For Those Who Hang-Dry Their Laundry...

[Fern]

soi many of you say you hang dry your clothes, but does anyone do anything special to avoid the stiffness and wrinkles?

it's hard to put on clothes that feel like cardboard!

[katwoman]

Use a fabric softener. If they're still stiff then my guess is you're using very cold water or you are drying them outside or under very cold conditions.

I dry indoors (luckily the basement isn't cold) on a drying rack or on hangers on a line. You don't want to crowd the clothes or you will get wrinkles. Lay them out nicely.

Jeans and towels go into the dryer. These will be stiff drying any other way so not worth it to me to wear scratchy jeans or exfoliate my skin with scratchy towels.

[frugalfarmwife]

We're lucky, we live right on the top of a valley with a constant strong wind most days that blows most of the stiffness out of the clothes

One thing you can do is after the clothes are dry (or almost dry) throw them in the dryer for just 3-4 minutes, this will get rid of the stiffness.

KJ

[tgavin71]

I have never owned a dryer so I wouldn't know if our clothes are stiff or not. As long as they are clean and dry thats all that matters to me. I iron our going out clothes so wrinkles aren't a problem.

[PrincessPerky]

Vinegar and hope for wind (vinegar works better than the snuggle we used to use, and the wind kindof 'breaks up the stiffness' and 'irons out the wrinkles)

[Thrifty Ray]

I try to get them off the line as soon as they are dry- this usually keeps the stiffness out. Pulling them off slightly damp and putting them in the dryer for a couple minutes works too- however, my family got used to any stiffness long ago and it is no longer an issue.

Living in Oregon, one of the rain capitols in the US, I only get to line dry outside 4-5 months per year...so I take full advantage when I can!!

[cercis]

I second what other people have said.

Another - rain is a great fabric softener. So if it's raining, hang anyway, just dry the things you really need for the next day or so. Oh, and if you live in an area with acid rain - forget all I just said.

[Snoopy2645]

I try to line dry & put them in the dryer for a few minutes if its jeans or socks or towels for a few minutes but shirts & blankets or cotton pants I dont

[Tightwad Kitty]

I line dry my clothes all the time, I do own a dryer and I have use it less than once or twice per year in past 12 years. I have unplugged it and only use it now when the need arises. We used it a lot when we had five people in the household but now with one person, I now can line dry my two loads of washing under cover with no problem, I use a fabric softener but is diluted to 1/4 of recommend amount. I don't worry about stiffness or ironing as I have ironing press and a normal iron. I also Iron for my neigbhour, all their business shirts etc. which is my next job after I close down here!

[lrjohnson]

I am fine with stiff towels, jeans, nighties, socks, etc. I don't get to hang dry as much as I'd like-lots of rain, very cold house. I do always put my dress shirts and pants (work clothes) in the dryer.

[zakity]

I had clothes out on the line today!! (I live near Portland, Oregon.) I hang clothes out on any day that it is 60 and above. If you get them out early and let them hang all day, they will dry.

[contrary1]

I'll happily put up with stiff & wrinkles if my clothesline was finished. Can't wait.
I find that things hung up on hangers wrinkle less. I have a section of chain in my clothesline, to hook hangers into, so they don't scoot up and down the line in the wind. Many of these items can come right in and into the closet.
Other items like towels, if you shake them out prior to folding, they will loose some of the stiffness.

The fragrance of the fresh air and the savings on the electric bill offset the things being stiff.

[kashi]

Before I wear something that I've line-dried, I mist it with a water bottle and pop it in the dryer with a clean towel for a minute or two. That gets rid of the wrinkles pronto.

We hang dry everything now and don't mind the stiffness, but you could pop the stuff in the dryer for a few minutes on "air fluff" or some non-heat setting to beat them soft. (Someone already posted this, I think)

I suppose, you could just try beating them with a broom handle on the line for a bit, but I've never tried that.

In a pinch, I used to throw wrinkled clothes in the dryer witha damp cloth. I've heard the misting helps. Better than anything else seems to be to have a wardrobe that's wrinkle resistant, or wrinkle acceptable. I don't iron my Tshirts and nobody seems to care, but I don't work in an office. Good luck! I think you've got some great answers.