Tuesday Tips: 10 Tips for Line Drying

HANGING LAUNDRY OUT TO DRY

1. Just installing a clothesline? Don't put it under a tree or you will just be throwing clothes back in the washer after a bird leaves its droppings all over your clothes

2. Hang shirts from the hem instead of the shoulders so you don't get little teeth marks and bumps from the indent of the clothes pins

3. Materials that tend to lose their shape - hang on an hanger on the line.  I also hang dresses on hangers.

4. Think about where the sun is going to be when hanging things out to dry. I like having the sun's heat work on sheets and towels so I like to hang those out when the sun is shining at its fullest on my clothes line.  If you have a load darks, you don't want the sun to fade them so hang when the sun is not beating down on it.  Also hang darks inside out to help with fading.

5. Don't like the stiffness that happens with line drying?  Pop them into the dryer for about 5 mins and then you are still saving energy by using the clothes line, but also getting your clothes to feel a little softer.

6. Using vinegar in your rinse cycle also helps on the stiffness. I use about 1/4 to 1/3 cup vinegar per load. Your clothes won't smell like vinegar. That odor disappears as it is rinsed through your clothes.

7. Don't over crowd the line when hanging clothes out.  It takes the clothes longer to try and causes wrinkles as you are bunching things closer together.

8.  Have a bag or somewhere to store your clothes pins as they can weaken over time with the sun constantly beating down on them. Plastic clothes pins are said to weaken and break springs faster than wooden ones.

9. Just because it is an overcast day doesn't mean your clothes won't dry. Air and wind dry just as much as the sun's heat.  Just watch for the weather so that you don't have to re-launder clothes.

10. Don't have room in your yard for a line or live in an apartment - think about getting a drying rack.  I use mine all year round. I put it on the deck in the summer and nicer days and in the winter and fall, I set it up in our tub. It is easy to take down and put. Folds compact to not taking up a lot of room.