Nothing says eco-friendly and economical quite like line-drying your laundry. For many of us, summertime is the perfect season to do just that! Our natural laundry detergent, natural laundry detergent, is the perfect companion to your laundry’s day in the sun. Your clothes will smell fresh and clean (because we leave out synthetic fragrances) and your skin will thank you too!
Although line-drying clothes may not seem like rocket science, you definitely don’t want to come out to the yard to find the clothes line sagging under the weight of your laundry, and sheets and pillowcases strewn all over the yard. While it seems like a no-brainer, we do have some tips to make line drying a breeze.
First, always remember:
- The ideal weather for line drying is sunny and warm with a nice breeze. You want your clothes to flap in the wind a bit because it helps remove the wrinkles and softens the fabric. On the other hand, you don’t want it too windy or else the clothes will end up in your neighbor’s yard. Hot and humid with very still air will take a long time for your clothes to dry. Colored clothes should be hung inside out in the shade to prevent fading and whites should be hung in the sun to brighten them.
- If you don’t have a rotary line dryer or other preinstalled clothesline, you’ll need to tie one up. The average load of laundry requires about thirty-five feet of line and weighs around fifteen pounds. For this length of line and amount of weight, its best to use two parallel lines. A good sturdy cotton rope works best. Synthetic rope and plastic wrapped lines are more sag-resistant, but harder to tie and harder to pin clothes to.
- To tie the rope, the best knot to use is the taut line hitch. It is adjustable so that you can constantly retighten the line as it starts to inevitably sag. Here is a great video that demonstrates how to tie a taut line hitch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naHlkc-AQ34
Hanging Clothes Properly:
Yes! There is a proper way to hang clothes and make sure they don’t dry out of shape! Hang clothes with openings on the side the wind is coming from so the wind can blow through them. Also shake clothes out before hanging to help remove wrinkles.
- Button-up shirts should be hung unbuttoned and spread out by the hem with a few inches folded over the line, pinned at each end.
- T-shirts should be hung from the back hem so the front hem is left a little bit open to allow the breeze to blow through.
- Pants and skirts should be hung from the waistband.
- Straight dresses should be hung from the shoulder, but full-skirted dresses should be hung spread out from the skirt hem.
- Socks should be hung from the toe, underwear by the waistband and bras by the hook end.
Hanging Household Items Properly:
- Sheets and tablecloths should be hung by folding them hem to hem and then fold a few inches over the clothesline so they are hanging widthwise. Pin the corners after pulling them smooth. Then add a third pin to just the inside hem, so that there is a bit of an opening where the breeze can blow through.
- Pillowcases should be hung by just one hem so that the breeze can blow through the opening.
- Towels should be shaken vigorously so they snap, before pinning them to the line. This helps soften them and prevents the dreaded crunchy towel that has turned so many people off of line drying laundry.
- Napkins and washcloths should be folded over the line and pinned at both ends.
Once you get the hang of it, hanging your laundry out to dry is really quite simple and handy. Laundering your clothes with Better Life’s natural Spin-Credible and an afternoon blowing in the fresh summer breezes makes clothes easier to iron, they’ll smell fresh, and they’ll feel soft. You gotta love how Mother Nature does laundry!