Drying your clothes outside in the spring breeze sounds great – IF you know what you’re doing...

Laundry hung on the line to dry in the warm breeze smells great!

It can also be stiff as a board.  Don’t be discouraged. Drying laundry on the line saves energy and can even be a bit therapeutic. If you’d rather not end up with stiff, faded clothes and scratchy sheets and towels, here are a few things you can do to line-dry like a pro:

• Add a cup of white vinegar to your wash cycle to help dissolve the laundry detergent – and use half the recommended amount of detergent.

• Run the spin cycle twice to reduce drying time – then give each item a good shake before hanging it.

• Check the weather, and consider how much time the clothes will need to dry. Breezy, sunny days are the best days for drying. People who line-dry their laundry ALWAYS know the weather for the week. Keep an old shower curtain on hand in the event of a surprise passing rain shower.

• Turn bright colored items inside out first. The sun can fade them.

• If you suffer from allergies, keep in mind there may be a lot of pollen in the breeze that will end up in the fibers of your laundry.

• Birds can pose a hazard too. Avoid placing your line under a popular tree and don’t forget to check each item before you fold it up.

If you get in the habit of line-drying your laundry, you’ll get used to the different feel of some items. There are some things you might want to toss in the dryer for a few minutes off of the line – or even skip the line-drying for.