Top 10 Benefits to Line Dry Laundry

When the laundry comes out from the washer, we usually load it into the dryer. Everyone loves the convenience of a clothes dryer that helps dehydrate garments super fast and sometimes works on removing wrinkles from your fabrics as well.

Line drying, however, seems like hard work since you need to hang every load of laundry indoors or outside to dry after each wash. But the fact is that it is not only energy-saving but also helps your fabrics last longer. 

The choices in types of clotheslines are various from simple to retractable on the market. They are affordable and good for the environment and remain the go-to option for many households across the country.

Let's take a look at what benefits you can reap from line drying.

01 Line drying clothes saves money

Since laundry is an inevitable chore, major appliances like washers can almost be found in every family. When it comes to a clothes dryer, it would be easier than when you can't wait all day for clothes to dry on the line. When there's not much demand for such convenience, hang drying your clothes, in the long run, helps you save a huge money bill. Besides clotheslines that are ready for the outside, you can choose foldable drying racks to dry clothes indoors. 

02 Promote energy saving

Line drying clothes conserves energy and leads you into a way of green laundry and sustainable living. By reducing the running cycles it consumes, you're helping save precious fossil fuels.  

03 Good for the environment

According to Pew research centre, there are more than 90 million clothes dryers in the United States and sun-drying clothes can reduce the average household’s carbon footprint by 2,400 pounds a year.

It is said by experts that line-drying would save 3.3 percent of the country's total residential output of carbon dioxide if all Ameicans choose to do so. Living in a sustainable way is what many households can opt to do for the protection of our climate. If possible, choose line drying as an alternative to a dryer.

04 Gentle on fabric and prevent shrinking 

Dryers toss and tumble garments to get them dehydrated under the heat, which weakens the fiber and seams and puts an extra strain on buttons and zippers. Line drying is gentler on the fabric instead. It reduces the possibility of getting your favorite sweater to doll size.

05 Clothes appear fewer wrinkles

Unwanted wrinkles and creases are common when the fabrics come out from the dryer especially when they've sat for so long. There're lots of easy laundry hacks that help you remove wrinkles, for example, toss a damp thick towel into the dryer and let the laundry run the second cycle. By hanging laundry on the clotheslines, you avoid turning the dryer on again, which promotes energy conservation and reduces surprising wrinkles.

06 Prolong the life of your garment

Excessively high heat in the dryer will cause stress on seams and snags from buttons and zippers as previously said. Line drying is far more gentle on your clothes and increases the lifespan of your garments. 

07 Remove strong odors and give a fresh scent

Leave your fabrics to the air and sun, the smell of freshness will imbue you all day long when you put them on. Despite the convenience of a dryer, line-dried clothes and sheets smell much fresher than those that are tumble dried without the use of extra chemical laundry boosters like dryer sheets and fabric softener. Fresh air and bright sunshine are free by the way.

08 Sunlight helps kill bacteria and bright whites

Photochemistry action takes place when the solar rays cross the wet clothing, which helps whiten and disinfect laundry. Sunlight is a natural bleach for white sheets, towels and cloth diapers, though, excessive sunlight can cause dark colors and other fabrics to fade. You should follow the garment care instructions or choose to air dry your clothes inside the laundry room.

09 Eliminate the plague of static cling

You know how embarrassed it is the clothes stick to each other and to you. Fabric softeners and dryer sheets are commonly used in the rinse and drying cycle with chemicals that make the clothes feel silkier and create less friction to the touch. However, you may get irritations if you are sensitive to the chemical derivatives added. Drying your clothes on a line gets rid of the need for dryer sheets or fabric softeners, helping reduce the harsh chemicals built up on your clothes.

10 Get you off the couch to exercise

Taking your clothes outside and hanging them on a clothesline can get you off the couch and move around. It's not that strenuous because it adds moderate exercise to our daily routines so that we can carry out the task at hand and feel free to catch our breath.

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