What Are The Benefits Of Drying Clothes In The Sun?

Using a tumble dryer is truly convenient. However, if you have a space to sun dry your clothes, you’ll be surprised to know that there are so many advantages to doing it not only for your clothing – but also for the environment and your wallet!

Are you ready to use that clothesline and pegs that are just gathering dust somewhere? Let’s get started.

Reasons why you should start sun drying clothes

When you have access to abundant sunlight in your place, you’re in luck. It is known that the sun dries out clothing so much faster than a dryer. Aside from its efficiency, sun-drying clothes are still practised for many other reasons.

Consider drying your clothes out in the sun because of the following:

It is good for the environment

The sun is a natural and free source of heat many of us can take advantage of.

When we use it to dry our clothes, we don’t have to use electricity. Remember what science always taught us back in school about fossil fuels? When we make use of an environmentally friendly option on our day-to-day chores, we’ll be able to conserve so much energy.

Just imagine how much energy you’ll waste using a dryer when you can hang your clothes and let the sun do its thing.

Tip: When you hang your clothes out to dry, there’s a chance that your clothing may attract bugs. To prevent this, avoid using heavily scented fabric detergents or softeners.

It will save you money

Using dryers can be very expensive due to the electricity they consume. You’ll also have to buy other stuff such as dryer sheets to reduce the static from your laundry.

When you sun dry, though, it’s basically free! All you have to do is invest in quality clothes washing lines and pegs! If you want, there are even retractable washing lines you can adjust the height of to make hanging laundry more accessible.

It will lessen your exposure to harmful chemicals

Did you know that when you use your dryer, it could release harmful chemicals or microfibers that can be harmful not only to the environment, but also to humans?  

A particular research^[1] even shows that even if there are filters in dryers, it is not very effective in collecting them.  As a result, harmful microfibres get released into the air which pollutes the environment.

Even dryer sheets may also contain chemicals that could cause allergic reactions in people.  

When we learn these pieces of information, it’s easy to lean more into drying clothes out in the sun than using dryers. Don’t get us wrong though – we know how convenient tumble dryers are to use! But if we’re not in a rush, making use of the sun every now and then is totally a good thing.

It is great for your clothes’ lifespan

Did you ever wonder why your clothes may appear to shrink after tumble drying? That’s because it DOES shrink.

The unnatural heat that the dryer releases can be too much for many pieces of clothing, damaging them in the long run. This is also why it’s important to read the care labels of your clothes as some materials are just not meant to be put in the tumble dryer.

Drying your clothes out in the sun preserves the fabric and makes them last longer. When they are exposed to extreme heat all the time like in a dryer, they are much easier to get worn or tear.

Tip: If you’re not used to hanging your clothes on a line to dry, you may notice that they’ll appear wrinkly. To avoid this, lightly shake your clothes out before leaving them to dry.

It freshens your clothes

Another advantage of hanging your clothes out to dry is that they’ll smell so much better than those you tumble dry. Why? To put it simply, the combination of the sun’s heat and the wind outside allows it to dry much faster – preventing mould and mildew growth.

Sometimes, when we use our dryers there’s a certain smell that does not particularly smell great when we get our clothes out. In my personal experience, this does not happen when I dry my clothes outdoors in the sun.

SEE ALSO: How To Clean A Condenser Tumble Dryer (the best way)

It has natural bleaching and disinfecting properties

You read that right. Do you have white clothes that are already turning yellowish? Some fabrics with a bit of stain? Leave it to dry in the sun and see what happens.

The UV rays of the sun naturally bleach and disinfect, and it can even remove bacteria from your clothing! This is particularly great for white clothing, towels, cloth nappies, and even sheets.

SEE ALSO: How To Make White Clothes Whiter With Baking Soda

Note: Be wary of drying dark clothes in the sun for too long. Doing so can fade or wash out their colour over time. To prevent this, avoid hanging dark clothing and jeans in direct sunlight.

It allows you to also get that vitamin D!

Finally, one of the bonus advantages of drying your clothes in the sun is that you’ll also get that necessary vitamin D.

Just being outdoors for a short time allows your body to get a bit of exercise, bask in the sun, and can improve your mood greatly. After all, sunlight is also a form of therapy which could lift your spirits.

Start drying your clothes outdoors!

There’s no denying it: drying clothes in the sun is very cost-effective and environmentally friendly.

If you live in a place where you’re lucky enough to catch some sun, try drying your clothes outdoors! The benefits you can get from doing so are so good that you’ll probably just forget about using your dryer in the summer.

Do you also dry your clothes in the sun? Let us know in the comments!

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