This spring when the weather started getting sunny, my first outdoor project was to set up an umbrella type laundry line. I put it right outside the laundry room door, so it would be convenient to step outside and hang my laundry. Since then, I’ve been hanging laundry every sunny chance I get!

People often look at me funny when I say I like to hang my laundry to dry. They wrinkle their noses and scoff at the fact that my towels can be kind of crunchy. Or that I would “waste” precious time in my day hanging clothes to dry, when it’s faster just to pop them in the dryer.

That’s true, but there are benefits to line drying laundry that outweigh the downside.

Line Drying Uses Less Electricity

For a frugal person, this is reason enough to line dry laundry. According to the electric use cost calculator at Saving Electricity, the average cost per load is $0.49 and average American family spend about $194 per year on electricity from the dryer alone.

Now the savings from not running the clothes dryer may seem paltry, but it adds up over the years. And when combined with the other benefits of line drying laundry, I think it’s worth it.

Line Drying Preserves Clothes

Another way line drying laundry saves money is by making your clothing last longer. Have you ever noticed how much lint a dryer picks up in the lint trap? And have you thought about how rough the dryer must be on clothing to pick up that much lint?

Line drying is very gentle on clothing, so your clothes last longer. Which means you don’t have to replace your clothes as often. Which means you spend less money on your clothing.

Line Drying Gets You Outside

For me, this is important. Since I do a lot of work from home on my computer, it’s good for me to take a break to get outside once in a while.

By making a commitment to line dry my laundry, I know that I will have periodic breaks during the day, where I’m getting out in the sunshine. And hanging clothing is very relaxing. As I was hanging my last load, I was thinking of all the things I wanted to say in this post. Sometimes I think of my plans for the day. Sometimes I sing. Sometimes I pray. But the time I use for hanging my laundry is also time where I’m alone with my thoughts. As a busy mom, I treasure that time.

Line Dried Clothes Smell Great

I love the smell of clothes that have been hung out to dry. It’s a smell that commercial laundry detergents and fabric softeners can’t replicate, no matter how hard they try.

So that’s why I line dry my laundry. How about you? Do you hang up your laundry? Why?