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4 Common Laundry Problems & How To Avoid Them

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Line drying is a conventional way of drying wet clothes. Even though it is best for clothes in many scenarios, it can still be a mess for some people. If you are facing issue in line drying your laundry, worry no more. We will discuss 4 common line drying problems and share easy tips of avoid them.

Line Drying Problem - It takes too much time

Good line drying image
Good line drying image

Line drying takes more time than machine/tumble drying. With that said, the time it takes to line dry depends heavily on multiple factors. It depends on the fabric you’re trying to dry, the weather, how wet your garment is prior to line drying, what time of day you choose to line dry, etc.

Solution - Remove extra water/moisture from clothes

You can remove extra water properly while rinsing clothes. This will make them dry faster. Here’s what you can do before line drying clothes.

Hand wash

Squeeze every garment one by one and until water droplets stop dripping. You can also take a clean white towel, spread it on a flat surface. Now, spread one garment on the table and roll the towel with slight pressure. The towel will absorb extra water.

Machine wash

Set your machine on the highest spin cycle, because fast spins remove more moisture from clothes.

Line drying problem – It is not suitable in rainy season

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06 copy 20

If you live in a climate where you have summer storms or rainy/snowy winters, then line drying your clothes outdoors can feel like a risky chore. If you want the benefits of line drying without the risk of a rainstorm ruining your hard work then consider line drying indoors.

There is no denying to the fact that it is actually tough to line dry clothes during rainy season. If you don’t

Line drying indoors means you’re less likely to forget about your laundry on the line. Even if you somehow forget about laundry hang drying in your house, there is no risk of excessive sun exposure, evening dew, or an unexpected rainstorm getting in the way of a job well done.

Solution - Prefer line drying indoors during rainy season

You should purchase a drying rack depending on the area available inside your house and the number of clothes you wash and dry. In case, you have less space, you can use a collapsible rack or foldable rack. It takes very less storage space when not in use. 

Focus on the weight capacity of a drying rack. Suppose your regular laundry load is 6-7 kg, then the rack should hold the weight of the wet laundry. 

To line dry woollens you should purchase a rack with a ventilated horizontal surface to lay the garments flat. Whereas, a retractable clothesline helps in drying lingerie. 

Line drying problem – It fades the colour of dark clothes

dry in shade
dry in shade

Ever wondered why your dark coloured clothes starts fading or clothes? Line drying can be a major reason. If you line dry clothes outdoors and expose your clothes to sun for long hours, sunlight will fade out the dark colours gradually.

Solution – Lessen sun exposure to prevent fading and save colourful clothes

The sole reason why your colours fade away is excessive sunlight. Hence, the best way to prevent colour fading is not keeping the clothes under sunlight for long hours. Yes, sunlight has several benefits, but half an hour to 1 hour is enough to leverage those benefits.

Next, you should always line dry colourful clothes inside out. If possible try to hang such clothes at a place where they get some shade. And, if you cannot do any of these things, simply prefer line drying your clothes indoors and eliminate sun exposure completely.

Line drying problem – It makes the clothes stiff

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WhatsApp Image 2023 06 02 at 10.46.30

Do you hate how clothes end up feeling very stiff? The main cause of stiffness is leftover detergent. When clothes are not properly rinsed, they feel stiff after drying. But, when you are 100% sure that there is no detergent left after wash, then the cause of stiffness can be excessive sun exposure again.

Solution – Avoid stiffness with less sun exposure and partial drying in machine

You can line dry your clothes indoors. If there is not enough space, you can prefer an area with some shade outside. In case you need to dry garments quickly then the best alternative is to use a clothes dryer. You can use it for 4-5 minutes to dry the clothes partially and then line dry them. This way you will not have to expose the clothes to sun for a longer period as they will dry quickly.

Also, you should shake garment while it is still damp before hanging it to air dry. This also helps in preventing stiffness.

Garment-specific tips to Line Dry Laundry

Here are some tips that will help keep your clothes safe from shrinkage, wear and tear and other damages while line drying.

  • Pants, Jeans, Trousers: Match the inner leg seams together and pin the hems of the legs to the line with the waist hanging down. If you have lots of line space, you can pin one leg to one line and the other leg to the adjacent line to speed up drying time.
  • Shirts, T-shirts, Tops: Pin the shirts by the bottom hem at the side seams. Or, you can hang them on wooden coat hangers and pin the coat hanger to the clothesline. Either method prevents the shoulders from getting stretched or wrinkled.
  • Socks: Put the socks together in pairs and catch one corner of the pair with a clothespin. This will keep the socks open and they will dry faster.
  • Sheets and Blankets: Fold the sheet or blanket in half and clip the corners of the open ends to the clothesline. This will prevent a crease down the middle of the piece. Use one or two extra clothespins in the middle portion if it sags a lot or is very windy.
  • Towels and Pillowcases: Hang towels by the corners for the quickest drying. You can hang lightweight flat items like pillowcases in pairs.

By following these simple yet crucial tips, you will line dry laundry properly. It will be a hassle-free, mess-free process and your clothes will also stay in a good condition. For more such articles, keep visiting Tumbledry.

Frequently asked questions on line drying

In general, people hang dry clothes on the railings of balconies. If you have a courtyard or terrace, you can prepare a clothesline. You can take any regular nylon, plastic or cotton rope easily available in the market. Take two wooden posts and stretch the rope between them. 

It is not ideal to line dry laundry under trees. Because they are often a resting place for birds and some trees shed pollens as well. While birds can throw random particles on your wet laundry, pollens can also fall and stick on the wet clothes. 

If you want to make ironing easy, it is better to prevent wrinkles while you line dry laundry. You just have to shake every single garment properly before hanging them. It relaxes the fibres and reduces wrinkles. 

To line dry bedsheets and blankets, fold them in half and hang them smoothly over the widest dryer rod available in your rack. It will not let wrinkles occur.

 

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