Benefits of Air Drying Your Clothes

Author: Greg Baka

Air drying your clothes offers several benefits beyond simply getting laundry dry. Hanging clothes on a drying rack or clothesline can help your clothing last longer, reduce household energy costs, and limit the use of an appliance associated with home fires. Here are three good reasons to consider air drying more of your laundry.

Air Drying Helps Clothes Last Longer

When you use a clothes dryer, the tumbling action causes fabrics to rub against each other, gradually wearing away their fibers. Much of the lint collected in the dryer's lint trap comes from the clothes being dried. If you want your favorite clothing to last as long as possible, one simple change is to hang dry it instead of using a tumble dryer.

Wool sweaters and other natural fibers also last much longer when they are air dried. After washing, you can re-shape your wool fabrics and set them on a laundry drying rack to air dry so they retain their original beauty.

A fact you may not know is that the heat of a dryer damages elastic. If you would like to do a little experiment, go out and buy two pairs of identical socks. Mark one pair to be dried in the dryer and mark the other pair to be air dried. Wear each pair every week, launder them the same but dry them differently. I guarantee the pair that is air dried will last twice as long as the pair that you dry in the clothes dryer.

If this is true for a pair of socks consider the impact on other expensive articles of clothing like bras and fine lingerie. When you get a bra that is a great fit, air drying it will mean it lasts twice as long.

For diapers, sheets, and clothes worn by ill people, consider drying them outdoors to harness the natural disinfecting and whitening properties of the sun. The sun's UV light reacts with the water in the clothing to produce reactive forms of oxygen that kill the microorganisms. UV from the sun also interferes with the reproduction cycle of bacteria by damaging their DNA.

Save Money by Air Drying Laundry

According to the Public Utilities Service of New Hampshire, an average electric clothes dryer uses 5000 watts of power, runs 24 hours per month, and adds $218 a year to your electric bill. Ouch!

Drying your clothes on a rack indoors during the winter will also add much needed humidity into the dry air of a winter home, which allows you to turn down your thermostat by a degree or two. In fact, you can save up to 4% on your heating bills for every degree you lower your thermostat.

So instead of spending the money to run a humidifier, simply hang dry your laundry in your home and you will add much needed moisture into your home to help lower your heating bill.

Adding this moisture in the winter also has health benefits. Increasing the humidity in your winter home can reduce the chance of upper respiratory problems and save you even more money on doctor's visits and missed time from work and school. The added humidity will also help to keep your skin from drying out, which will make you feel more comfortable.

Reduce Clothes Dryer Fire Risks

This next statistic is very sobering. US fire departments respond to an estimated 15,900 home fires involving clothes dryers or washing machines EACH YEAR. These fires resulted in ANNUAL losses estimated at 13 civilian deaths, 440 civilian injuries, and $238 million in direct property damage. Clothes dryers accounted for 92% of these fires. See the NFPA's report Home Fires Involving Clothes Dryers and Washing Machines.

We know that we cannot put a monetary value on our lives and health. Using a laundry drying rack removes a large fire risk from your home.

Disclaimer: You are responsible for any suggestions you choose to follow, or not follow. This advice is offered for consideration with no guarantee of safety or effectiveness. Use this information at your own risk.

Article modified 11/11/2026

The author of this article, Greg Baka, is the founder of BestDryingRack.com and the writer of many useful articles.

He is also an experienced engineer and home remodeling DIY'er. He has tackled everything from underground drainage to metal roofing, and all things in between. Using his engineering degree, he designed a variety of products for laundry, gardening, and construction.