How to Line Dry Laundry

Many of us assume that line-drying laundry is a waste of time. To the contrary, line-drying saves money, energy and wear and tear on clothing and linens. Air-drying reduces wrinkles and eliminates static electricity, too. So what are you waiting for? Put up a clothesline and start today. Make line-drying your laundry a breeze.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Shake out wrinkles before hanging an item to dry. Give the item a good "snap" first and then smooth it out after you hang it. Straighten seams and hems.

2. Place shirts and blouses on hangers and position them between other items on the clothesline. Adjust collars, buttons, plackets and pockets to their correct positions.

3. Hang t-shirts by their tails so clothespin marks won't show. Hang socks by the toes.

4. Fold jeans over the clothesline with the legs hanging on one side and the upper part of the jeans over the other side of the line. Pull the front pockets pulled out. When the jeans are half-dry, flip them over so they'll dry all the way through.

5. Push the pockets of fitted sheets to the inside. This prevents dirt and debris from collecting when line-drying outdoors.

6. Dry towels by draping them over the clothesline. As with jeans, flip the towels over when they're about half dry.

7. Position heavy items near the ends of the clothesline to reduce sagging. The supports are less likely to pull loose.

Tips & Warnings

• Use plastic or coated wire hangers for wet laundry. Wire hangers will rust and stain clothing.
• If you have a lot of small items, hang a second clothesline about a foot below the first one.

Resources

• How to do laundry

[IrascibleChef]

on 8/4/2008 I was just telling my readers that I should post on ehow.com the instructions to dry wet clothes on an outside line. And here it is and very close to what I would have written. Great job! My version at http://www.irasciblechef.com/could-barbra-streisand-be-right/

—IrascibleChef

[Revell]

on 4/13/2008 thank u

[Revell]

on 4/13/2008 good thanks u