Frugal and Simple Laundry Series: Benefits of Line Drying

Today in our Frugal & Simple Laundry series I am going to be sharing the Benefits of Line Drying. Yes...I said benefits! While line drying clothes may seem like an old, out of date, and unnecessary practice to many, there are several benefits to drying your clothing the "old fashion" way.

Benefit #1 It saves you $$$ on Electricity. 

Did you know that your dryer is one of the top energy users in your home? Yep, it is right up there next to your refrigerator, lights, and your water heater. Even if you hang one of your loads each day, you will be saving money on your electric bill. Now who doesn't want to do that?! 

Benefit #2 It saves you $$$ on products. 

Fresh Mountain Air, Cool Breeze, Spring Rain, these are just a few of the fresh air smells that the commercial product companies are trying to bottle up and sell to you. You can have it for free by simply hanging your clothes to dry! 

I first started line drying after I began using cloth diapers. My diapers were looking a little stained and pretty dingy. However, you can not use bleach on cloth diapers. After doing some research I found that the sun is the best bleach ever! I hung my diapers out on the line to dry, and they looked brand new! Guess what...it also sanitizes!!! Don't worry about buying bleach, simply let the sun do it's thing! 

Benefit #3 Less wear and tear on clothing.

Have you seen how much lint your dryer collects? That is because your clothes are being worn out by rubbing together in your dryer. Hanging your clothes to dry outside will cut down on the wear and tear, allowing your clothes to last longer. 

Benefit #4 Less wrinkles = Less ironing

Properly hanging your clothes to dry can actually cut out the wrinkles. Less wrinkles means less time spent with your iron! Simply snap the item in the air to release the wrinkles, then hang to dry. 

Benefit #5 No Static Cling.

Static cling comes from your clothes rubbing up against each other in the dryer. No rubbing, no cling!

Benefit #6 Environmentally Friendly

Line drying obviously does not use any energy or put off anything harmful! A win-win!

Benefit #7 Time spent outside in the sunshine!

This is honestly my favorite benefit of line drying our clothes. I love the sunshine, and I love to be outside. This gives me the perfect excuse to spend fifteen minutes outside with the kids soaking in some vitamin D. (After looking up some of the benefits of sunshine I found that it can actually help to level out hormones in us ladies...and may even help with pms symptoms! That is a good enough of an excuse for me! I line dry to help with my pms! Ha!)

Here are a few tips to remember when line drying your clothes...

-Shake out wrinkles by snapping your clothes in the air before hanging them up to dry.

-Hang shirts and socks upside down to avoid marks from clothespins. (I have never noticed marks on my clothes from my clothespins before, but I have read that some others have this problem.)

- Fold your jeans and towels in half, then hang on the line. Flip them over when one side is dry.

- The sun is great at bleaching whites. Because of this you will want to turn your bright colors inside out, or hang them in the shade to prevent fading. 

-Hang heavy items on the outside of the line. This will keep your line from dipping too low in the middle. You definitely don't want your clean clothes dragging on the ground. 

- If your clothes feel a little bit crunchy, toss them into the dryer for a few minutes to soften them up. I only have to do this with our towels and jeans. Everything else feels great! 

-Remember not to hang items that are wool or loosely knitted, such as sweaters. Lay them flat to dry to retain their shape. 

-Wipe down your clothesline, and clean your clothespins periodically to avoid dirt build up that can transfer to your clothing. 

If the thought of hanging all of your laundry to dry seems a bit overwhelming, then start out with just one load a day. I will tell you though, that it really only takes me 15 minutes to take a load off of the line and hang a new one up. Plus I fold the laundry as I take it off the line, so that saves me time later. So why not give it a try? Get outside and enjoy the sunshine and fresh air! 

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Linking up to Frugal Days Sustainable Ways, and Healthy 2Day Wednesday