I line dry almost everything, nearly week of the year, even though I live in northern NY so perhaps I can help. I adore how clothes turn out when line dried, so even I'll put off doing laundry until extreme weather has passed in order to do so.

I'm not sure what kind of stiffness you're experiencing and on what kinds of fabrics, but I'll take a guess ....

Terry cloth towels are one big item that often feels stiffer when line dried. Here's a solution: toss the just-washed and still-wet items in a cold dryer for 20 mins before hanging them out and perhaps give the items a couple of stiff shakes while you're hanging them. Some people like to do the brief cold drying when they bring things in, but I think that can remove the wonderful smell of line-dried stuff, so I do it before.

I would also experiment with not adding f/s when line drying as it may be just too much build-up. It's made of oils, sometimes silicone oil, that work best in the warmth of the dryer, but won't do anything when line drying.

I wouldn't worry about humidity, other than it will slow down drying, or about even a breeze. In fact a breeze will work as a softening agent because it causes the clothes to bounce around a bit. I live in the country and I don't worry much if my clothes get rained on either, as it is very soft, clean water, leaving them super-rinsed. High heat at mid-day (except as it relates to sun-fading) is also not a factor in line-drying. I've used washing lines while living in near the Equator in South America and Africa, where drying cotton sheets can take just few minutes- sometimes they're perfectly dry by the time I finish getting the load hung out.

Cotton and linen sheets and cases will feel slightly stiffer, but that is generally a plus because you can get away without ironing the sheets if they dry flat on a line. (I still do the cases, however.)

Another big reason for stiffness is poor rinsing in the wash. You didn't say if you use a top loader or a front loader, but no matter which you might try reducing the amount of detergent and see if that makes a difference over several washes.

Some people find that adding a 1/4 c of plain white vinegar to the rinse cup also works well to provide additional softness. But a big factor is the underlying water chemistry that you have. If your water is particularly hard, or alkaline, you may have more of a problem than normal.

Keep in mind, as well, that the fabric content of clothes and linens these days is quite different from that of a generatin ago. Newer materials, especially stuff treated to be wrinkle resistant, are often expected to be tumble-dried. (However that doesn't keep me from line-drying them with satisfactory results.)

If you can note which items you're having the biggest problem with and add a few more details about your machines, deteregnt brand and dosing quantity, I will be glad to see if I can make more suggestions.

I really enjoy helping people get into line-drying.

HTH,

Molly~

I'm another fan of line drying like Molly. I have a room in the basement with enough line to hang all our laundry, with a ceiling fan to help move/dry the clothes. I use the basement when I can't hang outside - so I only rarely use the dryer.

To add to the great information already given by Molly...

1. Detergent residue will normally make many clothes remain stiff. I've found Charlie's Soap is the best I've used when it comes to controling stiffness on line-dried clothes. I didn't think I had a problem with stiffness, and then I switched to Charlies's Soap last summer - WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!! Even our jeans were less stiff.

2. Type/grade of cotton will just naturally contribute to stiffness of line-dried clothes. Denim is not a high grade of cotton, so jeans tend to be more stiff than quality cotton slacks. My husbands slacks are all-cotton and are never stiff. Some of my kitchen towels are stiff, but others are not - due to the differing grade/quality of the materials. My bath towels are not stiff - EVER (Egyptian Cotton), but I have some hand towels I bought on sale that are always somewhat stiff - even when dried in the dryer; and have been that way since the day I purchased them and laundered them for the first time.

3. You can tumble, dry or semi-dry, articles of clothing in the dryer on AIR (no heat), that tend to remain stiff when line-dried, and they will fluff up and soften. Especially if you have a pair of dryer balls in the dryer. I never need to do this since switching to Charlie's Soap.

4. I also control wrinkles in wet clothing by using a slower spin cycle on my washer. That's a tip I picked up on this board that was shared by someone else (thank you). The clothes are compacted in a high-speed spin cycle and are full of wrinkles. If you use a slower spin, there are fewer wrinkles to begin with. The weight from the clothes being a little bit wetter will allow gravity to pull the wrinkles out naturally.

5. I spend a little time smoothing wet clothes out and stacking them FLAT in the laundry basket. As they are taken out of the washer, I place like-kinds of things together. So for instance, all my undies are stacked (flat) together, as are hubbies - wash clothes are stacked together, etc.... They are automatically hung on the line together because they are all stacked together. When I take them off the line, I fold them as I take them off, stack in the laundry basket, and all that's left to do is put them away. I never remove dry clothes off the line that I don't also fold it. If you toss dry clothes in the basket in a jumble, then you'll increase wrinkles.

6. A good breeze is also helpful. The movement of the fabric will help to soften them a bit. No breeze and a hot, low-humidity, summer day seems to "cook" things and they might be a little more stiff.

7. The "good shake" of items before you hang them on the line helps to remove wrinkles, and another when you fold it helps soften them a bit - especially if you didn't have a good breeze that day.

8. I agree with Molly - don't use fabric softener - I haven't use it for many years. If you switch to Charlie's Soap, softener is completely unnecessary. I put white vinegar in the rinse of the kitchen and bath towels because they are more likely to have soap residue on them from use, and vinegar helps remove that. It takes many washes to get rid of both detergent and softener build-up in clothes, so don't expect a huge difference after one or two washes, should you switch.

9. If something normally is hung on a hanger, then I also dry it on a hanger. I use wooden hangers for most things, because I can put the hook portion of the hanger through the end loops of the line on my umbrella clothes line and they stay put and the wind doesn't blow them off.

10. I don't use any wire hangers because they crease clothes and can leave rust marks on wet clothes. I don't use plastic tube hangers because I just plain don't like them and they don't work on my umbrella clothes line through those loops.

For heavy shirts/sweaters and my husbands cotton polo shirts, I've found using TIDE Smart Dry Sweater and Pants Hangers (check Target or Wal-Mart for them) one of the best investments in hangers I've made. These hangers are bigger/wider at the ends, so you don't get "bunny ears" at the shoulders. They are vented so air circulates and dryes the item. Before I found these hangers, I used to stick old shoulder pads between the hanger and the garment to keep the shoulders smooth while drying.

Those are a few of my tips and tricks.

-Grainlady

I really enjoyed reading this question and the great replies that followed. "Progress" has led us to so many high-tech devices that one wonders how we ever got anything done without them. :) Showing my age a bit, I do recall my parents line-drying everything. We didn't even own a dryer, even though they were available. I also recall seeing a washing board that they used quite regularly. The really neat thing about this thread is how folks are using both the modern advances and the wisdom of their experiences. Thanks to all for sharing!

A couple of things that have worked for me:

I use Ecos laundry detergent. It's all natural and has a built in soy softener. I've heard great things about Charlies soap but have not had a chance to try it yet. I also use vinegar in my rinse cycle. It cuts soaps so it helps get all the soap out of the clothes and it acts as a softener.

Also, if the clothes feel a bit stiff after line-drying, put them in the dryer on no-heat for about 5-10 minutes. It gives them time to tumble and soften up a bit without using the dryer for the entire process.

I hope this helps. I started line-drying last year and I love it. Being in Michigan and having six people to do laundry for limits the time of the year I can use the clothesline. I am very happy spring is here though because it's finally warm enough to take my clothespins back out!

I tried this last summer. My bath towels were stiff and crunchy. Plus my laundry smelled horrible. I live in the city, I never realized our air stinks until I tried a clothes line. Car exhaust, people smoking outside, pet urine and fecies.....

In northern NY, I managed to bleach out one side of a couple of shirts once by leaving it out too long in the sun (a couple of days) so.. be sure to tend the laundry on the line.

I read this thread with interest because in many ways, I could have been the orignal poster! When I moved into my current house (15 years ago) there was a laundry line in the backyard. After a few tries resulting in crunchy jeans and towels, I went back to my old ways.

Now I work at a school and am looking forward to the summer off. I also live in a climate which I wouldn't be line drying in the harsher months (Minnesota). But I do thank Molly and grainlady for taking the time to impart their words of wisdom! I have added "Charlie" soap to my shopping list in anticipation to getting the residue out of my clothes and prepare for my first outdoor load. I hope this Charlie soap isn't hard to find. I don't recall ever seeing it before but will keep my eye out for it. Have a great weekend all!

I just read an interesting idea about how to hang towels to make them more fluffy on the line. What you do is you fold the towel in half, and clip the towel by the hem to the line, with one clothespin at each end of the towel. The towel will be a "bag" and rub up against itself and dry more fluffy. The photos I saw showed the towel wasn't stretched too tight, so it had room to move. I love line drying except for stiff towels (yes, I use a vinegar rinse, no, I haven't started using Charlies soap yet!) and I'm going to try this. Just thought I would pass this along.

Here is a link that might be useful: How to hang your wash out to dry

Most of the time stiffness is due to laundry detergent build up or hard water conditions. It can also occur with lack of breeze. Laundry flapping in the wind is less stiff due to the fabric constantly moving.

I live in a hard water area and still hang my clothes outside. I do not mind the stiffness, even in my towels and have not found the stiff towels to be less absorbent. In fact, I read somewhere, can't remember where, that still fabric is actually good for your skin as it exfoliates there in by keeping your skin healthier. Besides most stiffness goes away with wear and/or use.

As for the smell of the clothing line dried, it has been my experience that unless you use a heavily perfumed detergent, the fresh air pretty much removes any scent. Now if you live in an area where the air stinks, then you may end up with that smell on your clothes. I had a prob with that a while back due to a near by resturant and all their greasy smelling cooking. My clothes were smelling like old hamburgers. Thank God they moved their business else where and I have had no further problems. Detergent build up and using fabric softner can make your clothes smell nasty too depending on what you are using, aka ingredients in them. Type of fabric can have a factor as to scent too.

On a final note regarding odor in lined dried fabrics, many people are so use to the smell they get from detergents or their driers, which actually alters the smell of clothes even washed in perfume free detergents, that they have absolutely no idea what actual fresh clothing smells like. Clothes washed in a scent free detergent and then put in the drier smell different from those that are lined dried. Once you learn what an actual outdoor fresh smell is, the rest is a piece of cake.

Does Charlie's Soap work well with cold water? Does it clean, dissovle completely, etc?

donnamarienj - As a VERY satisfied Charlie's Soap customer, I use it in all temperatures of water. For more information, check out their web site (link below), give them a call or send an e-mail. They are staffed by great folks who are happy to answer any questions you may have. If you aren't satisfied with the product, they will also give you your money back.

800-854-3541 or email
taylor@charliesoap.com if you
have any questions

-Grainlady

Here is a link that might be useful: Charlie's Soap

I had to chuckle, happymomof2kids, because my husband built a BBQ pit in our backyard--and I have learned not to hang wash while he's smoking stuff out there!

My umbrella dryer is half in shade in the mornings, so I stand in the shade to hang clothes and spin the line as I work. I also put the basket on a small wrought-iron table so that I don't have to bend over so far. I keep plastic tube hangers on the metal poles and hang shirts on those.

A line dryer is an accessory to my dryer, and vice versa. I do not feel compelled to use either one. It depends on my time and energy level.

In hot, sunny times, I hang out the wash in the cool of the morning and take it in just before dusk. I don't hang my sheets during ragweed season because I have such a problem with it.

grainlady in what department of Target or Walmart would I find the TIDE Smart Dry Sweater and Pants Hangers? I recently checked both places, looking in the closet supplies area and the laundry products, but didn't find them.

I wonder if they are still available? They sure sound like something I could use.

Janet

Chambleemama,

Ah the smoke smell. I know what you mean. We have had many new people move to our neighborhood over the summer. One of the new families likes to grill lunch frequently. I have had to either hang my stuff out early and make sure they were dry by lunch, or had to hold off till lunch and sniff the air outside for charcoal smoke.

I have had to start drying towels and socks inside as my DH could not stand the stiffness. It drove him nuts. Now he is complaining about his work pants, which I can not use FS on. LOL!

I urged caution with FS as I had tried Cuddle Soft a year ago when line drying and my clothes came out smelling like that hamburger smell you get that lingers in the house after you fry some. Not pleasant. LOL! However, in all fairness they have reformulated it from what I understand so it may not do that anymore. The Downy has been good though. I just have to becareful. If I use too much I get itchy.

To tell you the truth though, after seeing the storms that tore through the south these past weeks, I am not going to sweat the lil stuff anymore. Not going to worry about a lil bit of suds on the window at the end of a load or how stiff anything may or may not be. I have my family, a roof over my head, cleans clothes on my back, and food in my stomach. I have a lot to be thankful for during a time when so many have lost so much and are having to do without.

i_dig_it -

I just saw the Tide Smart Dry Hangers at Wal-Mart this morning. They are NOT with regular hangers, but close to that area of our store, with a selection of "TIDE" brand laundry items. Check at the customer service department and have them check their computer to see if they are anywhere in the store. LOVE 'em, love 'em, love 'em...

-Grainlady

Here is a link that might be useful: Tide Smart Dry Hangers

Dear hubby is a golfer, and he has won some very nice shirts in recent tournaments (the price tags were almost $100!), plus an older son gave him some for Father's Day. I'm not sure what they're made of, but they feel almost weightless, are super-smooth and very comfortable.

The washing instructions are very specific; they are to dry on LO heat for only 5-10 minutes, then I have to hang them while still damp to finish drying. The Tide hangers are really the only hangers which are suitable for this. I honestly don't know what I'd do without them.

At my local Super Wal*Mart, the Tide hangers are on the aisle with the ironing boards, clothespins, and a few other things. Hope this helps.

i_dig_it, I was at Target on Friday and saw those Tide hangers. They were on an endcap in the laundry accessories area. I wasn't paying much attention but it could have been a clearance endcap so whether they'll carry them or if they've been replaced with a newer model, I don't know. Just check with someone who works in the department. They should know where they're at. They're definitely marketed in the laundry area and if you get there soon, maybe you'll get them at a discount. Maybe even give the store a call to be sure they have them. You'll need to talk to someone in the department though.