National Hanging Out Day 2021: Top Reasons To Line Dry Laundry

National hanging out day is celebrated on April 19 annually to encourage people to air dry their clothes outside using a traditional clothesline.

Line drying is the traditional method of drying clothes. But over the years, mechanized dryers have become more popular due to their efficiency, replacing traditional clotheslines.

National Hanging Out Day aims to remind people of the wonders of air drying. Started by Project Laundry List in 1995, this day seeks to educate people about the benefits of washing clothes in cold water and hanging them outside to dry afterward.

Project Laundry List is a group that is located in New Hampshire that promotes air drying laundry and cold water washing as effective means to save energy.

"If we all did things like hang out our clothes, we could shut down the nuclear industry," Dr. Helen Caldicott, founder of Project Laundry List, said in her speech during a symposium.

This National Hanging Out Day, you can take part in the celebrations by hanging out your clothes. By doing so, you can conserve energy and help make the world a safer place for future generations.

That's because line drying clothes allows you to take advantage of renewable energy sources such as wind and sunlight when drying your clothes. This is better for the environment compared to using mechanized dryers that consume a lot of electric power.

To give you more reasons give it a try, here are the other benefits of air drying laundry outside, courtesy of The Spruce and The Frugal Girls:

1. It saves money. Purchasing a new clothesline is definitely cheaper than getting a new clothes dryer. The use of a traditional clothesline will also help reduce your utility bills.
2. It conserves energy. Air drying clothes outside can reduce the average household's carbon footprint by a whopping 2,400 pounds each year. It is also estimated that if all Americans air dried their clothing, it would lessen the country's total carbon dioxide output by 3.3%.
3. It is gentler on your clothes. Machine dryers cause more wear and tear to clothes as their drying process involves a lot of tossing and tumbling. Excessive heat can also cause irreversible damage to fabrics.
4. It lets you have more physical activity. You can burn around 68 calories just by hanging your clothes or removing them from the clothesline for 15 minutes.
5. It disinfects and whitens laundry. The ultraviolet rays from the sunlight help disinfect and bleach your clothes naturally when they are air-dried.
6. It reduces fire risk. Annually, around 15,000 structure fire incidents, 15 deaths and 400 injuries are caused by clothes driers in the United States.
7. It gives your clothes a fresh smell. Line drying clothes helps remove odors from the clothes, giving them a fresh smell.