One of my biggest green initiatives has been to start line drying items that can easily and conveniently be line dried. The house I live in had a clothesline already, and though I wish I’d started line drying in the summer I find it’s not hard or bad in a New England fall.
There’s a number of benefits to line drying
* Saves electricity costs
* Some people prefer the smell of line dried clothes
* Keeps clothes in better condition
* The sun is a natural whitener
You don’t necessarily have to line dry outside either, plenty of drying racks and clothes lines exist that can be used both indoors and outdoors. Rain, sleet and snow don’t stop the mailman, there’s no reason it should stop your line drying. Drying racks come in many different styles so you’ll want to get one that firs your needs best. I find that the prices at Amazon.com are great and many are available for free shipping or super saver shipping which beats driving to a brick and mortar store to **spend more** and **waste gas**! Go check some of the out and compare the ones you like!
##How I Line Dry##
I started out by only line drying items like my bedsheets, living room blankets, towels, hang dry only items, delicate and jeans. I’ve always line dried my dedicates and I still do put them out on a rack but I typically keep that rack indoors. I don’t use pins on it since there’s no wind in my basement, though I do often turn on a fan in the room. This helps circulate air which is very stagnant in that area and dries the clothes faster.
White bed sheets are great to hang dry outside. Check the weather first so you don’t get your plan all rained on and if it’s going to be a sunny or partly sunny day just toss the sheets and pillow cases in the wash in the morning before you start getting ready for work. By the time you’re ready to head out the door your wash should be done and you can quickly grab the moist sheets and go hang them outside. You will fall in love with the smell of fresh air dryer sheets that night and the natural whitener makes your sheets look fresh without damaging the fabrics like bleach and an electric dryer do.
Towels are great to line dry too. You hang them to dry after a shower and they are bulkier than most items so why waste the electricity to dry them in an electric dryer when for a few hours in a day you can line dry them as though you had just showered with all of them and they’re drying, waiting for the next shower.
##You Don’t Have to go 100% Overnight##
I still toss a load or two every now an then in the dryer. I’m just always conscious that planning ahead to leave myself enough time to line dry clothes is better for my wallet and my clothes.
##Additional Resources##
As always, we encourage you to learn more on the subjects we talk about here at Green Behavior!
* The site [laundry list.org](http://www.laundrylist.org/) has a great cited top 10 list of reasons to line dry
* Here’s some [data on energy efficient appliances](http://www.wapa.gov/es/pdf/appliances.pdf). A great read for anyone who is going to buy or use a washer / dryer / fridge / dish washer
* Get some [eco-facts about line drying](http://www.breezedryer.com/page/eco_facts.htm) from a company that specializes in line drying products: Breeze Dryer
* Get your math on with some [calculations about the advantages of line drying](http://www.terrapass.com/blog/posts/how-to-finance-2) with TerraPass
* Mom always knows best! Read up on the [benefits of line drying](http://www.momadvice.com/money/line_drying_clothing.aspx) on Mom advice
* Instructables with [tips on line drying](http://www.instructables.com/id/Lazy-Line-Dry/) and a [windy day solution for line drying on hangers](http://www.instructables.com/id/Clothesline-Hangers-for-Windy-Conditions/)
* Tree Hugger covers [battling the man for your right to hang a clothesline](http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/10/do_clothes_line.php)
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##Products for You!##
I perused through Amazon.com and found some really useful drying solutions and products for you to check out.