I've been line drying more but holy jeepers Batman, my jeans are so stiff after hanging them to dry. It made me wonder what causing mother nature to starch my clothes without my permission.I looked around and it seems like there are a million potential explanations for this annoying phenomenon. The one I thought sounded semi-plausible is:
"When fiber is moistened, it relaxes. Then, if it is air-dried in one position, such as on a line, it holds the shape and becomes fixed in that position to some degree. That is why you get that stiff feeling: all the fibers are locked in position, whatever position they were dried in. (It's like blocking a knitting project - pinning a wet item into shape and letting it dry in that position.) If, however, it's agitated as it dries (such as being flopped around in a dryer), it doesn't dry in any one position and is more flexible." [Source]
It seems the cure is to put the clothing in the dryer for 5 minutes then line dry. I'm not sure if that fits with the mechanism above. Plus if the object of line drying is to save energy, using the dryer seems like a step backward. I suspect the stiffness, this is total wacko Doc Green speculation here folks, has to do with soap residue that normally gets "steamed" out in a dryer but just dries in the fabric on the clothesline. I also read that vinegar can help make line dried cloth more pliable by helping to remove soap.
"All you have to do is add vinegar to the rinse water (1/2 cup per load) which prevents the stiffness. Vinegar removes soap residue that causes the cardboard texture that you hate. But no need to worry about the vinegar smell because as the clothing dries the odor disappears so you wont end up smelling like a pickle!" [Source]
All you seasoned line dryers, give me your secrets of soft line dried towels!
6 comments:
Yeah here's the thing. I have to pay for the dryer. Five minutes or 45. So while I'm sure that trick is nice for people who own dryers, if I'm paying for the dryer, then my clothes are staying in there the whole damn time! I've just been dealing with the starchy stiff quality on everything. After wearing for an hour it softens up.
I hear you totally. I didn't own a dryer until this last summer. Going to the laundromat sucked... and you are right about the softening. :-)
I don't mind the stiffiness besides if you hang them correctly, you don't need to iron. Ironing may be the queen of household chores, but I prefer to save it for special event items like table clothes and napkins. Actually, I discovered that items line dried in the house are less stiff (strached) then those dried outside. (By the way, am I the only person who loves the smell of vinegar-- especially apple cider vinegar?
--Ave
Here is one solution to help with the towels. I hate the stuff and don't use it but you can add downy to your rinse cycle.
You can also add baking soda to the wash cycle. Just use less soap when you do this.
mom
Thanks for all the tips guys
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