If you don’t use residential laundry services and wash your own laundry, see below for three reasons to have your clothes line-dried.
Your care tags say to air dry only
Most clothing with intricate designs, weaving, and hardware require careful washing and drying. If they can handle drying machines, the cycle has to be low heat and low tumble. Some dryers have an air dry cycle, but nothing beats actual air drying.
If your clothing says air dry only, it should be hung or laid flat to dry depending on its fabric. According to laundry experts, clothes and stretchy fabrics should be laid out, while fleece clothes should be hung. Other delicates that can be hung to dry include lingerie, camisoles, and underwear. Be wary of putting them under direct sunlight, as their colors can fade.
On a similar note, down pillows should be laid out to air dry after going through the drying machine. Dryers rarely get all the moisture out even after a couple cycles, and too many cycles can damage their fill.
You want to bleach your clothes without chemicals
Direct sunlight is a natural source for brightening and disinfecting clothes—and with the benefit of smelling like clean cotton. Instead of relying on harsh chemicals that could damage fabric and cause allergic reactions, you could lay your whites out in the sun on a clothesline or drying rack. Line-drying also removes stains without spot treatments.
One downside of using the sun to bleach your clothes is that it will fade other colors. A workaround is to turn your colorful fabrics inside out to protect the exterior. You could also put your colored clothes in the shade, as they’ll still dry from the indirect sunlight.
Your drying machine is too tough on your clothes
Dryers, even with delicates and air drying cycles, are tougher on clothes than simple line-drying. If your favorite fabrics are falling apart or tumbling into knots, you’ll find line-drying far gentler. You won’t have drawstrings catching on zippers or the protruding edge of the lint trap.
Line-drying will gently evaporate moisture, even if your clothing is in the shade. If your clothes are white or can handle direct sunlight, they’ll dry faster and without the rough tumble of a machine. With continued line-drying, you’ll find your clothes lasting longer, smelling fresher, and less irritating to wear if you have skin sensitivity.
