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9 Tips for Hanging Out Laundry on the Clothesline

The following post is from Emily of Live Renewed: 9 Tips for Hanging Out Laundry on the Clothesline

source: Emily McClements

One of my favorite green things to do when the weather warms up is to hang my laundry out on the line to dry. Clothes dryers are one of the biggest users of energy in our homes. We can help to protect the environment and save both energy and money by skipping the dryer and hanging our clothes out to dry instead.

I love the way that line-dried laundry smells so fresh and clean, and line drying is more gentle on clothing and can help it look nicer and last longer, as the heat from the dryer actually breaks down the fabric. That is where the lint comes from.

Over the past few years of hanging our laundry out on the line, I’ve learned some tips that help it work best for me, and will hopefully help you get started with hanging your laundry. Depending on the amount of space, as well as the type of clothesline you have, these tips can help you to maximize the amount of laundry you can hang up. Better yet, they will help your lined-dried clothes to come off the line looking their best.

1. Shake your clothes to help remove wrinkles.

When you hang your clothes on the line, they can come off virtually wrinkle-free if you give them a good, strong shake before you hang them up.

9 Tips for Hanging Out Laundry on the Clothesline at lifeyourway.net
source: Emily McClements

2. Hang clothes upside down to help avoid clothespin marks.

You can hang your shirts upside down by the hem to help avoid that tell-tale clothespin pinch-marked and stretched outlook at the shoulders. Also, hanging your pants upside down helps to remove wrinkles and may be easier than trying to pin a thick waistband onto the line.

3. Hang clothes inside out to help avoid fading.

If your line is in direct sun, you may want to consider hanging your clothes inside out to avoid fading from the sun over time.

9 Tips for Hanging Out Laundry on the Clothesline at lifeyourway.net
source: Emily McClements

4. Hang clothes in the sun to help remove stains.

On the other hand, if you have clothing with stubborn stains or whites that are looking dingy, you can hang them out in the bright sun which will help to remove the stains and make your whites look bright again.

5. Throw clothes in the dryer on air fluff to help remove stiffness.

If you are worried about your clothes feeling stiff when coming off the line, you can always throw them in the dryer for a few minutes on air-fluff, with no heat, to soften them up. I find that if clothes are a little stiff at first when you put them on, they will soften up as you wear them.

9 Tips for Hanging Out Laundry on the Clothesline at lifeyourway.net
source: Emily McClements

6. Overlap the edges of clothes to help maximize your space, and use fewer clothespins.

If you’re tight on space on your clothesline or don’t have enough clothespins, you can overlap the edges of the items, using just one clothespin for the edge of two items. Clothes make take a tiny bit longer to dry this way, but I haven’t found it to be a significant problem.

7. Use hangers to hang some items to maximize space, and save time.

For items that will go on hangers in your closet anyway, and won’t get the funny stretched-out marks from the hangers, you can space and time by hanging them on hangers. Then, when their dry you can transfer them right into your closet.

9 Tips for Hanging Out Laundry on the Clothesline at lifeyourway.net
source: Emily McClements

8. Hang onesies upside down by their snaps.

If you have a baby that wears onesies, you can also save clothespins by hanging the onesies upside down on the line by their snaps.

Using those three tricks I can hang a full load of laundry on our single clothesline.

9. Unmentionables can be hidden behind other clothes.

Finally, if you’re worried about hanging underwear and similar types of items out on your clothesline, you can always hang them up behind other items of clothing to hide them. Or if you have clothes drying rack, you can put them on there, where they will be less noticeable to the neighbors than up on line.

If you’re looking for other green laundry tips be sure to check out these other posts:

  • Choosing A Natural Laundry Detergent
  • Homemade All-Natural Stain Remover
  • How to Make Homemade Dryer Sheets

Do you hang your laundry out on the line? If so, what are your best tips for hanging out laundry?

Emily McClements strives to live with compassion and care for creation in a way that will impact the world. She is a blessed wife and mama to three young children, and blogs about her family’s journey toward natural and simple living at Live Renewed.