I found so much information on air drying laundry that I need to ‘clear my decks’, so to speak, once again. I hope you find something of interest.
General stuff on air drying laundry:
- Project Laundry List – activism and information on air drying laundry
- Project Laundry List’s Blog!
- Solar Clothes Dryer Blog
- Time Magazine comments on air drying laundry
- Christian Science Monitor article
Portable devices can be handy if you want flexibility of location and you’re not sure if hanging outside is allowed. Typically they have space for less than a full load. When used inside 24hrs or more needs to be allowed for drying. Large items take longer because of air circulation challenges. They work well for smaller items like kids clothes and undies.
- my top pick for drying capacity (going from the photo)
- a portable umbrella like dryer from Walmart – I like the idea but I wonder how it would hold up on windy days
- similar to the Walmart one but less expensive
- this one looks interesting, but I could not find it available online
- Target are selling a range of dryers, this antique bronze one looks sturdy and attractive
I am currently doing all of my indoor drying on a fixed indoor dryer. Mine is the type called a ‘pulley‘ in Scotland – because it is made with the use of two pulleys attached to the ceiling. Online searches showed it up with the name of ‘clothes airer“. Traditionally it is made with two cast iron ends and 4-8 wooden laths. I spent a fair bit of time searching but I can’t find any for sale in the USA. If you know of a source for these PLEASE share. I’m fortunate to have a handyman husband and he built me one from scratch using wood, bolts, and clothes closet rods.
The other main fixed option for indoor or outdoor air drying is a retractable line. I’ve no experience of these personally.
- This retractable line looks sturdy and has a large capacity.
- Here is an indoor version of the retractable line.
- A single line retractable version for outdoors.
- A range of selections from Amazon.com.
- Wall fixed drying rack – an attractive looking option that folds out for small item drying
Gotta go and take care of my laundry!
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Hi Alison! I was wondering, do sheets get very soft if they are dried outside? Or are they stiff and not as soft as tumble dried?
Hi Hausfrau, thanks for visiting. In answer to your question, you’re going to get some variation in results with outdoor air dried laundry depending on the local weather conditions.
Generally sheets dried outside would smell really fresh. Sunshine will help to bleach whites and to sterilize. The softness depends on the amount of wind. It would take a lot of wind to dry something as soft as a tumble drier does.
For clothes and sheets I’ve not found a very noticeable difference in terms of softness compared to tumble drying. Towels will be softer hung outside than air dried inside, but may not be as soft as you are used to.
If I’ve not answered your question please let me know. Also, I expect there is more information over at Project Laundry List (links in this post).