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air dry your clothes in the winter

The Best Way to Air-Dry Your Clothes in the Winter

As an environmentally-friendly brand, Charlie’s Soap encourages you to air-dry your clothes when possible. It goes without saying, air-drying your clothes greatly reduces the amount of energy you consume each year with a machine dryer. While air-drying your clothes is a great habit to get into, it can be challenging to do when the wintertime arrives. High heat and low humidity are critical for air-drying clothes, and it can be a struggle to air-dry your clothes in the winter. 

Even though winter is a difficult time for air-drying clothes, the practice is still possible if you follow the proper precautions. That being said, Charlie’s Soap wanted to walk you through some key tricks.

 

The Best Way to Air-Dry Your Clothes in the Winter

 

Air-Drying in Winter vs. Summer 

The most important environmental influences over effective air-drying are temperature and humidity. The hotter and dryer the conditions, the quicker clothes will dry. Conversely, clothes don’t dry well in cold, wet weather.

Because it comes with great warm weather, the summertime generally provides excellent conditions for air-drying clothes. During the summer months, all you have to do is walk outside and clip your clothes on your clothesline – the warm air will take care of the rest.

Drying your clothes in the winter is more challenging than in the summer. Not only are temperatures colder in the winter, but the sun is also much lower in the sky. At certain times during winter, your wet clothes might freeze on the clothesline. It could also be that without enough direct sun on fabrics, they don’t have what they need to dry.

 

Pay Attention to the Forecast 

 

While drying your clothes outside in the winter is more challenging than in the summer, it is possible to air-dry with the right weather window. Even in colder regions of the country like the Midwest, there are still certain days that are conducive to air-drying clothes.

Perhaps the most important element of drying your clothes in the winter is paying careful attention to the forecast. For example, if you plan on doing laundry on a day that it’s 50 degrees and sunny, you should have no problem getting your clothes dry. 

All things considered, keeping a close eye on the forecast will save on electricity usage in the long run.

 

Air-Drying Inside is an Option 

A commonly overlooked fact about air-drying clothes is that you can do it inside. That being said, when it’s freezing cold outside in the dead of winter, you can utilize the warm air inside your home to dry your laundry.

The most important thing about drying your clothes indoors is setting up the right system. If you have an unused bedroom or something similar, you can actually run a clothesline from wall to wall. Another more practical option is to set up a drying rack that can be moved out of the way when not in use.

As long as your home has a warm ambient temperature and the wet clothes are appropriately spread out, you should have no problem air-drying them indoors.

 

Plan for Synthetic Fabrics 

Another great trick for air-drying your clothes in the winter boils down to choosing the right type of clothing for the job. Whether you wait for a good weather window to dry outside or set up an indoor drying rack, certain fabrics simply dry out quicker than others.

Because winter weather often presents less than ideal drying conditions, you might be well advised to only focus on synthetic fabrics for air-drying. Importantly, many synthetic fabrics like exercise clothes are fast-drying – making them better suited for the winter. Even better, as the care labels on many synthetics call for air-drying anyway, this is the best practice for these sensitive fabrics. 

With your synthetic fabrics being air dried, you can run cotton fabrics in the drying machine. In this instance, a little planning and foresight can positively impact the environment.

 

Talk to Charlie’s Soap Today! 

We always encourage our customers to follow eco-friendly laundry practices at Charlie’s Soap. That being said, air-drying your laundry is an excellent option in both summer and winter.

There is no better way to complement your air-drying practice than using quality laundry detergent. Charlie’s Soap Natural Laundry Detergent is biodegradable and free of harsh additives and chemicals. Even better, our detergent is available in packets, liquid, and powder form. 

Please Contact Us today with questions.

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