# Hangin laundry on the line and wrinkles?



## Wildfire_Jewel (Nov 5, 2006)

I have not done this since I was a child growing up. The husband isn't too keen on adding a line for me but I keep pushing the energy savings angle and I might be getting somewhere.

Anyways, Do you all hang it straight from the washer onto the line? Do the wrinkles disappear from the t-shirts as they dry or do I have to still fluff them in the dryer first?

Thanks in advance for any advice


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## RedDirt Cowgirl (Sep 21, 2010)

I fluff stuff before I hang it, but sometimes a drip dry works best, before those spin wrinkles are pressed in. I use a dry hand towell with a smaller amount of clothes than you would put in if you were going to dry them. (I remember my childhood dryer had a special accessory that you would put water in so it would sprinkle your clothes for ironing AFTER they were dry. Those were the days...)

I pull the fabric taut and stretch out cuffs, plackets, collars, hems on sheets - a little grooming on the line goes a long way.

The biggest thing I had to learn was about terry cloth/towelling, which is good to do even if you're using a dryer. What, my sister sez, you don't snap your towells?! It's more than a shake, you really have to whip it up then a sharp down - that snap thing - the loops will pop up and the towell is fluffy.


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## TNHermit (Jul 14, 2005)

wrinkles come out when you put them on  At least for me


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## KyMama (Jun 15, 2011)

I don't guess I've paid attention to the wrinkles. The clothes usually sit in the basket for a few days so I'm always ironing anyways. 

I do have an idea for you to help with your husband. My husband was dead set against me having a line, but I finally talked him into letting me put up a retractable line. This way I can use it during the day when he is at work and he never has to see it or duck under it when walking through the backyard. I need another one now, and he has mentioned putting in a "real" line for me. Fingers crossed. 

HTH


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## cow whisperer (May 3, 2007)

I hang my clothes straight from the washer and no dryer fluffing after..... I give each item a good "snap" before hanging it, and usually fold as it comes down.... No wrinkles!!!


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## Helena (May 10, 2002)

I guess it always surprises me that so many of us have never line dried clothes. My grandsons wife had no idea. I use the line all the time. Even during the coldest months here in the mountains of PA. They will freeze on the line than dry and if I need to lay them over the wooden clothes dryer next to the wood stove for a short time. I love to hang and wash clothes especially when using my wringer washer. guess some people are too easy to please. I don't usually worry about wrinkles on most clothes. You can shake and fold them out. Enjoy !!! ( put up your own clothes line..hubby will probably never even notice it )


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## debbydoo1966 (Jan 15, 2007)

I have 3 lines. I very rarely dry clothes. I hang right from the washer. Give them a good snap and hang. I put t-shirts and my husbands work shirts on a hanger and hang them right on the line that way. I never ever iron anything.


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## farmwoman59 (Aug 7, 2008)

I have 6 lines that I use 9 months out of the year - have to stop when the pollen count rises. I'm waiting now for the grass pollen to get through and then it's back outside for met!
Some things need a quick iron, mainly cottons, but the rest are fine.


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## ChristieAcres (Apr 11, 2009)

We don't use our dryer at all. In dry weather, we hang our clothes out on the line (quick snap is all). In wet weather, we hang our clothes on either/both of DH's steel hanging racks (he designed/built them). In the Winter, we use one/both indoor steel drying racks (they are suspended from the ceiling). I can hang a full load on each one!

When I wash the clothing, especially heavier stuff, we double-spin it before hanging it. I iron clothes very seldom, only when I have to wear business attire to meet one of my Real Estate Clients.

The average savings was estimated at $250/year in electricity. That, of course, depends on just how much laundry you do, as some folks have no kids, a few, or a lot of them.


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## mrs whodunit (Feb 3, 2012)

Liquid fabric softener will help a lot with the wrinkles.

A breeze blowing on the laundry line is best.

And after a few minutes of wear the wrinkles are gone.

We stopped using a dryer around a year ago because it saves us 30$ a month. 

In the winter the clothes are dried in the stove room which helps with the moisture issues in the house.

Good weather the clothes are dried outside.

Not using the dryer I bought a front load washer at a yard sale for $20 and put it where the dryer was. Now I can wash pillows sleeping bags and the such without ruining them.


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## HOTW (Jul 3, 2007)

A good snap before hanging an dhanging them tigth on the line usually avoids wrinkles(except certain items of DH work clothes he irons them. I have not had a dryer in over 3 years it saved us $50 a month when it died. I have racks for indoors, cannot wait til the day i can have the old solid straight lines(have unbrella dryers right now hate them!)


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## majik (Feb 23, 2005)

I confes, I do use the dryer in the winter, but once the temp is above freezing, it's the line for me. I also beleive in a good "snap" for everything going on the line. I also do it coming off. We are lucky to have good breezes at our place, which reduces the wrinkles. The other thing to consider is that if your clothes dry too fast, like on a sunny day with no wind, they will be wrinkly. BTW, I don't use fabric softener, just a little vinegar in the rinse, and it all works out fine. For my DH, the big selling point for the line wasn't the savings, it was the nice fresh smell, LOL!


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

I hang it straight from the dryer. There are no wrinkles if they hang all day.


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## Wildfire_Jewel (Nov 5, 2006)

Thank you for all your responses - especially those who said how much it saved you. 
As I was trying to dry blankets on the chainlink fence today, the high winds pushed and bent the gate they were on. I looked at him and said I needed a real line and told him some of the numbers you all had posted in savings. HE AGREED and picked out a spot in the yard to put one :clap: :happy: :rock: :banana:
Thank you all!!


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## Windgefluester (Apr 10, 2011)

hahahaha this is also a too funny thing, here someone said to me i can not hang my clothes out on the line ( i live in a subdivision right now.... ) . it is normal in germany, everyone do this .... 

i always hang it straight from the dryer too  
i like to hang my clothes outside, it smells like spring then


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## kudzuvine (Aug 11, 2011)

I use fabric softner in my rinse, out of washer, shake and hang. Wind blowing really helps and if I have a few pieces that are a little wrinkled or stiff, pop in dryer for a minute or two. Hanging my clothes and washing dishes by hand saves me about $35 a month on electric bill. This is for two people. Run my dishwasher about once a month to keep it working.


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## Peggy (Feb 14, 2010)

My DH finally got my clothes line up this week. Hung clothes out this morning. clothes smell so good!:clap::clap:


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## Catalpa (Dec 18, 2011)

Congrats, Peggy. You'll never go back. There's nothing like it, is there? That wondrous fresh from the line scent of clothes dried outside. This old house came with a great set-up, two large iron posts 50' apart, with cross tees that have enough room for five lines. I can hang quite a few loads out there!

Wet days or blizzards I use indoor wooden racks or put stuff on hangers on the shower rod.

The only time our dryer gets used is if DD thinks I won't notice, LOL.


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## Wildfire_Jewel (Nov 5, 2006)

Well, my dryer is on it's way out. We had to completely disassemble it yesterday to get the motor turning again. It takes a couple times to get a big load dried. Hubby hung my lines up and I was soooo thrilled with how quickly things dried and how wonderful they smelled! Even though the dryer is sorta kinda fixed, I am going to continue to hang the laundry out to save money on our gas bill! For some reason, hanging the laundry is rather soothing to me.......weird.


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## pumpkin (May 8, 2012)

I do fluff quite a few things in the dryer but when you hang to dry there is more ironing required. Permanen press dress shirts aren't and always need a touch up. I don't waste time on tea towels or sheets but remember having to do these as a child. Everything had to be pressed just so.


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## Belfrybat (Feb 21, 2003)

mekasmom said:


> *I hang it straight from the dryer*. There are no wrinkles if they hang all day.





Windgefluester said:


> hahahaha this is also a too funny thing, here someone said to me i can not hang my clothes out on the line ( i live in a subdivision right now.... ) . it is normal in germany, everyone do this ....
> 
> *i always hang it straight from the dryer too *
> i like to hang my clothes outside, it smells like spring then


Just curious why you both dry them in the machine AND hang them out? I've never had a dryer, so have always hung them out. Sometimes I need to touch something up with the iron, but in recent years I've moved more towards wearing naturally wrinkled items, especially broomstick skirts, so that minimizes the ironing.


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## Marcia in MT (May 11, 2002)

I do the snap thing and also use vinegar and softener in the rinse (we have very hard water), but the biggest help I've found for permanent press is to adjust the speed on the final spin cycle: I use the lowest one the washer has. The extra weight of water in the clothes helps them straighten out when put on the line.

Taking them out right after they're done and a little grooming when hanging (straightening button bands and the like) helps, too.


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## ChristieAcres (Apr 11, 2009)

Another method is to believe the forecast, leave your clothes on the line overnight, only to experience thunder, lightening, and a torrential downpour. Nope, I left my clothes on the line to fend for themselves. Then I checked the forecast last night. Oh, only a 10% chance of rain, good... While out crabbing this morning, we found ourselves in a storm (thunder, lightening, and more rain). None of that was forecast, of course. I was thinking about my "now" REALLY clean laundry, nice and wet, hanging on the line. When we got home with our catch (3 Dungeness and 4 Red Rock Crabs), it was still raining. Just about 30 minutes ago, the rain stopped, and back to sunshine. At least my clothes won't have any wrinkles...


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## sustainabilly (Jun 20, 2012)

Rain or temps below 50deg. are the only reasons why I won't use the line. A good snap, hang it, and ole sol does the rest. I do pop 'em in the dryer for ~15 min after that. It uses some extra elec. but, only 1/4 of full drying time. We take a, 'a little here, & a little there' approach to energy conservation and it's helped cut our utilities by 50% since we started phasing in each improvement.


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## gaucli (Nov 20, 2008)

I never have a problem with wrinkles but I mostly love sheets and blankets hung out. They smell so fresh and I can sleep so good. I never hang out towels or jeans...they tend to get to the point where they can stand by themselves, so in the dryer they go!


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## trulytricia (Oct 11, 2002)

If I know rain is coming I will purposely hang out laundry to get that extra free rinse!


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