How to line dry clothes during the rainy season

How to line dry clothes during the rainy season

11 tips for line drying laundry all year round.  AKA how to do laundry without a dryer!

We’ve been dryer-free for about 8 years & have learned a few tips along the way.  Check these out to learn how to keep line drying even when you’ve got rainy days.

1. Choose faster-drying clothes like wool or linen or thin cotton over thick cotton sweatshirts. Synthetics of course dry faster but have their own issues. 
2. Get a side-loading washing machine – it spins more water out than top loading machines.
3. Check the weather! Find that day with no rain or snow & get some loads going!
4. Use clips so all your stuff is hanging straight down (no folded over laundry.
5. Find the sunniest spot in your yard.  If you’re in the northern hemisphere – it’s a south-facing area. Put your line up there.
6. Follow that sun.  We use portable drying racks & move them into the sun as the sun moves around our little yard during the day.
7. Use an overhang or the garage at the end of the day to get things fully dry.
8. Bring it inside.  If it doesn’t get all the way dry outside, bring those racks indoors into a warmer spot.  Usually an overnight is all they’ll need to be fully dry.
9. Start inside. If outdoors is crazy weather & you’ve got to get some laundry done, do a small enough load that you can hang it indoors on a portable rack (or two or three).
10. Use your doors.  When larger things like sheets or blankets did quite finish drying outside, we’ll bring them indoors & hang them from a door in the house – like a closet door or hallway door.  Again, an overnight on the door is usually enough.
11. Get an extra set of sheets.  Drying really big things like sheets is harder to do in the rain & snow.  Get a second set of sheets so you can wait for a dry spell to wash those larger items.

Do you have any tips to add?  Leave a comment below! 

Thanks for reading!

Liz @ No Trace