|
|
Drying clothes naturally
Posted by:
veganjuice
()
Date: August 12, 2012 11:39PM We don't use a dryer. In the summer, we hang the clothes out to dry - in the winter, we have wood heat so that takes care of that.
However, I have noticed that our clothes are more wrinkley, so we have to iron them more, and even worse than that, they develop a sort of "stretched-out" effect, especially shirts. We may need to break down & go back to tumble drying. Anyone have any suggestions on this? Edit - Yes, we hang the clothes upside down! Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/12/2012 11:40PM by veganjuice. Re: Drying clothes naturally
Posted by:
Mislu
()
Date: August 12, 2012 11:52PM Do you hang them on hangers when they are drying? We dry the clothes on hangers, and they don't get wrinkly or stretched out. Its been rather humid, so my partner puts a fan on them to speed it along, otherwise they tend to sour. When I lived in california it only took about 1/2 an hour to dry clothes. So I saved some $ not using a dryer.
Here, its not so much the money, well partly. But my partner has some phobia about using the dryer I am not sure, but I just go along with it. I don't know if we save any energy overall, as he is using a fan on them. Re: Drying clothes naturally
Posted by:
Tamukha
()
Date: August 12, 2012 11:53PM veganjuice,
Are the clothes still wet when they're hung out? I have found that when they are merely damp, rather than wet, they don't weigh enough for gravity to play tug-of-war with them while they dry. Also, still days are better than breezy ones. Took me forever to accept this, thinking, "Oh, the wind will dry stuff faster!" Yes, but while causing fabric-stretching motion! Have you considered putting those mesh clothes drying racks outside to dry your clothes flat in the sun? Re: Drying clothes naturally
Posted by:
veganjuice
()
Date: August 13, 2012 01:02AM Sometimes we use hangers - but we have a couple of drying racks with horizontal rods that we drape them over. They work well & is easier than fussing with clothspins.
Clothes are not wet when hung out. The washer does a good job on the spin cycle so they are just damp when they come out. I'll have to check out the mesh clothes drying racks - not sure what those are. Re: Drying clothes naturally
Posted by:
back2eden
()
Date: August 13, 2012 02:17AM I have an outisde line for summer and a bunch of inside lines for winter with the wood stove heat. I haven't noticed any wrinkes. I dont use hangers. I have drawn up a hand or foot powered washer using a plastic barrel lieing horizontal on 4 wheels like how a rock tumbler works. Re: Drying clothes naturally
Posted by:
KidRaw
()
Date: August 13, 2012 02:27AM We hang clothes on the drying racks or I drape sheets and towels over the railings of the deck. They are stiffer if you don't use a dryer, but it's worth it because of how fresh they smell. I only wash clothes on dry sunny days after ending up with musty smelling one that didn't dry properly.
I don't know of any way to prevent the wrinkles and stiffness though. [thefrugalgirls.com] [www.amazon.com] My husband built a backyard clothesline at our previous house. That's the best. If you drape them over the line instead of hanging them upside down and using clothespins, they aren't as mis-shapen.  Re: Drying clothes naturally
Posted by:
veganjuice
()
Date: August 13, 2012 10:38AM We have extremely hard, mineral laden spring water. It is on a filter system, but we dont use a softener. I wonder if the hard water has anything to do with this issue? Re: Drying clothes naturally
Posted by:
Tamukha
()
Date: August 13, 2012 07:56PM veganjuice,
It's possible that the minerals are affecting the dryability of the clothes. Here's a link to a typical mesh drying rack: [www.amazon.com] Re: Drying clothes naturally
Posted by:
la_veronique
()
Date: August 15, 2012 09:28AM just buy super tight clothes so that when they do eventually stretch out, they will be just the right size LOL  Re: Drying clothes naturally
Posted by:
klandestine
()
Date: August 15, 2012 11:01AM I dry my clothes on hangers and on racks. I put them in the dryer for a few minutes for an "airfluff" (no heat). This has cut down tremendously on any wrinkling. Re: Drying clothes naturally
Posted by:
Anonymous User
()
Date: August 16, 2012 06:50PM Funny Ver!
The hard water can make a difference. You can add vinegar, baking soda, extra washing soda etc to the wash or rinse to combat that. Look it up. Also, make sure to give each piece of laundry a "snap" prior to hanging and then another when taking off the line. That does keep things from being so stiff. Sorry, only registered users may post in this forum.
|
|
