricity claimed by their dryer.

Are clotheslines worth it? Definitely—it only takes a few minutes to hang one load of laundry. You save money, and the sun can kill microorganisms on your clothes. That means your clothes are cleaner and last longer.

Does line drying really save money? ›

Line drying your clothes is a great way to save money, as it uses free air and sunlight and keeps your utility bills low. Not only that, but it also helps preserve fabrics and clothing from heat damage, extending their life and saving you money in the long-term.

Use a folding rack, retractable clothesline, wall mounted rack or ceiling airer, and position it near a window, a fan, or air conditioner vent for better air circulation. Avoid overcrowding, leave a bit of extra space between thick articles to prevent them from touching and taking longer to dry.

In general, light and thin fabrics such as cotton T-shirts or thin towels can take 2-4 hours to dry from the inside. Heavier fabrics such as denim or thick towels may take 4-6 hours or longer to dry. If the room is humid or the air circulation is poor, the clothes may take longer to dry.

As of August 2013, the states of Florida, Colorado, Hawaii, Arizona, California, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin had passed laws forbidding bans on clothes lines, while Utah allows local jurisdictions to ...

Do not leave laundry outside at night as it risks humidity and bad odors. Better to spread it out during the day for good drying in the air fresh.

A drying rack can be a small space alternative to a clothesline. This DIY drying rack uses clotheslines to hang the clothes from the rack. It's a great way to indoor line dry your clothes. A simple wooden frame holds everything together, with dowel rods giving delicates a place to hang.

With an automated laundry rack system, you can simply hang your clothes on the poles and let the device do the rest. Dry clothes faster and safer - An automated laundry rack system can dry your clothes faster and safer than leaving them outdoors or using a dryer.

Your Clothes Shrink

In fact, dryers have been found to shrink clothes twice as much as regular washing does, and tumble drying shrinks twice as much as normal air drying. The mechanical tossing of your clothes in the dryer and the forced air cause your clothes to constrict and shrink after they balloon in the washer.

The gentle nature of air-drying helps extend the life of clothing, bedding, towels, and other items, making them last longer than if they were dried in a machine.

Hung outside, the ultraviolet light from the sun kills bacteria effectively in your laundry. Plus, clothes dried in the sun produce a range of aldehydes and ketones; organic compounds that our noses associate with the scent of plants or perfumes.