“Bring the washing in off the line, it’s about to rain!”
This phrase was often echoed throughout the small community we lived in during our 3-year stay in Scotland.
It never ceased to amaze me that in a part of the world that received enormous amounts of rainfall, people were line drying laundry outside on a regular basis, despite how easy it to make an indoor clothesline.
They hung their clothes outside in backyards the size of a credit card. Rain or shine, sleet or snow. Sometimes they would even leave the clothes outside while it rained and let them dry all over again. No biggie.
Why is this such a common tradition in a place where it would be much more convenient to use a dryer?
From my observations, people were more frugal in this area because they had to be. Utilities are astronomically expensive in that part of the world. To heat our very small Scottish home at the peak of winter, it could cost up to $150 (70 British pounds) per week!
This was a very good motivator for keeping utility costs to a minimum and line drying laundry was free. With the enormous cost to simply heat a home in the cool climate, I’m sure Scots made it a priority to line dry laundry to save money, but there are other benefits too!
4 Benefits of Line Drying Laundry
1. It saves money.
This one’s a no-brainer, but let’s break it down. Electricity expert Michael Bluejay says:
A clothes dryer accounts for a whopping 12% of electricity use in a typical household. And clothes drying is one of the easiest places to save energy, because you can erase 100% of the cost by simply hanging your clothes up to dry. At a sample rate of $0.15/kWh and 7.5 loads per week, we’re talking a savings of $196 per year by line-drying instead of using an electric dryer. That’s hefty.
I agree – that is hefty! An extra $200 per year just for line drying laundry? Image what you could do with the extra money!
Of course your exact cost will vary depending on your local rates and electric and gas providers, but this handy calculator can help you find out how much you’d save per load hung on the line versus put in the dryer.
Related Articles: The Easiest Way to Save Money on Laundry
2. It gets you outside.
Nowadays, people don’t go outside nearly as much as they did a couple of generations ago. In times gone by, people had to be outside just to make life work. They gardened, tended animals, and yes, did the washing!
We all know that going outside improves our Vitamin D levels, but connecting with nature has also been shown to reduce stress and improve sleep – which are some of the biggest influencers of health.
There’s also new knowledge about how physically coming coming into direct contact with the earth (such as going barefoot) can be beneficial to our bodies. The concept is called earthing, and it can reduce inflammation and free radical damage. Yes, it’s an actual thing!
According to Dr. Josh Axe, the idea is that by being in touch with the planet, the electrical force coming off the earth is able to help lower inflammation and fight free radicals. Katie (from Wellness Mama) also has a great write-up on the benefits of dirt.
It sounds strange, but it couldn’t hurt, right? Line drying laundry is a great way to get more of that outside earthing time.
Related Article: 6 Practical Tips for Getting Outside More
3. It’s healthier.
Maybe I’m a weirdo, but I think there must be some health benefit to wearing clothing that’s been dried outside. That smell of fresh air… there’s something very therapeutic about it, much more so than any perfume-y fabric softener.
Line drying laundry freshens your clothes perfectly, so there’s no need for all those heavily fragranced detergents and dryer sheets – many of which contain harmful ingredients.
You could switch to a non-toxic or homemade laundry detergent and never have to worry about adding fragrance because line drying ensures your clothes will always smell great.
4. It’s good for your clothing.
You know that massive ball of lint you pull out of the dryer every day? Turns out that’s a chunk of your clothes going in the trash.
Using a dryer is hard on clothes and makes them wear out faster. And those lint balls on your favorite shirt are not pretty.
Line drying laundry is gentler on fabric and makes your clothes last a lot longer… which means more money in your pocket!
Aside from homemade bleach alternative, the sun is also great for whitening those whites. Sunshine is a natural disinfectant and a perfect solution for those towels harboring a mildew smell, too.
A side note: It’s also possible to air-dry your clothing indoors if the weather is bad. However, this article explains a possible health hazard when doing this. Indoor drying causes moisture levels to rise, which can be create breeding ground for mold spores.
If you’re going to dry things indoors, use a dehumidifier in the same room to rid the air of excess moisture or choose a well ventilated area.
With all of the great benefits and savings of line drying your clothes, you may be excited yet overwhelmed at where to start. You may be thinking, “This sounds wonderful, but how will I find the time?”
If you’re like me, you’re always looking for ways to cut corners when it comes to household chores.
Related Articles: Saving Money on School Clothes
If you’re overwhelmed, here are some tips for getting started line drying laundry:
1. Start with large items.
If the thought of hanging all those little socks and pairs of underwear drains you, start with only line drying larger items like blankets, sheets and towels, for a time. You may enjoy it so much that you decide to line dry more often.
2. Enlist help with smaller items.
There’s no shame in getting help from people or inventions. Whoever invented the clip and drip hanger is my hero forever, and it’s easy enough to use that my kids can be in charge of hanging up the socks!
3. Air out second hand buys.
My mom doesn’t line dry, but every time she purchases something second hand, she lets it hang outside for several days to get that “smell” out. Who wants to carry around the fragrance from some mystery person’s laundry detergent? Not this gal.
This concept works great with second hand shoes, too!
4. Not EVERYTHING needs to be folded.
Yes, you heard me right – I’m a huge advocate for not folding items that won’t be seen in public (washcloths, underwear, etc.). Refraining from folding certain items will free up time for you to invest in line drying!
Remember – line drying is beneficial for your pocketbook AND your health. Why not give it a try this summer?
Would you consider line drying, or is it too much of a hassle? Do you have any additional tips?
This post was written by Mary of Simply Nature Plus Nurture.
I normally love line-drying my clothes! I like that the sun bleaches out the stains, and if it’s a windy enough day, there’s aren’t too many wrinkles. If the kids are playing outside we can all be out together without actually having to run around and do the same thing they’re doing. *grin*
That being said… I HATE that bugs and pollen get on the clothing at certain times of year and think this contributes to skin irritation. I took to putting my clothes in the dryer on the air-only cycle to get off any loose items. If it’s NOT a windy day, the clothes tend to be wrinkly and often stiff… and then there are the times you forget to bring the clothes in and it rains or it starts raining and you have to bring in damp clothes. In the latter situation, you took the time and energy to put the clothes out, only to have to put them in the dryer anyway!
We did some yard work and had to remove our line, and for a while I was disappointed… until we were hit with a plague of caterpillars in our area that ended up on EVERYTHING! I was glad we hadn’t bothered (especially because I started having allergic reactions to them, just being out in the yard).
So, I think there are good points and bad. I DO still hang-dry certain items of clothing inside, though, because it’s gentler on certain items.
I dried clothes and diapers outside on a line when I had babies. My back yard had a perfect sunny spot, and I would bring my babies outside with me while I hung up the wash.
My diapers were snow white from the sun, and everything smelled wonderful.
I moved to a place where the only place I could hang a line was under a heavily shaded patio, and it just wasn’t the same. I switched to using a dryer instead, and I missed it.
Now I only dry delicate items by hanging them up inside (I live in a dry climate so there’s no issue with dampness in the house). But of course they don’t smell lovely. Once in a while I’ll put a white item out on the lawn to bleach in the sun, or I throw our duvet over a lavender bush to air out.
Thank you for this article, it brings back nice memories!
Would love to line dry but with daughter allergy is not an option.
What a great article! I LOVE line drying!! Seriously, even on extremely busy days, it’s a relief to ‘have’ to hang my laundry out. It is so good to just take the extra time outside. Honestly, it’s therapeutic! And yes, I do plan my laundry days around the weather 🙂
And a side note about allergies…some would consider me to have allergies, but honestly, I don’t have any problem with line dried clothing, I actually have less problems because its aired out.
I truly love hanging laundry. It is the chore I loved when I was working so much and rarely could get outside. The feel of the sun was always a welcome delight. Now living in Florida I have so much opportunity to hang clothes! When the trees took over my clothes line I bought a portable clothes drying rack system that holds two loads, is on wheels and can be used on a porch, in the house etc. It has an area to hang dry on hangers, clips for socks spaghetti strap tops, and bars to hang items over. It all folds to a slim size to store but mine is always out. I got it on Amazon. In the house it takes 24 hours for clothes on the rack, to dry but outside it works in an afternoon. So now my clotheslines are back and I hang laundry daily using both the rack and lines. During the rainy season the laundry is on the line until the rain comes and then I move it to the rack on the patio. One tip is I put the wet laundry in my dryer for 10 minutes to remove lint and hair, from 4 dogs. Then I hang it outside. You could do it after hanging outside to dry to remove pollens etc I imagine.
Line drying is also a good way to keep healthy moving in your day! I purposely put my laundry basket away from the line and enjoy walking back and forth to hang up the clothes. It’s an easy way to add more steps to my day!
That’s a great idea!
My biggest reason for not line drying (aside from the 2 or 3 months of pollen season in GA) is that the clothes are stiff. I hate stiff clothes and stiff scratchy towels. Is there a way to avoid having stiff crunchy clothes and still line dry?
Any time I’ve line dried, my clothes always end up very stiff as well. The best thing I’ve done is give them a good shake before folding. I’m not overly experienced with line drying though, anyone with more experience have good ideas for softening up those clothes??
I’ve not had trouble with stiffness except for towels. I admit that I do put towels, socks, and underwear in the dryer.
This maybe counter productive but I just throw them in the dryer for a minute or to with those dryer balls no heat. makes them loosen up.
My favorite household chore is hanging out laundry. My mom had four lines when I was growing up and no dryer, so it seems natural to me to hang it out. Undies and towels are the only things I put in the dryer. I only have one line and envy her four, but I make it work. I double my space by hanging shirts on hangers in between other clothes. I hang my shirts inside out so that I don’t get bumps in the shoulders. An Amish lady told me that if you hang your clothes out on a windy day, it softens the clothes. In the winter, my clothes have frozen stiff as I hung them out, but on a windy day they will dry faster than a still day above freezing.
That’s fantastic! I’m glad you can keep up the tradition of line drying.
I love line drying my clothes. I love the fresh smell, and it’s real, not created with chemicals. I think it actually saves me time, too. When the clothes are dry I fold the linens as I’m pulling them off the line and put them away. I leave my kids’ clothes in their rooms and I put mine away right then. When we had a dryer clothes would sit inside until we needed something or had another load to be dried.
Line drying is a beautiful old practice. I often envy people (as ridiculous as that sounds) when I pass by their little run down homes and see their undies flapping in the non-existent wind here in south Texas. I tried line drying… I really did. But. The bugs. The humidity. The pollen. Ever open a stiff weird smelling line dried towel and have an enormous angry red wasp pop out? I have >. < Unfortunately 2 of our 5 member families have eczema & I am allergic to grass (bummer). I even have to scrub plastic chairs from outside just to sit or I itch for days. I hang dry t-shirts to prolong their life indoors (except for Husband, he can't stand line dried clothes). I have a very nice fan that circulates the air & they dry in a couple hours. Towels, blankets & pants get dried in the dryer to prevent mildew ( a huge problem in Texas). Socks & undies dry on a rack & then take a tumble through the dryer to soften them up. If you live in a drier climate & aren't surrounded by woodland creatures, line drying is great!
I grew up hanging out all the laundry. We had no dryer back then. With my family, I loved to hang out the sheets and pillowcases, some of the shirts and pants. I loved the fresh scent it gave them. Over the years, I managed to hang out only the sheets and pillowcases. I had to stop that because of some birds that flew over my backyard and used the sheets for target practice. They ate purple berries and my sheets ended up with huge purple splotches on them.
My Mom always hung the laundry out to dry and I as a young mother followed suit. Through the years, I’ve hung my clothes out and used the dryer. But, I still like to hang my clothes out. There is no comparison to bed sheets that are hung out to dry. The first night in those sheets is heaven.