Air-drying laundry: 5 common mistakes and how to avoid them
Letting clothes dry on the rack is a lot gentler on them than tumble drying. However, there are some stumbling blocks you’ll want to be aware of.
1. Packing the clothes horse too full
It’s obviously tempting to use every millimetre of the clothes rack and sometimes overlap clothes when you don’t have space. But you’ll definitely want to avoid that habit if you’d like your laundry to dry quickly and evenly. If you hang clothes too close together, it hinders air circulation, making it hard for moisture to escape. That’s why it’s important to buy a clothes rack that’s large enough for your loads of laundry and allows sufficient space between your garments.
2. Hanging everything on the washing line
Sure, the easiest thing is to just hang your laundry over the bars of your clothes horse or outside on the line, but that’s not always the best solution. If the fabric is thin, the line can cause a kink to appear. What’s more, folding the garment results in reduced air circulation inside it. That’s why it’s best to use clothes pegs or hangers. With T-shirts, for instance, you can hang them upside down using a peg on the left and right seam, so you won’t see where it has pressed in. Padded clips are a good idea as they’re gentle on the fabric and hardly leave any marks. Meanwhile, hanging shirts and blouses on hangers gives the cleanest possible result.
3. Not shaking out your clothes
Hanging laundry is a tedious task that you want to get over with as quickly as possible. That being said, it’s worth investing a bit of time so you can save it afterwards when ironing. Instead of hanging your wet clothes on the clothes horse straight out of the basket, it’s best to shake them out properly first. Afterwards, you can also smooth them out nicely and pull them into shape. This way you minimise any folds and wrinkling and ensure the nicest result the following day.
4. Putting bright clothes in the blazing sun
It’s true that the sun’s rays make your laundry dry quickly and even reduce the formation of germs. Nevertheless, it’s not a good idea to hang brightly coloured or dark clothes in direct sunlight. This is because UV rays can fade the colour of your clothes over time. The water in damp garments also intensifies it. Therefore, you’d be wise to always dry your laundry in the shade or a well-ventilated indoor area (don’t forget to air the place regularly).
5. Hanging delicate fabrics out to dry
Delicate fabrics such as silk, wool and cashmere risk losing their shape when hung out to dry. That’s why they need a bit of special treatment. After washing your clothing, gently squeeze out any remaining water with a towel – don’t wring it out – and then allow it to dry flat. That obviously requires space, but it’s worth it given that this will keep your clothes looking lovely for a long time.
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Has endless love for shoulder pads, Stratocasters and sashimi, but a limited tolerance for bad impressions of her Eastern Swiss dialect.
