Green and Simple: How To Line-Dry Your Laundry

Backyard clotheslines are making a comeback in the U.S. as more people are turning towards simplicity and green living. The benefits of line-drying clothes extend beyond environmental stewardship through reduced energy usage, though. It’s plain good for the pocketbook, for one thing. (Calculate the cost of running your dryer at Michael Bluejay’s Saving Electricity site). It’s also gentler on fabrics, meaning they last longer, plus it leaves them smelling fresh and clean without you having to inhale the chemical perfume stabilizers (phthalates) contained in scented laundry products lingering in your clothes. Last but not least, there’s the enjoyment factor. I find it very relaxing and therapeutic to hang clothes to dry outside on a sunny, breezy day.

If you’re new to line drying here’s what you’ll need to get started:

Clothesline

• You can use any kind of cord or rope as long as it’s 1/8^th to 3/8^th of an inch in diameter (appx .3 cm to .8 cm), and easy to tie in a knot. Rope specifically packaged as clothesline can be found at most home goods or grocery stores
• If using something not packaged as clothesline, choose a material that will stand up to weathering outdoors, won’t mold, and won’t bleed color on your wet clothes.
• Hang it at eye-level for the best ergonomics, and to prevent sheets from sweeping the ground. Position it out of trafficked areas to reduce chances of someone getting “clotheslined.”

Something to hang clothesline from

• Trees - I hang my lines between two trees 15’ apart that each have forked trunks so I can have two lines with space in between. This is almost enough linear feet of line for one big load.
• T – Posts - You can erect T-posts with multiple eye-hooks on each if you want to run three or more lines in parallel in a compact space.
• You can also secure one end of your line to the side of your house or porch. Some manufacturers make retractable clothesline so you can put it away when not in use.

Clothespins

• You can find wooden or plastic. I happen to like wooden clothespins. If you plan on leaving them outside on the line, be aware that the wooden ones will turn grayish black and plastic ones will fade in color and become brittle. These can be found at most home goods or grocery stores

Clothespin bag

• This is a storage bag you can hang from your clothesline to easily carry and retrieve clothespins as you are hanging things, rather than bending over for them between every article of clothing.

Fabric softener

• Air drying clothes will leave them stiffer, especially if they dry quickly. Although it won’t be as soft as if you’d put them in the dryer, fabric softener added to your washer's rinse cycle will reduce the stiffness.
• I use Get Clean™ Soft Fabric Concentrate from Shaklee. It’s environmentally friendly, completely non-toxic, not tested on animals, and because it’s so concentrated, it costs less per load then even the cheap non-environmental brands. It works just as well if not better, to boot. (Go to my Shaklee website for more information on it).

Laundry basket

• Get one that can hold at least one load, is easy to reach into as you hang, and is comfortable for you to carry from the house to the clothesline when full. For fun and aesthetic reasons, I use an old-fashioned wicker laundry basket.

Some additional considerations:

Security

• I don’t have a fence around my yard, and my clothesline is visible to the street, so I make a couple of adjustments. For one, I hang my underwear inside the house. (Sorry, pervs). The other is I only put laundry out on the line when I’m going to be home for several hours. In four years, I’ve only lost a bathing suit.

Rainy wet weather

• You may need to create a back-up clothesline under your back porch, inside your garage or even inside your house. This is where a retractable clothesline can come in handy. You can also use stair railings.
• I happen to have several 18’ exposed beams in my rather low vaulted ceiling over which I can drape clothes. I often hang shirts and pants on molded plastic clothes hangers with swiveling heads like you find in the department store, and hook them over the beams.

Terrycloth towels

• Honestly, your towels are going to be stiffer and a little scratchier, especially if you’re like me and don’t spring for the high-quality ultra-soft ones. I’m still working on the right solution for that. If you have some good advice, by all means share it in the comments!

Time

• You may think you don’t have time to dry your clothes this way. If you need them to be dry 30 minutes from now, you may be correct. However, in terms of time used up, it only takes what you spend putting them up and taking them down. You can go off and do other things in between. And, if you fold them as you take them down, you can head straight to your drawers and put them away, saving a step.

Give line-drying a try. It will save you money, be gentler on the planet and on your clothes, plus you’ll have an excuse to enjoy some quiet time outside. And you will love snuggling into a bed at night covered in sheets that smell like sunshine and fresh air!