drying rack

krisman
krisman Solar Expert Posts: 57 ✭✭✭✭
in Energy Use & Conservation #1
I have been using a drying rack for towels and shirts and things like that, when i cant use the clothesline. The only problem i am having is i cant convince my mom to do all of our clothes like that because she would have to iron everything or they come out too stiff, or she just likes the "straight from the dryer feel". Does anyone have any suggestions? and yes we do use fabric softener.
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  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,622 admin
    #2
    Re: drying rack

    Especially during the winter--we line dry during the day, and toss the stuff in the drier at night (or 2nd day).

    Stuff gets softened in the drier (and heat kills the bugs)--but it runs a much shorter time because everything is almost dry.

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
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  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    #3
    Re: drying rack

    The #1 reason why dry laundry is stiff is because it still has soap in it. Washing machines are notoriously poor 'rinsers'. We wash by hand, rinse it twice or even three times (you can tell if soap is still coming out) and then hang to dry.

    There's the #2 reason: if the air isn't moving the clothes will be stiffer. A nice breeze and their fresh and soft. No fabric softener involved either.

    Try an extra rinse cycle, and then a standing clothes hanger that you can hang this from as though it were a clothes line (shirts on hangers for example) and turn a fan set on 'low' on it so the clothes wiggle in the breeze.
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  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    #4
    Re: drying rack

    marc,
    people also tend to use too much soap thinking it's only the soap that cleans and more is cleaner. that's not true and that recommended cap-full is far too much in many cases. those with water too hard may also need to add more just to suds-up so now they have lots of minerals and an excess of soap. that does not make for clean clothes.
    do note that i do not soften my water and it is city water so it doesn't seem to be too terribly hard or soft. i also have found that really soft water never seems to stop sudsing, especially if hot. filtered rainwater is soft and most well waters are hard.
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  • Ralph Day
    Ralph Day Solar Expert Posts: 1,022 ✭✭✭✭
    #5
    Re: drying rack

    You can get the straight from the dryer feel just by drying on your rack or clothesline, then fluffing/bouncing them around in the dryer on no heat setting. Did that for years before i got too lazy to bring the wash up, put it on the line, take it back down to the dryer, then back upstairs to put away in closet/dressers. Now everything feel just fine. Sometimes my ghi is a little brittle, but the first workout softens it up.

    Ralph

    (ghi= martial arts uniform)
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