8 Reasons to line dry your sheets

Between laundry and dishes, these two things are my least favorite chores. Oddly enough,I find line drying  sheets very pleasurable. There is something soothing about looking through my sliding glass door and seeing the wind blowing white sheets on the line.

 

Reasons to line dry your sheets

1. Saves Money – This is probably the most obvious reason. Your washer and dryer are one of the top energy hungry appliances. Finding ways to reduce your usage will result in more money left in your wallet. The sun is 100% FREE energy source so why not use it for drying your laundry?
2. Whitens whites- The sun is a natural whitener. It is an all natural, chemical free whitener. I do not like bleach one bit. It smells horrible, it eats away at fabric, and is a harmful chemical. The first time I lined dried my sheets, I was amazed at how white they were. They were as white as the day I had bought them, if not whiter.
3. Works out the wrinkles-  It works out almost all of the wrinkles. Ok, who actually irons anymore? There might be some that do but I’m not one that irons. The only times I iron is if we have a special event to go to or maybe if the a piece of clothing is extremely wrinkled and we’re headed to church or somewhere nice. The hubby and me were married for about 4 years before I actually bought an iron and 9 years (this year) before I bought a full size ironing board. And the only reason I bought a full size ironing board was mainly so I could make some throw pillows!! That’s pretty bad but it’s the truth.
4. It’s therapeutic- I don’t know if its the fresh air, sun light, chirping of the birds, or the act itself, but something about it is therapeutic. I really don’t think it’s just me because even the hubby will come out there and help me dry them and fold. He never helps me fold clothes unless I ask him. He will help out with other chores including throwing them in the washer and dryer but folding and putting away the clothes is not something he volunteers for.
5. Kills odors and smells- The heat from the rays of the sun can kill up to 99% of germs, bacteria, and mold. Hospitals use ultraviolet lights to aid in killing germs, bacteria, and viruses.
6. It doesn’t set in stains- I am not always the most thorough about checking for stains before tossing into the dryer.  There has been many times I pull my clothes out to find I had set in a stain by drying it in the dryer. With line drying, the sun doesn’t set the stain in.
7. Clothes won’t wear out as fast- Every time you pull out lint from your dryer, that is your fabric wearing down. The wearing down process is slowed by line drying.
8. Calming- It is calming to see your linens rippling with the breeze.

A few tips and tricks to line dry your sheets

• Like I said above,  the sun whitens. It can discolor your colors. Some colors can be line dried without risking the fading but materials where the color bleeds, are typically the ones that you may want to think twice about line drying. One tip, is to turn the clothes inside out to avoid fading when line drying. I haven’t personally done this so I can’t tell you if this tip will prevent fading. Another tip, is line dry colors in the shade.
• It can make some clothes stiff especially if you leave it out there for a long time and the wind is still. My husband’s socks will become very stiff after hanging them out to dry. He’s not a big fan of this. My socks, on the other hand, are made out of a different fabric. They do not become stiff after hanging them out to dry.  I think the type of fabric makes a difference. My sheets are never stiff after line drying. One tip to prevent this,  toss the clothes in the dryer for about 5 minutes before line drying to soften up the fabric.
• The clothes can absorb the smell from the air. In most cases, this is great. But if you are one who lives close to a dairy, this might not be ideal. My sister loves lavender. She has said a time or two, she would love to dry her clothes on a field of lavender.  If we all just lived next to a field full of fresh flowers, our line dried clothes would smell absolutely lovely.
• If you have allergies and there is lots of pollen in the air, don’t line dry that day. One of the times I line dried my sheets on a high pollen day, the sheets looked a little yellowish and it really irritated our allergies.  I use Pollen to check the allergens in the air for my area.
• I line dry some of my undergarments inside. There is a nifty retractable clothesline that my wonderful hubby installed above my washer and dryer. I purchased mine from Avon (my mom is an Avon lady) but you can buy one similar to mine at amazon. Retractable clothesline

There you have it. The reasons to give line drying a shot if you don’t already do so. I hope you find it as enjoyable as I do!

Scripture to help with the laundry

Use hospitality one to another without grudging.As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. (1 Peter 4:9-10)

If your like me, I’m not always thrilled to do the laundry that never seems to end. As a stay at home mom and wife, one of my chores is to launder clothes and linens. I am a servant to the little ones and to my husband. Even though, it can be hard at times, I should serve them humbly and without grumbling. Instead of only seeing the dirty pile of laundry,I can see the pile as a lesson to teach my children. We can teach them to serve others in a meekness manner EVEN if we don’t like the chore itself. Helping others is something we should do cheerfully and to best of our ability. We should serve one another in love.

For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only [use] not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. (Galations 5:13)

Hope this helps

There you have it. The reasons to give line drying a shot if you don’t already do so. I hope you find it as enjoyable as I do and the bible verse helps you look at your laundry in a whole new way!