The Winter Laundry Hack That Could Help Save On Energy Costs

If you picture a laundry line fluttering with sheets, towels, and clothing, it will usually be set against a summery backdrop of green grass and blue sky. Yet, line-drying laundry knows no season. Despite popular belief, freezing temps don't need to stop you from line-drying your laundry. After all, people have been drying clothing outdoors for centuries, even in the frigid north. Yes, your jeans will freeze solid. However, thanks to sublimation, a word we've probably forgotten from science class, they will still dry. This textbook term refers to evaporation that occurs to a solid rather than a liquid.

There are heaps of benefits to adding a clothesline to your yard, but the financial savings are likely to be the biggest selling point. Hanging your laundry to dry can save your household quite a bit of money on utilities, especially if you find yourself doing several loads a week. Besides the obvious savings on your electric or gas bill, you'll also help conserve energy by choosing a drying method that's less harsh on your items. Clothing manufacturing mainly relies on fossil fuels and, according to data from the United Nations, is responsible for 2 to 8% of carbon emissions worldwide. Line-drying fabric items is less damaging to the material than tumble-drying, helping you get more life out of your clothing and lessening the need to replace items as often.

While handling damp clothing in icy weather might not seem all too appealing, the benefits can outweigh any minor discomfort. Wait for a sunny, slightly breezy day in winter, slip on a pair of gloves, and step into the fresh air for a reinvigorating break in your day. Gloves that don't hinder your hands' movement too much, paired with warm-up breaks in cozy pockets, will make this chilly task more pleasant. Without the heat of either a tumble dryer or a summer day, drying clothes outdoors does take longer than it would at warmer times of the year. However, you can even leave your laundry out overnight, giving you a helpful extra bit of time during short winter days.

Sun fading could be another reason why you're hesitant to dry your laundry outdoors, as winter sun can be more powerful if it's reflecting off of snow. You can keep bright colors vibrant by both turning dark clothing items inside out before washing them and bringing them inside as soon as they're dry. The intensified UV rays bouncing off snow can also be beneficial in certain cases. Drying laundry outdoors is a free and easy trick to brighten whites, since sunlight has powerful bleaching ability. If you're still not sold on how to air-dry laundry outdoors in winter — especially if you can't put up a line — check out our solutions to all of your line-drying problems.