When you pull all of those wet clothes out of your washing machine, you have a couple of options with regards to drying. Whether talking wet socks or t-shirts, you could just choose to pop them in the tumble dryer and let technology do the work for you.

However, you don't have to be environmental expert to understand that it's not the greenest option for the planet. You see, along with your home's heating, your tumble dryer is the most hungry when it comes to energy.

There are more eco-friendly ways to dry wet clothes

Taking each laundry basket of wet laundry and using a machine creates 3kg of greenhouse gases during a spin cycle and releases it into the atmosphere. Not only that, but the practice drives up your energy bills while also potentially damaging delicate fabrics.

As you might have guessed from the title of this article, the eco-friendly way to remove excess water from you clothes is to hang washing on a washing line outside. Here we offer up some tips on how to effectively employ natural indoor & outdoor drying.

Hanging Clothes With Coat Hangers

 

When you hang shirts or hang t-shirts at home to dry, they have the perfect shape for coat hangers - which is why you see them displayed that way in retail outlets. Also, using metal and wooden hangers for hanging clothes helps to prevent creases.

Typically speaking, t-shirts and work shirts need to be ironed to look their best, however, when using a coat hanger for the job, creases are greatly minimised. Any creases created by the laundry process simply drop out, with the weight of the water helping to smooth the fabric.

No Unsightly Peg Marks

As we'll discover moving through this article, other options that involve the use of washing pegs can result in strange-looking peg marks that need to be ironed out. Hangers, of course, don't require pegs, so it's not a problem you'll need to deal with.

So, what's the best type of hanger to use? When hanging clothes, most of the time, it doesn't really matter what your hangers are made of, so long as they're sufficiently strong. In rare cases, wood can warp and metal can rust, meaning using them can stain clothes.

Shake Out Excess Water Before Hanging Clothes on Coat Hangers

The wheres and whyfores of how to hang your washing is pretty self-explanatory, however, it is a good idea to shake each garment out thoroughly. This action straightens out many of the creases caused by washing, meaning you most likely won't need to iron them.

That said, cotton shirts will still need be ironed whatever drying process is used. You could also choose to utilise spare space in your home as a drying area. In addition to clothes hangers, wall hooks and door hooks serve this purpose rather well, with an open window providing ventilation if needed.

Using a washing line as an alternative to a clothes dryer

When figuring out how to hang your washing at home, space is always something of a challenge, particularly when you're washing for a whole family. However, if you get clever when you hang socks, towels and shirt together, you can create space.

If you hang clothes and overlap each one at the corners, you'll not only use fewer pegs, but you'll save space. However, you should expect these overlapping areas to take longer to dry, meaning that repositioning them after a couple of hours will speed things up.

Hang Your Washing Across the Line to Dry Clothes Quicker

Another good hanging washing tip is the practice of hanging clothes across the line, rather than over it. When you hang clothes in this way, it provides more ventilation, allowing moisture to be evapourated that much more quickly.

This is another option that provides more line space when hanging clothes while also allowing you to get more of your clothes out to dry. Air flow is also increased, letting the fresh smell of the outdoors to pervade all of your clothing.

Hang Socks Together - To Avoid Loss!

Is there anything more annoying than finding odd socks? Well, as we all know, socks get lost very easily, but by hanging them together as you pick them from your laundry basket, you'll keep everything nice and organised.

Simply pair them up as you hang them, with one peg needed for each individual sock. Also, having your pegs in a bag attached to the line will help reduce the time it takes you to hang your clothes while also ensuring pegs don't end up all over your garden.

Using a handing peg dryer - a plastic ring with mulitple pegs hanging underneath that provides more space - gives you a spot where you will be hanging your socks. It also makes it easy to put the stockings together and saves on space that can be used for other clothing.

Considering the Sun Bleaching Effect

When you hang clothes out in the sun, the heat, combined with the wind, offers the ultimate option for quicker drying. However, whilst they sway gently, drying on your clothes line, you also have to consider the fact the sun has a powerful bleaching effect.

So, if you're hanging clothes with bright colours, you may want to turn them inside out, so you can see the leg hem and leg seams. This is a great way to avoid peg marks on the outside as well as prevent fading before they're able to dry properly.

Using the Sun to Shift Stubborn Stains

Have you tried to remove stubborn stains, and all the methods seem to fail? Utilize the power of sunlight to save you from trouble. The Sun is an effective natural method of fighting stains. The sunshine lessens the appearance of blemishes and makes the white clothes look brighter.

Of course, this is not an issue if you're hanging white clothes, but those vibrant reds, blues and greens can end up looking more like a pastel hue. You see, as your Mum taught you, dark and bright colours can fade in bright sunlight, which is why handing under shade is preferrable (as an alternative to hanging the garments inside out).

A Few Additional Tips For Improving Drying Time

Have you ever taken a dry towel off of your washing line and found strange-looking peg marks that alter the entire shape of the item. Well, this might not be a massive problem for a towel, it is annoying when you drying a shirt or a t-shirt.

The good news is that these mis-shapen areas - that can be found around the shoulder area, can be avoided simply by hanging clothes by the armpit area or the bottom. When dealing with trousers or jeans, however, fold the waistband over or peg at the leg hem.

  • Other tips for hanging clothes for effective drying include:

  • Giving clothes a good shake so that water drips from the bottom edge

  • Using a vinyl-coated washing line, as it won't degrade quickly

  • Wipe your clothes line down before you hang items on it

  • Organise clothes into types/colours to save time when folding

  • Take your pegs indoors when not being used

  • Use 2,3 or even 4 pegs for knitwear, to avoid mis-shapen laundry

Follow the tips as laid out here and not only will your clothes dry faster, but they'll also keep their shape and their vibrant colouring. You'll also have enough space to hang everything while providing sufficient fresh air to result in a clothing that smells and feels great.

Helping You Take Care of Those Important Jobs Around the Home

Essentially, if you want your clothes to dry quicker, it's all about having sufficient space, warmth and plenty of ventilation. Ignore these tips and dry your clothes indoors without lots of fresh air and it's a sure fire way to get musty, mis-shapen garments.

We appreciate you reading right the way to the end of our article and we'd like to remind you that we offer a range of cost-effective wall hooks and door hooks that can be employed in your laundry room for effective drying. All you need to do is head over to the Hiatt online store where you'll also find a wide range of door locks, door handles and more.

As ever, we wish you well in your DIY endeavours and we hope our blog helps you enjoy Spring-fresh laundry everytime it's hung on the line.