Have you considered learning to line dry your clothes instead of using an electric or gas dryer? We no longer own a dryer and have had to learn all the various ways there are for drying clothes without a machine! We’ve collected the best of our lessons learned and narrowed them down to these 5 line drying tips. We hope they help you with line drying this year – you can do it!
How Do You Dry Clothesline Clothes?
Line drying is the phrase used to mean methods to dry your wet laundry that go beyond an electric dryer. For example, line drying can mean hanging wet clothes on:
- A line of stainless steel wire strung up outdoors away from the ground with full or partial sun.
- A line of stainless steel or acrylic line strung up indoors in a place with good light and air circulation.
- A laundry rack specifically designed for wet laundry; these are usually made of wood or metal.
- A wall-mount laundry rack also designed for wet laundry – these are sometimes mounted over doorways.
- A vine or trellis from which wet clothes may be safely hung, secured with clothespins.
- Even furniture may serve as a temporary line drying set up!
More DIY Resources
After you’ve finished reading these tips, you may want to consider more DIY ideas like…
Natural Solutions to Homestead Problems
What to Do With Sticks in the Yard
Five Line Drying Tips
This article cover five different suggestions for learning to line dry your clothes successfully.
Namely:
- Changing Your Mindset
- How to Set Up For Line Drying
- Improvised Clothes Line Options
- Keep the Clothes Smelling Nice
- Keep Line Dried Clothes Soft
Do People Still Line Dry Clothes?
Yes, they do! And their numbers are increasing because it’s such an economical thing to do.
Even if you have access to an electric or gas dryer, you may decide you’d like to stop using it so much because of how much energy it consumes to run. Appliances with heavy electric loads can be expensive, especially when you use them a lot.
You may also decide that you prefer to line dry because it’s easier on your clothing. Electric and gas dryers run at high temperatures that can wear at clothing over time.
Besides, as you may have noticed, appliance dryers are quite expensive!
Is Line Drying Hard?
Here’s the meaning of drudgery:
drudg·er·yˈdrəj(ə)rē/nounhard, menial, or dull work.
You know what I think is hard, menial, and dull? Trying to keep track of the load of laundry in the dryer so that it doesn’t burn or wrinkle or mildew. I have more important things to do than babysit one load of laundry that refuses to dry and ends up scorched because I have to turn up the heat to get it to finish.
When it is finally dry, I’ve gotten distracted by other, more important work, and the load wrinkles beyond recognition. Which forces me to either iron (as if), or to dampen the load and repeat the vicious circle of the dry cycle.
Forget it. Life is too short.
Line Drying is Relaxing
Line drying is calming and peaceful somehow. Just ask anyone who does it. The breeze blows, the birds sing, you breathe deeply. I honestly don’t know what it is, but I relish the chance to hang a load of laundry on the line.
Don’t get me wrong; it isn’t all roses. Sometimes it rains on your freshly hung load before you can get it back inside. During the spring, the pollen drops from the trees, or the bugs visit your underwear while it hangs.
All minor inconveniences for me; I’ve gotten used to them.
Even Children Will Help!
Of course they will, if you expect them to. Kids rise to your expectations. Any kid who’s been taught to work can learn to line dry clothing.
My kids actually enjoy it, especially compared to scraping the cat box or mopping the floor. My seven and five-year-old seem to enjoy it the most, which is ironic since they have the hardest time reaching the line. They don’t seen to mind; indeed, they love helping mamma with the laundry all of a sudden.
Cut Back on Clothes
One key to line drying success is to cut back on how much laundry you produce each week, if you find yourself washing the same thing over and over. Which is a double blessing for me because I have less laundry to get through.
In our house, that means limiting each child to five pants, seven shirts, a few church clothes and underwear (et al). I had to do the same thing with myself and my husband.
Simplifying has been such a blessing and has made us happy in ways I’m not sure I can verbalize. We shared what we learned in the article KonMari for Homestead Families.
Be Willing to Change Your Mind
Somehow, going back to the basics, ends up saving us time. Sometimes, I learn about an old way/green option and think that its going to take up more of my time. However, like homestead magic, it ends up making my life easier and my family happier and healthier.
Have you found that to be true, too?
How to Set Up for Line Drying
When you’re first experimenting with line drying, I suggest you don’t buy anything too expensive or elaborate. After all, if you’ve never tried it before, you can’t know whether or not you’ll enjoy it and continue to do it.
So, start small. You can make just about anything work for your line drying efforts. At least long enough to see if you like line drying and will actually do it on a long term basis.
Once you’ve been line drying awhile, you’ll come up with all kinds of ideas about what makes the best line system.
Improvise at First
For example, when I first started line drying we hung up only one line on our deck. We couldn’t really afford more than that at the time and I wanted to be sure it was something we’d actually use.
You can see our first set up below – it was under our deck but still got enough sun and wind to dry the clothes. I ended up using it all the time.
The only issue with hanging wet clothes on the deck is that the deck is dirty. When stuff falls or brushes the wood, it gets dirty all over again, which is annoying.
When You’re Ready to Buy a Line Drying System
Over the years we’ve used pretty much everything to line dry. We finally made an in-ground line drying set up. Then, we also purchased a pulley line drying system.
Which is best? I like both for different reasons.
We have two in-ground line drying systems.
- The first consists of two poles, spaced 4o’ apart with three lines stretched between them. As of 2022 (the year I’m updating this post), these systems have gotten outrageously expensive to purchase ready made. It may turn out to be cheaper for you to purchase poles from a local supplier and pay a local welder to weld them together to make the poles. Be sure to instruct the welder to attach hoops for the line to run through – take a picture to show the welder, if they’re unfamiliar with a line drying set up. Either way, you will need to sink the poles several feet into the ground to provide stability and strength.
- The other in-ground system is much simpler and is hexagonal in shape. Often referred to as outdoor umbrella dryers, these have a long bottom pole that inserts into the ground. We put a 2″ PVC pipe into the ground first and inserted the dryer pole into that for more stability. The umbrella dryer isn’t as spacious as the three wire pole set up, but it’s much quicker to set up and use.
Pulley System for Line Drying
Pulley line drying systems allow you to load one side of the line with wet clothing and then use the pully to hoist the wet laundry high into the air to dry quickly. Our pulley system was purchased from Skyline and is both sturdy and simple to use.
We currently live in a very humid climate, which makes line drying a challenge in the summer when the air is at its wettest. We learned from our local Amish friends that if you can get the wet clothing farther off the ground, your clothes will dry better. This is because the humidity is worse the closer to the ground you get.
You’re also more likely to catch the breeze if the laundry is higher. We use all three line drying systems during the year, but the pulley system is definitely a favorite during the summer.
We sometimes still run out of space even with three systems, especially when we’re washing all the bedding. Below are some ideas for improvising, when you need more line drying space in a pinch.
Improvised Line Drying Ideas
- Vines and Other Botanicals – I’m blessed with Boston Ivy vines all over my deck and they’re sturdy enough for the baby’s little clothes, dish rags and diaper inserts. We have an older grape vine that we hang stuff directly onto as well, when we’re really overflowing with wet clothes. The jeans and grown up stuff all go on the heavy line on the deck. We also use nearby small tree branches and bushes for draping towels over. I just shake off any debris that might want to tag along when it’s time to fold.
- Standing Trellis – We’ve started hanging the laundry amidst the burgeoning grape harvest on the sturdy trellis that my husband built. I’ve had to caution the kiddos about being careful not to dislodge leaf nodes or knock off grape buds but so far, they’ve been really careful. Even a zip line would work, as long as it stays clean!
- Bushes – any sturdy perennial plant in the yard with spreading branches will work to dry laundry. You just need air circulation and sunshine. Use clothespins when necessary to secure clothes in place.
How Do You Line Dry in the Snow or Rain?
You don’t want to put your laundry out to dry when it’s raining or snowing. If you’re like me and don’t own a dryer anymore, that means you’ll need to wait to do laundry until there’s no longer precipitation.
Plan for Rain
Where I live, this can mean waiting more than a week in the spring and winter! I continually check the weather and adjust my washing days accordingly.
It’s not too difficult to learn to do. Don’t worry, you’ll establish a rhythm between the dirty clothes and the coming weather.
I have had to pull loads in with storms that moved quicker than the forecast. And I’ve had several times the rain beat me to it and my clothes got washed again, this time in rain water.
If you have a local laundromat, you can patronize it and boost your local economy if you get desperate.
Hang Clothes in the Freezing Temperatures
You can, however, line dry in winter! Because of the chemistry of water evaporation, the laundry can do most of its drying out on the line on freeze days in winter.
You will need to bring them into the house and set them near a heater vent or fireplace to dry the rest of the way. The last bit of damp in the clothing will release into the air.
This can actually be of benefit since the air inside a house in winter is on the dry side due to the heat of furnaces and/or fireplaces.
Does Line Drying Makes Clothes Smell and Feel Weird?
Well, if by “smell weird” you mean “not like a dryer sheet”, that’s actually true.
Instead, line dried clothing will smell like the summer wind and the autumn breeze. They’ll smell clean and magical and delicious. Here’s what Laura Ingalls wrote,
“Oh no, I never do much ironing, except the outside clothes. We must not iron out the fresh air and sunshine, you know… there is something very refreshing about sheets and pillow slips just fresh from the line, after being washed and dried in the sun and air. Just try them that way and see if your sleep is not sweeter. ”
If You Don’t Like the Smell
Do you have herbs or other aromatic plants? If so, dry your laundry on or near them. My daughter likes to lay small pieces of laundry on the mint bed to infuse some mint oil in the morning sun onto the clothes. Genius.
If that doesn’t appeal to you, you can bring in your line dried load and spritz it with a homemade linen spray.
How to Keep Line-Dried Clothes Soft
I’m one of the true weirdos out there that actually likes her line dried towels stiff. The best part about all that stiffness is that it acts like natural starch for button down shirts and dress clothes. I hate ironing – it is true drudgery for me.
Line drying my clothes ensures that the air will “iron” them for me – no wrinkles, no fuss, no muss.
However, if that doesn’t appeal to you, there are some quick fixes for stiff lined dried laundry:
- Snap each piece of clothing when you put it up on the line and take it down. This is done by holding the piece in both hands and flicking it firmly a few times. That action breaks the “dried-bond” that keeps the laundry so stiff. It won’t make the laundry soft, per se, but it will make it more bendable. Fold when you’re done.
- By the same logic, hang laundry you’d like to be softer on a windy day. The wind snaps the clothing the entire time it’s up drying.
- Use less soap! Most laundry soaps are concentrated these days and you only need a small amount. Follow the instructions on the packaging and don’t over-do it. Residual soap will make your clothes stiffer
and dirtier. - Use vinegar as a fabric softener when washing. You can also try adding 1/2 cup of baking soda or washing soda to your wash load to help remove excess detergent.
- If you’re still bothered by the texture after taking these steps, toss your line dried laundry into your electric drying for just a few minutes so the heat can soften the fibers. Better to use the machine only a few minutes than for over an hour!
A Few More Line Drying Resources
If you’d like to learn more about line drying, including how to use a drying rack, how to dry clothes in winter, etc., the following resources should be helpful.
I also only hang my laundry. I live in north central Florida and we have a lot of rain and humidity. I have to start early in the day, mostly because I have an HE washer which takes over an hour a load. So sheets and towels and dog bedding need to be finished by noon. They can be dry or nearly dry before the afternoon showers begin. Anything else can be hung inside on the HUGE rack I got for Christmas one year from Lehman’s – about 6 feet tall and very sturdy. Mindless is not the right word but I love the repetitiveness; bend, snap, pin. I can do some of my best praying, daydreaming, relaxing (go figure) while I’m hanging laundry. My husband is keen to buy a dryer. Not me.
Thank you for the tip – we’re moving to MO and it will be humid there, too. That’s funny about your DH; I’m the one saying lets not bother to move the dryer and he’s thinking we should. I only really use it for his white, dress shirts that refuse to hang out the wrinkles – I despise ironing!!
OOOh it may be just a tad different than North Carolina when you get to Missouri! I lived there 18 years, through blizzards, blazing heat, flooding, you name it. But it’s a good place to live too, lots of good folks, especially out in the rural areas. 🙂
On line drying, you’ll find the Plains generally is known for the breezes. Hop over to Kansas and it’s constant. Put up a line in the winter, use it like you would through the warmer months, and you’ll have dry clothing. I did washboard and line dry for 3 years when money was tighter than we thought we could handle…didn’t have a washer/dryer, and laundrymats were too expensive for the whole family’s clothing/bedding needs. So a trip to the flea market netted a washboard. I learned to use it at the demise of fingernails and half my skin for a while, but the washing and then line drying worked well to save on funds. I line dried in the dead of winter, snow on the ground, below zero temps. Nearly had concussions from freeze dried jeans and dresses flapping in the wind (think Plains here). The clothing dries on the line in winter, even below freezing–it’s all dependent on the moisture in the air. It may take a whole day or even part of a second day, but they will dry. If you do dry outside in winter, I highly suggest a pair of close fitting gloves, like Isotoner type that have padding and wicks away moisture. Learned from experience. 🙂
To make clothing smell nice, you can steep lavendar or mint leaves in water, like you’d make tea, and then let it cool and pour the water (strained) into a spray bottle and lightly mist clothing. It also works with essential oils if you have them (but if you’re growing your own why not use that!!) I keep 5 different mints going, and it is so nice to have a bit of mint scent by the ironing board when it’s that time. You can also dip a wash cloth or towel in that scented water and throw it in the dryer (you’ll be thankful for the dryer in the Missouri winters) for extra scent.
What part of Missouri are you moving to? If you’re going to the northern part by Iowa, you’ll get more Iowa type weather, with the blizzards and ice and yuck. Middle is lots of snow and cold, but not as bad as farther north. Southern third is lots of ice, and last year quite a bit of snow, and the cold, generally lowest is right at 0. Southern third is more like Arkansas in weather.
Nice to “meet” you! Coming over from Strangers and Pilgrims link up. 🙂
Mrs. Arabella – you are a wealth of knowledge!!! I’m going to have to look you up online and chat!!
BTW, do you mind if I add your suggestions to the post for my readers – those were great! Or, do you have a post of your own I can link to with all those goodies in it?
Oh….for what it’s worth on tornadoes–during 18 years I lived in Missouri, I saw maybe 3 tornadoes, and that was scattered through the years. Down south there’s Joplin…and living close to there we did see the destruction and rebuilding. Come over to Kansas where Tornado is our middle name 🙂 You’ll also find the systems out here for detecting is quite advanced, we know sometimes days out there’s a very good probability and can plan accordingly. Get a good weather radio, know where your storm shelter is, have a back up plan in case you are caught off guard, and learn how to watch the clouds/sky colors and formations. Green=bad. Anvil shaped clouds=bad. White puffy cheerful clouds and bright blue sky=good. Also a big drop in temps, from say 90 to 70 in a day or less for high can easily equal storms or more. Our main times are March through June, with May usually the hardest hit month. For us who have lived in MO/IA/KS/AR/OK for most or all our lives, it’s second nature. You’ll do fine. 🙂
Thank you for the vote of confidence! I think we’ll be around Springfield, so southern part of the state, western side. We’ll see…
Visiting from mamas moment Mondays 🙂 I love this post. It makes me feel so peaceful. I line dried for a few months before we moved when our dryer went out and I loved it. I don’t currently have a line here but would love one soon.
Peaceful – that’s the perfect word, Pamela! Except when I’m running like a madwoman to get the half-dried load in as a summer shower lets loose. But, aside from that, very peaceful!
Very interesting reading some of the comments. I think it is fairly common in Australia to line dry, and nearly everyone has a clothesline, while not everyone would own a dryer. When I was a kid, our clothesline was in the shade so we hung a lot of our clothes on the wire fence around our duck/nursery yard.
Yeah, dryers are a funny American thing. When I lived in Russia, I hand washed my laundry and threw it up all over my apartment! A drying rack feels like such an indulgence!
Lizzy, this is exactly what I was going to say. I’m in Australia too and have never owned a dryer. Sometimes I think one would be useful when we get an occasional wet week but end up just hanging everything under the back porch.
Line drying is very peaceful and good bend-&-hang exercise. My MIL, from Minnesota, lived in a NYC apartment until her youngest was in HS. I think the line went up in her new backyard before the moving van unloaded her new washer and dryer. At 96, she still loves sleeping on line-dried linens. Her line uses a pulley outside the kitchen door, and runs to a pulley on the tool shed in the back of the yard. That pulley system is great when there’s snow in the yard and ice on the back steps. Though i rarely have that problem in the NW corner of the lower 48, i love my pulley system, too. In the winter, when we might not see real sun, wind, or rain for weeks at a time, i hang the clothes from the overhead door rails in the garage. With the ceiling fan at the other end of the garage, i can generally get 2 loads washed and dried in a day. Good luck on your move — new weather, new friends, lots of exploring to do!
I’d love one of those reel systems – just because they’re so cool!!! Thank you for sharing your experiences with us. This post has been a wonderful story-gatherer.
What a nice post! I have line dried our clothes for years and when the weather is too bad to hand out I dig out the clothes rack and dry them on the sun porch. I love to crawl into bed on the first night after the sheets have hung outdoors. I am put to sleep by the fresh smell and I love it!
The sheets are the best, Tracy – I love how crispy they are! Most of my husband’s work shirts dry so well they look like they’ve been starched and ironed. I don’t iron unless I can possibly help it!
Hi
I am new to your blog , but love it already from all that I have read.. I have added you to my sidebar under homesteaders..
I am also a stay at home mom who does everything at home especially cooking from scratch as most Indians do .. But we cannot grow our food as I stay in a Metro.city But I love healthy and whole meals to my family and blogs like yours are very encouraging
THANKS FOR SHARING
mahek
http://www.digicamsnaps.blogspot.com
Ooh, Mahek – if you’d ever like to do a guest post on Indian foods for a family, I’d love it! Especially breakfast foods…and lentils…and curry and I love Indian food! Thank you for following along; your blog is lovely and I hope you’ll share your insights with us when you read something on which you’d like to comment. Cheers!
we’re in Northern Mo and love it – clothes on my line as we speak 🙂 welcome to our neck of the woods !
Thanks so much, Anita!
I loved this post because I too, have found that line drying is the most peaceful part of my day. I just moved to southwest Missouri from Southern California so it was quite a change! Going from BIG CITY to 36 acres was pretty awesome. But we absolutely love it here! I live about an hour south west of Springfield in Washburn :-)I would love to hear about it when you move here
Hey, we’ll practically be neighbors, Val! Can’t wait! I’m a CA native so I can sympathize with the change; I’m grateful to have had six years in the south with the humidity and the trees and the bugs to prepare me for this new adventure.
A line full of clothes is such a simply beautiful thing. Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
Erin
https://yellowbirchhobbyfarm.blogspot.com
I love the Little House series. Anne of Green Gables too . I think I will read Laura Ingalls again, it’s been at least 5 years, lol. I also love my clothesline. I miss it in the winter here. I have taken stiff, frozen clothes off the line. I really enjoyed reading your post:}
Thanks, Cynthia! Anne – I need to read Anne again!
Great article…. I too love drying my clothes on the line. Currently, I do not have a line, but have an old fashion spinner that was handed down from my great grandmother. I set that up on my back deck which is full sun and those clothes dry beautifully. Like you, in the winter I have my clothes hanging all around the house since we have a woodstove, the clothes dry fairly quickly.
I also read somewhere that leaving whites out (including cloth diapers) in the moonlight helps to make your clothes extra white. Not sure if this is true, but I will try that someday.
My next home has a clothesline, and I have to say that it’s one of the things that excite me the most about the house!
thank you for sharing!
Thank you for sharing that and I’m glad you’re new home has a clothesline. That’s a new one on me about the moonlight! Good luck with your move!
I bought the homesteader drying rack to save myself some money from coin opperated dryers. It paid for itself in savings. My problem is wrinkles in my clothing … .in Arizona there was no breeze but the clothes dried quickly so if I washed a load in the morning it’d be dry by mid day then I could dry another load. Then I moved back to the Midwest.. to Kansas lots of wind but high humidity it takes a day and a half to dry and you never know when it’ll rain :/
I know what you mean, Amanda! We’ve moved to Missouri and it’s just so wet during the warmer months that outdoor drying is tricky. I sometimes have to bring the loads into the house and runs fans on them. Ha!
Enjoyed the article and comments. I, too, LOVE the fresh smell of linens and stiff towels! They seem to dry you off better, too! We lived several years on the island of Aruba…didn’t want a dryer to add more heat in the house! Never thought I would get used to line drying again but it was just part of daily living. (And hubby got to experience it after I broke my foot!). I laughed and even took pictures of a friend visiting who had NEVER used a clothes line in her life! (and she was probably in her early 40’s-ish???!!!!!).
Everything old is new again, right? I’d never even thought about it until I was an adult and the dryer broke. Ha! Necessity…
Thanks so much for stopping by!
If you put dress shirts on hanger and then clip the hanger to the line, it will greatly increase the amount you can get on the line, plus if you are careful about smoothing pockets and lining up seams, the shirts will look almost strarched. In the winter(or rainy days), the hangers can be hung in doorways. Really speeds up putting away clothing!
Great advice, Alice!! How do you get the hangers to stay on the line? I’ve tried a few things but they always end up falling. I wonder if some sort of quick tie would work – like with rope or parachord. It’s worth it to me to have everything dry on the hanger because, as you say, it looks like it’s been professionally starched and pressed!
I wholeheartedly agree that line drying is soothing. It is a lovely chore to take on!
Right?! I’m not sure why but it’s the chore for which I always volunteer!
Such a thorough guide with so much information in it! I would love to set up a line in my yard… maybe that’s something we will do this summer. Thank you!
What a great summer project – I hope you do!
I do love the smell of line-dried clothes! Thanks for the inspiration!
You bet – thanks for stopping by!
We’ve started line drying to help cut our electric bill and reduce the heat in the house. These tips are great! Thank you!
Yessss! Heat reduction in the house is so vital in the summer. We’re looking at everything we can possibly to do to cut down on heat. Our current project is an outdoor oven – it’s remarkable how much heat is generated by baking even quick items.
I have a question: do you not worry about dust clinging to wet clothing? I live on a rural road that has a lot of traffic. My driveway is gravel and my house gets really dusty from the area. I worry that if I hang my laundry, the road dust will settle on wet clothing and not be easily removed. Anyone else on a dirt road or have lots of dust around and hang clothes?
Also, your photos are not showing up in the post. I need photos to get the idea of what things should look like. Other blogs don’t have the same issues…
It’s quite possible your concern is a valid one. The only real way to know is to try a small batch. Before you install a line, you can use a portable laundry rack around your site to experiment. The best place would be on the highest elevation with the most consistent breeze that is also in the sun.
Country roads are a pain for dust, that’s for sure! Though not an immediate solution, the more perennial shrubs and trees you plant around the perimeter, the less dust will make it through to your living area.
I’m sorry you’re not able to see photos – they’re there! If it interferes with your reader experience, feel free to read elsewhere online – I’m not the only homestead blogger on the internet, thank goodness. You can also google photos of line-drying set-ups to get an idea of what people do in different places of the world.
This is so helpful and so interesting! I’ve been wanting to line dry more. We currently hang a lot of stuff over a banister upstairs, which is really useful. We’re also installing a drying rack in the laundry room itself. It’d be nice to experiment with drying outside, especially in the summer. Thanks for all the tips and help!
Indoor drying racks are SO helpful! I love the kinds that mount on the wall for space saving. Outdoor lines become necessary when you’re drying all your laundry and need the mess and the wet to go outside.