Clothesline Drying Has Many Benefits
For the first time in my life, I am now living in a home with Central Air. And to be honest, it’s a love/hate relationship. I love to blow dry my hair without sweat dripping down my neck, but I hate how the house still smells like Winter. There should be a Summer breeze full of honeysuckle floating through the window on the waves of birdsong and windchimes.
So, instead of buying air fresheners scented like the outdoors and curating a playlist of summer noises, I decided to bring the outside in through my laundry. There’s just something about the scent of sheets fresh off the clothesline. They feel freshly ironed and are the perfect recipe for a peaceful night’s sleep. Imagine my surprise though when I found out that I had more than nostalgia on my side in my advocacy for clothesline dried laundry.
Do you know that your clothes dryer is most probably the most expensive appliance to run in your entire house? A clothes dryer is almost twice the wattage of the average dishwasher! Surprised? I was shocked. I thought for sure the most expensive appliance was my dishwasher. If you do the math, you probably spend close to $200 a year running your dryer! Oh, and don’t forget, you won’t need dryer sheets for clothesline drying!
Another bonus in clothesline drying; the sun is a natural bleach! To be honest, bleach (see our June blog on bleach) is a sensitive subject. Some people swear by it, others swear because of it. So, grab a load of whites and hang them up in the bright sunshine and watch your whites get bright, all naturally!
Let’s be honest. It might be fun to go shopping and find the perfect outfit. All until it’s time to swipe that card. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could get your clothes to look new even when they’re not? Line drying is gentler on your clothes and will protect them from shrinkage too. The next time someone says, “That’s a cute outfit. Where’d you get that?” you can honestly reply, “Oh, this old thing. I’ve had it for years.”
Lastly, my favorite reason to clothesline dry your clothes is that it gives you a chance to unplug. Let me level with you. This is going to take more time than tossing them into the dryer. You’re going to have to toss them into the laundry basket, lug them outside, hang them up, and then go back later and take them down. I promise you though, if you give it a try, you might find that that quiet minute outside taking the laundry off the clothesline gives you a chance to reflect on the day and take in the sounds and the smells around you before you head back into that oh so conveniently air-conditioned house.
One word of Caution, allergies* are no joke and as much as I love burying my head in a pile of towels fresh off the clothesline, that might be your worst nightmare if you suffer from seasonal allergies. In which case, you better stick to the dryer and a box of unscented dryer sheets. We promise not to make you feel like you’re missing out!
Spot Clothesline Drying Tips:
- Turn your dark clothes inside out to reduce the sun’s bleaching power.
- Turn all clothes inside out to help eliminate the chance of bee stings or stink bug invasions. When taking clothes down give a good shake and turn clothes right side out.
- Try a retractable clothesline if you don’t have room for a permanent line.
- *An allergy alternative to clothesline drying is that Spot can hang your laundry indoors, call 866-682-SPOT to try or click to learn more about our pick-up or drop-off services.
- More tips…
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