Jaci Dawn

There’s an art to this. Drying clothes on the clothesline is never as simple as it looks. You have to know *how*. Hang it wrong and you will never get the wrinkles out except by ironing. Certain fabrics of the modern world require extra steps.

Let’s start with towels because this is the one I hear most people complain about: they don’t like line-dried towels because the towels feel “abrasive”. I love line dried towels, but that’s an aside: don’t like them? Still want to help the environment by line drying them? Toss them into the dryer with a dryer sheet for fifteen minutes after they are dry on line.

Don’t like stiff blue jeans after they’ve dried on the line. Read the line above.

Cotton and other shirts or blouses that wrinkle easily? Toss them into the dry for 15 minutes before you pull them out and put them on hangers to hang on the clothesline. No ironing needed.

Hang t-shirts and other shirts from the bottom, never the top. Don’t stretch the fabric. If you’re hanging a man’s tuck-in shirt, you need four clothespins: two for the very ends of the shirt and two for the seams – you stretch the shirt out (but I really recommend the 15 minute toss in the dryer & a hanger to avoid wrinkles).

Jeans? If it’s really hot, you don’t need to pull the pockets out. Otherwise: pull the pockets out.

Don’t like your bedding so crisp? You’re a wimp. Okay, I get that. Toss the dried sheets into the dryer with a dryer sheet for 15 minutes. (Really, get over it, please!)

Pants: four clothespins needed. Hang the pants from the legs, never the tops. Two clothespins per leg. Depending on the fabric, you may have to roll the pants through the dryer before hanging them. What’s the impact? 15 minutes in the dryer vs. 45 minutes? You do the math.

I prefer ALL of my clothes dried on the line. I’m older. I remember crank telephones. Get over it.

I’m an expert on line drying clothes.