Home Trends From Bonni & Shauna

LINE DRYING LAUNDRY BASICS

For hundreds of years, people have been hanging their clothes, towels and sheets outside to dry. It’s better for the environment, helps your clothes last longer, leaves your laundry smelling fresh and is a cost-effective way to finish the laundry cycle. Essentially, to begin all you need is a string that can be hung off the ground, clothes pins and wet laundry. The ideal location for the clothesline would be where a breeze can blow through the items hanging and where the sun will warm the air but not necessarily beat down on the clothes all day. The sun, while providing bacteria killing UV rays, can also bleach colours, so be cautious if you’re concerned about keeping your clothes’ colours vibrant. If a sunny spot is all that’s available, turning clothes inside out

and bringing them in off the line as soon as they’re dry are ways to prevent sun damage. To prepare your laundry to dry outside, you can add about half a cup of white vinegar to the wash, which helps prevent the fabric from stiffening up whilst drying. Otherwise, be sure to run everything through a spin cycle before hanging so excess moisture is removed already. Try not to pack too many pieces onto the line so the air can flow easily around each item and to prevent the line from sagging. Finally, use clothes pins to secure pieces to the line as hanging items over the line can cause creases or the wind could blow the item away. Once the sun and wind do their work, remove items in a timely manner. Iron if needed, otherwise fold and enjoy the fresh dried smell and feel.

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