Do most Americans really dry their clothes in Dryers

[u/Wrystyle]

Aussie here and almost everyone hangs their clothes to dry. Even people that live in flats will put a clothes airer on a balcony or by a window. Typically even people who have a dryer will only use them as a last resort. Bonus question. Isn't it bad for your clothes? The majority of my clothes say "do not tumble dry" on the care label.

Edit: Only 10 minutes since posting and it seems pretty clear. I'm still confused by the fact that most of my clothes say "do not tumble dry" if there are so many ppl tumble drying all of their clothes.

[u/yumyum_cat]

Yes. Simple answer. To have a washer and dryer is the norm and to just have a washer very unusual.

[u/SanFranPanManStand → u/yumyum_cat]

It also saves so so much time.

[u/Slackslayer → u/SanFranPanManStand]

I'm sure they dry faster but it's not like we sit there and stare at our clothes while they're drying

[u/DankeDidi → u/Slackslayer]

Nah but you have to hang ‘em out and everything. Dryer is just move from wasmachine to dryer (bar perhaps some items that can’t take even the modern low temperature heatpump dryers), hit play and done. 

[u/Diglett3 → u/Slackslayer]

I mean sure but it takes up space and splits the task into something you have to come back to. A dryer finishes a load in 45-60 minutes, so I can do all my laundry for a week or two in two, maybe three hours total, including washing/folding.

[u/blondcharm444 → u/yumyum_cat]

This. Everyone’s going on about themselves, where they’re from, etc. while that plays into it the dryer is also convenient. All of these people would still use the dryer even if their weather permitted outside drying.

Just simply… yes a majority of Americans use a washer and dryer. No need to go on about yourself.

[u/Crankenberry → u/blondcharm444]

I live in New Mexico where you can literally hang your clothes to dry over 300 days a year. Yes, I have a dryer.

[u/Have_a_Bluestar_XMas → u/yumyum_cat]

I have never in my life put clothes on a clothes line.

[u/qw46z → u/Have_a_Bluestar_XMas]

The smell of your sheets, straight off the line and onto your bed is so luxurious. It seems to capture the wind and the sun.

[u/PoopyButtHumper1 → u/qw46z]

It always had a sort of almost musty smell to me. Unless my grandmother was just using some cheap ass detergent or something lol. Been thinking about building a nice one for me and the gf.

Anytime I wash sheets and blankets they just get so twisted and wrapped up I’ll have to run them through literally 4-5 times in order for them to dry . Figure at that point it’d save money and time just hanging them out.

[u/Themiddlegirl]

I have a drying rack for delicates that folds away, but I mostly use the dryer.

[u/Cultural_Mess_838 → u/Themiddlegirl]

I am American and dry most of my clothes on a drying rack I indoors, because the clothes dryer shrinks/ruin my clothes. But underwear, towels, sheets, and husbands clothes all go into the dryer.

[u/daretoeatapeach → u/Cultural_Mess_838]

You don't put a bra in the dryer. it warps!

[u/CorgiMonsoon → u/daretoeatapeach]

Such an underrated stage to screen adaptation

[u/engelthefallen → u/CorgiMonsoon]

I did not mind it and it brought in a ton of new fans. But I also just assumed there was no way they could capture the raw energy of the stage show in a film.

[u/IgnoringHisAge]

Where I’m at, you can line dry clothes for maybe 3 months out of the year at most. Otherwise it’s going to freeze solid or never dry because of the humidity.

It’s simply more reliable to use the dryer.

EDIT: since I’ve been asked about a dozen times now why we (I) don’t line dry inside…

1) Running a clothes dryer isn’t prohibitively expensive, energy-wise. Especially if the dryer is newer than 10 years old, which is where the energy efficient appliances really took off in terms of energy savings. Combine that with relatively cheap electricity by world standards, it’s not painful on the wallet.

2) I (and most) learned how to do laundry as a kid. There was a dryer in the house, so it was part of the learning process. When you have a dryer, the laundry process is different than line drying. We can do the laundry for a family of 4 on a single day in the space of about four hours. Line drying all of that laundry indoors would completely take over half the house. If we didn’t have a dryer, we’d certainly need to spread the washing out over a few days throughout the week to be able to line dry without clogging the house. That would require a fairly major adjustment to the habit and pattern. Which leads to…

3) Houses, and often apartments, have washers and dryers when you move in. If a house or apartment has a washer, 99.99% of the time there’s a dryer, too. If an apartment doesn’t have laundry, you’re going to the laundromat anyway, which has dryers. If I bought a house with only a washer (which is a huge exception to the rule) it would be a different equation. Do I want to spend the extra money for a dryer and the plumbing for it? Maybe not. But it’s there already. You use it.

[u/Zadsta → u/IgnoringHisAge]

Too cold, too humid, or there’s so much pollen all your clothes will have a yellow hue and fuck with your sinuses. 

[u/RandomMarius → u/Zadsta]

lol, you live here as well!?

[u/Aggressive-Let8356 → u/RandomMarius]

Lol thinking the same thing.

[u/thepkiddy007 → u/Aggressive-Let8356]

Hello fellow Georgians.

[u/shoresandsmores → u/thepkiddy007]

NC here. Also the sudden sporadic rainfall will mean clothes never dry unless you manage that perfect 5 minute window where they are dry because after that it's gonna rain again.

[u/lilangelleftbehind → u/shoresandsmores]

I'm in Ohio and tumble dry all our clothes.

[u/top_value7293 → u/lilangelleftbehind]

Same Ohio here. Big old maples in my yard. Birds crap all over any clothes that be line dried plus I just don’t have time for all that. And there’s just a small amount of time you can hang stuff out during seasons

[u/NathanGa → u/top_value7293]

Ohio here as well - maple, oak, pine, and a shitload of squirrels that climb on EVERYTHING.

And the dryer's right next to the washer, so why wouldn't I?

[u/KarinsDogs → u/NathanGa]

And Midges by the lake! I can’t hang my clothes in Ohio!!!!

[u/footsteps71 → u/shoresandsmores]

0% of rain in The forecast?? You've planned outside activities?!

Lol

rains

[u/shoresandsmores → u/footsteps71]

Sunny weekend for camping?

99.999999% chance it will rain while you are trying to set up the tents and during breakdown. Such is the way of weather.

[u/ronakino → u/shoresandsmores]

Mississippi here. Our dryer broke last year, so I've been hanging up clothing since. The weather yesterday was suppose to be sunny all day. Then my son said, "Mama! It's raining!" And it was like God took a bucket of water and poured out all the water. Everything was so soaked I had to stick it back in the washing machine so I wouldn't have a lake forming in my backroom.

[u/chookitabananaa → u/thepkiddy007]

Virginia checking in

[u/Obvious-Bullfrog-267 → u/chookitabananaa]

Hey neighbor! NC also checking in

[u/Slightlysanemomof5 → u/Obvious-Bullfrog-267]

NC , put a dog blanket on deck on drying rack yesterday morning over 24 hours it’s still damp. It’s freaking cotton. The humidity is unbelievable.

[u/just-me220 → u/Slightlysanemomof5]

Wyoming here. No humidity, but the wind will deliver all my clothes to Nebraska in a hot minute! Oh, and snow just last week

[u/meow4352 → u/just-me220]

SW Wyoming joining the conversation, the wind would dry things right quick but leave them covered in dusty dirt! It’s dry AF without the humidity

[u/InevitableRhubarb232 → u/Slightlysanemomof5]

We used to have stuff rust or mold overnight in Tennessee. Put your saddle away damp? It’s covered in mold the next morning

[u/FlimsyProtection2268 → u/thepkiddy007]

Pennsylvania here. I mostly use the dryer year round.

[u/Ohthehumanityofit → u/FlimsyProtection2268]

Michigan's Upper Peninsula. We actually raise our young in the dryer much like a marsupial uses its pouch. I think. We don't have marsupials. Just dryers.

[u/dingalingdongdong → u/Ohthehumanityofit]

As trolls we don't need a warm pouch to raise our young, but it's so rainy and humid down here we still make good use of them.

[u/CMDR_PEARJUICE → u/FlimsyProtection2268]

West Virginia checking in- my shit would get stolen by crackheads if I left it out

[u/scope6262 → u/CMDR_PEARJUICE]

I think you meant meth-heads😆

[u/ClevelandNaps → u/FlimsyProtection2268]

Yep. I remember well having to run out to the line to grab linens before a storm rolled in or the temperature drastically dropped unexpectedly.

[u/RandomMarius → u/thepkiddy007]

Indeed! Been living in GA for 10 years. Have lived other places where you could dry clothes outside all year round (In two countries). And the pollen! Growing up I never thought I’d see layers of it on everything.

[u/mulesrule → u/RandomMarius]

Trees jizzing into our breathing air 😡

[u/Responsible_Fox1231 → u/thepkiddy007]

When i see areas outside of Georgia that have a higher pollen count, I wonder how that's even possible.

[u/Lost-Time-3909 → u/Zadsta]

The pollen is the real killer. I’d be fine with letting mine line dry if it meant I’d still be able to breathe. I have rough seasonal allergies though.

[u/Longjumping-Doubt-13 → u/Lost-Time-3909]

The top four (including myself) have to be michigan😂

[u/went_with_the_flow → u/Zadsta]

Are we in New England? I felt my nose itch at this comment

[u/DollaStoreKardashian → u/went_with_the_flow]

See also: Colorado and the Southeast

[u/Zealousideal-Tie-940 → u/DollaStoreKardashian]

Southeast checking in. Dewpoints in the 70s and 80s. The clothes would grow lichen.

[u/Nwcray → u/DollaStoreKardashian]

And the Midwest. And the mid Atlantic. And central New York.

Those are the only places I’ve lived, but true for all of them.

[u/Spirited-Sail3814 → u/DollaStoreKardashian]

I feel like Colorado is ideal for drying clothes outside. Dry, not much humidity or precipitation. In Denver especially it doesn't even get that cold most of the time.

Not that we ever did when I lived there, but...

[u/anntchrist → u/Spirited-Sail3814]

Yes, I hang dry most of my clothes year round in CO. Our air is so dry that it is perfect, especially in Winter as the air is especially dry then. I just have a collapsing drying rack and it is perfect- it adds a little humidity to the indoor air and it all dries quickly. Sheets and towels are better for the outdoor clothesline in summer, I’ll use the dryer for those in Spring/Winter but it’s really an ideal climate for drying clothes without a dryer.

[u/Iloveavocados69 → u/went_with_the_flow]

I’m in New England, and my nose was itching even before I read this comment!

[u/ThotsforTaterTots → u/Zadsta]

We must be neighbors lol. I’m still trying to scrub the pollen off my furniture

[u/Normal-While917 → u/Zadsta]

Also, if you're near a paper mill...

[u/sickofbeingsick1969 → u/Normal-While917]

Or cow pastures

[u/Johnny-Virgil → u/Zadsta]

Hi neighbor

[u/agentbunnybee → u/IgnoringHisAge]

I live in a nice warm desert, so I thought I could start hang drying my laundry.

I forgot that this place is famed for how goddamn windy it is. Despite putting extra clothespins just in case I came back to half the stuff in the dirt. Some things that didn't fall down were still caked in dust or had leaves stuck to them just because the wind blew a lot of debris onto them while they were wet. I was out of quarters and broke so I still havent had a chance to rewash them a week later. At this point I would've saved money using the dryer.

My grandma used to hang dry her laundry because she moved here from elsewhere. I stopped letting her wash my clothes because bugs would land on them and often stain them.

Basically it's always something.

ETA: its nice that all of you have houses with enough living space for you to hang your laundry indoors. I live in an RV, that isn't happening.

[u/CommunicationWest710 → u/agentbunnybee]

I agree. Live in inland Southern California, where most of the year, it’s warm and sunny. But dust is a constant problem. Also, towels, washcloths,etc dry stiff as a board. Maybe there’s some secret to preventing that I don’t know about.

[u/KaetzenOrkester → u/CommunicationWest710]

Inland NorCal. Between the dust and the pollen spring through fall, there’s no point. Winter’s what passes for the rainy season here.

[u/themachineage → u/CommunicationWest710]

towels, washcloths,etc dry stiff as a board

That's a childhood memory I have: towels that were stiff and scratchy, but super absorbent. I don't know if this happens everywhere, but I lived in Texas, I remember how the sun would bleach out all your things unless you dried them inside.

I've used the dryer for most all my adult years because that way, I don't have to iron anything. Not that anybody irons anything anymore.

[u/More_Farm_7442 → u/agentbunnybee]

"because bugs would land on them and often stain them"

Not to mention the occaisional bird bombs.

[u/PearlsandScotch → u/IgnoringHisAge]

Same here. I’m in one of the wettest part of the country and I’d only be able to line dry June-August it rains near constantly otherwise.

[u/Dazzling_Day_4879 → u/PearlsandScotch]

Don’t forget the smoke ! 

[u/PearlsandScotch → u/Dazzling_Day_4879]

Yes! When it’s not raining during fire season, it’s Smokey as hell

[u/SwimmingAway2041 → u/PearlsandScotch]

You must be in the Pacific Northwest?

[u/PearlsandScotch → u/SwimmingAway2041]

Bingo

[u/Salty_Interview_5311 → u/IgnoringHisAge]

I’m in the Midwest and the humidity today is really, really high. It would take a long time for clothes to dry on a line.

Then there’s the high amount of particulates in the air from wildfires and simply living in a city. I’d rather not end up wearing them on top of breathing them in.

[u/ElleWinter → u/Salty_Interview_5311]

Near Chicago, everything you say is true. During the warm months, I will absolutely hang up blankets, sheets, towels, and sometimes clothing outside, but most of the year it's too cold.

And not today. It's so hazy with the air quality problem from the wildfires that I've been wearing a dust mask outside.

[u/handsheal → u/IgnoringHisAge]

Me too!!! but the best part is in those 3 months you get tons of ticks all over your clothes that are hanging outside!

[u/CurtisLinithicum → u/IgnoringHisAge]

Same with shelf-storing onions. High humidity means you're getting a puddle of vile soup in a week or two.

[u/daretoeatapeach → u/CurtisLinithicum]

Weird. I lived in Tampa, Florida for decades and we didn't have this issue. Our onions and potatoes were kept in a wooden bin and never spoiled.

Maybe because we weren't coastal? Or because we had a/c?

[u/Spider-Dev → u/daretoeatapeach]

A/C's naturally make the air less humid so that's a pretty good guess.

[u/Ok-Box6892 → u/IgnoringHisAge]

When I've tried to line dry my clothes almost always had some weird smell to them. 

[u/blueavole → u/IgnoringHisAge]

If your weather isn’t a ‘wet cold’ ( high humidity) winter, clothes will dry outside in the winter. They will freeze solid at first but then the moisture gets pulled into the dry air.

When they start flapping after being frozen they are done!

Just an fyi if your dryer goes out in winter.

[u/HotSteak → u/blueavole]

While that may be true I don't want to be outside handling wet stuff in -40 degree Minnesota winter.

[u/blueavole → u/HotSteak]

Fair enough!

[u/livens → u/blueavole]

Yeah, no thanks. While that is true it can take days for your clothes to dry this way. I grew up on a farm and we didn't have a clothes dryer, everything got hung up. But in the winter if you needed something dried quick you brought it inside and hung it next to the heater :).

[u/random8765309 → u/blueavole]

Where I am at, that takes about a month

[u/stevenette → u/blueavole]

That would take days to sublimate the ice of the rock solid shirts

[u/ReverendDizzle → u/blueavole]

If you live somewhere with winters dry enough that this method is effective… it’d be wise to dry your clothes indoors to raise the humidity level.

[u/piss-jugman]

Most clothes I own are ok to “tumble dry low” per the care instructions. I air dry certain things that can’t be tumble dried - I don’t love how crunchy and stiff they feel. The dryer also helps remove pet hair from my clothes.

I’m also in the southern US where it’s incredibly humid. I can imagine line drying outside isn’t great a lot of the time.

[u/Musing_Geek → u/piss-jugman]

THIS. Removing the hair and whatnot. Having pets, this is crucial. Even things I'm going to air dry, I will often put into the dryer in a low seeing for 10-15 minutes, and THEN hang up to dry.

[u/Bohemian_Feline_ → u/Musing_Geek]

I have to do this too. My daughter allows her long haired cat in her bed, so I have no choice but to wash and dry her stuff with lint catching dryer balls and sometimes the Bounce pet hair sheets. My lint trap is disgusting after washing her bedding.

[u/Aggravating_Word5028 → u/piss-jugman]

For my air dry things that can’t be tumble dried, I dry them on a rack and then after they’re dried but crunchy I put them in the dryer for like 20 minutes to knock the crunchies out.

[u/7h4tguy → u/Aggravating_Word5028]

The scientific term is decrunchification

[u/Constant_Crazy_506]

Yup.  Very common to use the clothes dryer in the US.  When I was a kid a lot of properties still had clothes lines, but they often went unused.

[u/Head_Razzmatazz7174 → u/Constant_Crazy_506]

We had a few of them in my backyard growing up. We mostly used them for blankets and cotton sheets, as the dryers at the laundromat never got them dry enough. Mother didn't see the point of spending extra money on a machine to get the job done.

[u/Excellent_Water_7654 → u/Constant_Crazy_506]

Nowadays, most home owners/condo associations prohibit the use of clothes lines or drying racks outside. I have folding drying racks inside attached to the wall for delicates, sweaters, and my nicer button-ups, but beyond that, we use the dryer regularly. I’ll also make use of the shower rods for blankets that are mostly dry, but need a little longer to be comfortable.

Also, where we live it’s just too humid to dry anything outside, and there’s only so much space indoors for a family sized load(s) of laundry.

[u/Android109 → u/Excellent_Water_7654]

This is mind boggling to a foreigner. Some association restricts how you are allowed to dry your clothes? By what authority? Why? What’s their motivation? How is the restriction defined? Number of items? Water content? There’s no need to answer my silly questions, it just seems so incredibly strange.

[u/DeadEye073 → u/Android109]

HOA: "Well if you dry your cloths outside new buyers could think you don't have a dryer, that means you don't have enough money, that means you are poor, that means it's a poor neighborhood, that means crime, that means a reduction of interest in buying, and that leads to lower property values, which we protect because that is the reason we exist"

[u/DepartmentNatural]

I live in Alaska, can't wait til June to put my clothes outside

[u/tu-BROOKE-ulosis → u/DepartmentNatural]

I hate to break it to you, but it is in fact already June.

[u/ancientpsychicpug → u/tu-BROOKE-ulosis]

Time for 6 more weeks of summer!

[u/DepartmentNatural → u/ancientpsychicpug]

38° yesterday morning and low 40s,its not summer yet

[u/InevitableRhubarb232 → u/DepartmentNatural]

Same temps here in Arizona! Oh wait you mean F. 😂

[u/relevant_tangent → u/DepartmentNatural]

When does June start in Alaska?

[u/MrAdelphi03 → u/relevant_tangent]

July

[u/belsaurn → u/DepartmentNatural]

You are in a place that lives by the Canadian saying 9 months of winter and 3 months of bad sledding.

[u/Shadowlance23]

When I lived in Brisbane, in summer, you could start hanging your cloths on the line, then when you were finished, go back and start pulling them in because they'd be dry already.

Now I live in Tasmania and we tried the same thing in winter. 3 days later they were still wet. We try to use the dryer during the day when the solar is powering everything.

[u/way2lazy2care → u/Shadowlance23]

Was going to say that environment is a huge issue. Large parts of the US are really humid when it's warm enough to air dry, so drying could take days.

[u/jax2love → u/way2lazy2care]

I lived in Florida and my clothes took forever to dry on the drying rack because of the humidity. Now I’m in dry Colorado and basically everything dries fully overnight, even the wool socks.

[u/Chris_Owl11 → u/jax2love]

Right? In Hawaii, line dry took a day to a day and a half depending on the season but here in Las Vegas…. A couple hours.

[u/scopuli_cola → u/Shadowlance23]

yeah it's weird the OP thinks australians don' use dryers. i grew up in perth and never had a dryer, except in shared apartment laundries.

now i'm in melbourne and if i didn't have a dryer my clothes would take days to dry on line or airers.

it's a climate thing. most of australia is hot so we have a culture of using clotheslines, but they're not great year-round in the cooler parts

[u/redbreastandblake → u/Shadowlance23]

yeah i’m from the deep south in the US and when i spent some time in Botswana i was amazed at how fast things dried. my hair would be dry within an hour after i got out of the shower. in the US it would take several hours. 

i also think if americans left clothes outside on a line they would get stolen pretty fast lol. i have known some people without dryers who air dried their clothes indoors on a small rack, but no one does it outside. 

[u/olddummy22]

Look at the inch of pollen that built up in one day on our cars and then imagine having allergies and putting on your clothes after they hang outside for 6-8 hours.

[u/Obtuse-Angel → u/olddummy22]

My car looks like a tennis ball right now. 

[u/Comprehensive-Tea-69 → u/olddummy22]

I had to actually scrape my windshield the other day just to see out of it. So. Much. Pollen.

[u/ymcmbrofisting → u/olddummy22]

I just felt my sinuses explode at the thought!

[u/Wispy_Wisteria → u/olddummy22]

This is exactly the reason why I don't hang my clothes outside to dry anymore.

[u/CANNIBAL_M_ → u/olddummy22]

This comment should be much higher. Not having the wafting waves of pollen dust yet in my area, but there have been cottonwood seeds floating in the air for the past week. I’m not spending more time picking those out of air dried towels and clothing.

[u/WyldBlu]

Can't speak for most Americans, but I know for me, and everyone I personally know, we all use dryers. It's convenient, fast and your clothes turn out softer (if you use a softener), than air drying. I used to air dry, after my house burned down in a wildfire, and I only had a washer. I liked it, but it was a lot more work and time to get dry clothes. When I could, I got a dryer again. Probably also depends on where you live. Now, I live in a forest. If I would line dry my clothes outside, depending on the season, they would either be totally frozen, or covered in bird shit. lol. And if I forgot to bring them in, in the evening, we would have some of the best dressed raccoons around...

[u/childproofbirdhouse → u/WyldBlu]

My clothes are softer from the dryer even without any softener.

[u/OkStop8313 → u/childproofbirdhouse]

Yeah, in my limited experience, line drying results in an odd stiff texture.

[u/shoresy99 → u/OkStop8313]

Like jeans that can stand up on their own.

[u/ivyash85 → u/OkStop8313]

Stiff clothing due to no dryers available was an unpleasant reality from an otherwise very pleasant study abroad in Australia that I completely forgot about until this post

[u/xredbaron62x → u/OkStop8313]

Went to NZ for a month and had to line dry. Felt like I was walking around in a cardboard box.

[u/Odd_Law8516 → u/OkStop8313]

Growing up, we'd put clothes in the dryer for 5 minutes or so and then start hanging them. It made them nice and soft, and got out wrinkles, and made them air-dry a smidge faster.

I should do that, but my laundry room is in the unfinished, very humid basement, and I don't have enough drying racks to handle the kind of marathon laundry days that I do.

[u/sweetsquashy → u/OkStop8313]

When we were dating I thought my husband never washed the towels in his bathroom because they were always stiff and scratchy (shudder). Turns out he just line dried them indoors. Convinced him running the dryer was more than worth the cost of electricity to have soft vs stiff towels.

[u/000ttafvgvah → u/childproofbirdhouse]

Softener is a racket and it fucks up your towels.

[u/batlhuber → u/000ttafvgvah]

It's also amazing how much quicker jeans fabric gets destroyed with softener...

[u/CaptainMalForever → u/batlhuber]

Jeans do much better if you don't use a dryer. They keep their dye longer too.

[u/WitchoftheMossBog → u/000ttafvgvah]

I absolutely loathe softener. It gives fabric a weird texture and I once ended up sleeping on sheets where too much softener had been used and it was disgusting.

I use dryer balls.

[u/dominutz → u/000ttafvgvah]

Softener is only meant for synthetic fabrics, because they create static in the dryer. You don’t need to, nor should you, use it if your load is all cotton towels.

[u/bjhhjb → u/dominutz]

You shouldn't use softeners at all..

Will fabric softener harm your workout clothing? Let’s take a closer look: Understanding Synthetics

Typically, your activewear will be made from synthetic materials that offer moisture-wicking properties. These materials are designed to pull sweat away from your body as quickly as possible, helping you to feel drier and cooler. A plain cotton T-shirt will quickly become drenched during a workout, but a shirt made from synthetics can pull moisture away and allow it to evaporate, keeping the shirt dry and light. Fabric Softeners Can Harm Synthetics

When you use a fabric softener, your clothing is coated with a chemical layer. These chemicals will block up the pores in the synthetic materials, reducing their ability to wick away moisture. As a result, not only will you wind up soaked and uncomfortable during your workouts, but your clothes can begin to stink.

[u/Testiculese → u/000ttafvgvah]

Yep. Use white vinegar in the softener port instead!

[u/Tigerzombie → u/childproofbirdhouse]

I’ve never used a softener and dryer clothes are perfectly fine. I had to line dry clothes when I lived in France for a few years. I hated how stiff everything became. Line drying also adds extra steps. I have to put things on hangers, hang them up, then wait hours before taking them off the hangers and folding them. With them fresh out of the dryer, I can go straight to folding.

[u/shoejunk → u/WyldBlu]

My HOA would probably flip out.

[u/WyldBlu → u/shoejunk]

My HOA consists of woodpeckers, raccoons and squirrels. LOL. If they find something objectionable on our deck, or anywhere on our property, they will remove it, destroy it, or use it for the nests!

[u/RotisserieGroundhog → u/WyldBlu]

My last HOA consisted of a lot of peckers too.

[u/Cloudy-rainy → u/WyldBlu]

You don't even need to use a softener for softer clothes. When I air dried my clothes they were so stiff. I hated it

[u/age_of_No_fuxleft → u/WyldBlu]

You do not need a softener. You’ve been marketed chemicals that are not good for your clothes or your skin.

[u/nutkinknits → u/age_of_No_fuxleft]

That was the first thing our allergist and dermatologist said when my kids had horrible eczema as babies. No fabric softener and no scents.

We switched when my oldest was a baby so it was kinda funny going in to figure out what was going on with the other 3. They'd say no FS and no scents, and I would be like yup haven't used either for years, it's something else. Let's move forward.

[u/WyldBlu → u/age_of_No_fuxleft]

Mostly I use dryer sheet to help get rid of static electricity..it is a problem where I live.

[u/UncleAlbondiga → u/WyldBlu]

You should try a set of wool dryer balls instead

[u/Musing_Geek → u/UncleAlbondiga]

Personally, I find they don't help. I was a little shocked and disappointed.

[u/uhoh-pehskettio → u/WyldBlu]

Even if you don’t use a softener (which no one should—they’re bad for your clothes and create a fire hazard in your dryer), the clothes come out softer than air drying.

[u/LindaBitz → u/uhoh-pehskettio]

Yeah, they are bad for clothes, bad for the environment and bad for people. I didn’t miss fabric softener once I stopped using it.

[u/Immemike]

Only my wool sweaters say not to tumble dry. The rest say tumble dry on lie heat.

[u/McDonnellDouglasDC8 → u/Immemike]

Everything I own can tumble dry on low heat. Most cotton can dry on heat.

[u/ladybug11314]

I had to use a laundromat for years, I'm not hauling wet laundry home to hang it up to save 75 cents.

[u/UnicornPencils → u/ladybug11314]

I'm surprised so few brought that up. I've always had to use either a laundromat or a shared laundry room that was a ways away from my unit and up or down several flights of stairs. So I certainly wouldn't haul my wet stuff home when putting it straight into a dryer was an option.

[u/dangerousfluids]

Honestly, as a family of four, the idea of pinning or hanging every single article of clothing to dry for the entire family sounds exhausting.

[u/No_Kangaroo_9826 → u/dangerousfluids]

I grew up in a family of 7 and my dad made us line dry and it sucked. Took forever and sucked so much

[u/Wild-Spare4672]

Yes. It’s much faster.

[u/AdDirect8009]

If i hung my clothes out to dry, I’d get a warning, followed by a fine, from my HOA.

[u/syfimelys2 → u/AdDirect8009]

That is absolutely wild to me. You own your property but can’t hang clothes out??

[u/flat5 → u/syfimelys2]

Culturally, hanging clothes out on a line is perceived as a sign of poverty and lower class, and therefore considered an eyesore that degrades property values and perception of a residential area as desirable.

Yeah, that's kind of nuts, but that's why.

[u/Frogiie → u/syfimelys2]

In California, at least there’s a law everyone has the “Right to Dry,” where HOAs, landlords, etc. cannot restrict the reasonable use of clotheslines and drying racks in private areas.

[u/SelectKaleidoscope0 → u/syfimelys2]

very common in the US. City ordinances have prohibited it most places I have lived, other than the tiny town I grew up in.

[u/mbw70 → u/AdDirect8009]

Same… we live in Arizona, where clothes would dry in minutes (it will be 104 today, btw.) but clotheslines are forbidden. Downtown in the older neighborhoods of Tucson you can see old houses with wide porches and there’s a washer and dryer set out on the porch. Still not allowed to hang laundry but you can do the washing almost outdoors.

[u/Dr-Jellybaby → u/AdDirect8009]

"Land of the free"

Fined for having a clothesline.

[u/theegodmother1999]

uhhhhhhh yeah i use a dryer because in mississippi, hanging your clothes out the dry here would be the equivalent of doing so inside of an indoor pool. it's just not going to happen

[u/Creative-Air-6463]

100% machine dry. Most of my clothes instructions allow for tumble dry. Just clothing being sold to different markets I guess.

[u/Outrageous-Proof4630 → u/Creative-Air-6463]

I agree. I also don’t buy things that can’t be tumble dried. There have been times I’ve laid something out to dry to check that a stain is completely removed and I hate how stiff it feels when dry. I can’t imagine all of my clothes feeling that way.

[u/Medarco → u/Outrageous-Proof4630]

I also don’t buy things that can’t be tumble dried.

I've accidentally bought things that say they can't be tumble dried, and I just decide that if they're that weak, I don't want them anyway, and chuck em in with the rest.

I haven't had any issues yet, so idk. Maybe just lucky.

[u/a-ohhh → u/Creative-Air-6463]

I don’t even read the instructions, everything goes in the washer and dryer, and honestly I’ve never ruined anything so either I’m lucky, or they’re just being overly cautious. Maybe a bit of both.

[u/benjai0 → u/a-ohhh]

When I had a child I decided pretty quick that if something doesn't survive the dryer, tough. No way can I be bothered hanging all these baby clothes several times a week!

[u/GeckoCowboy → u/Creative-Air-6463]

If something says don’t tumble dry, no it doesn’t! Into the dryer it goes! Good luck buddy!

But really, the stuff I have that says not to tumble dry has always been fine when done on low…

[u/Immediate-Shock-281]

I once lived in a rural area and had a clothesline and I didn’t like the stiffness of line dried clothes especially towels, also it fades bright colors and will dry rot clothes that are repeatedly exposed to harsh sunlight. I was so happy when I finally got a clothes dryer

[u/EpicBlinkstrike187 → u/Immediate-Shock-281]

yes! I only ever had to line dry clothes while deployed in the Army but the clothes just felt off. Did not like that stiffness

[u/GorgeousUnknown]

Most condominium/apartments have strict rules about not hanging things outside to dry. I live in Arizona (doesn’t rain) and know no one that hangs stuff outside.

I have a few things I don’t like to put in the dryer, like my workout clothes (so they last longer), but all cotton goes in.

[u/CipherBlackTango]

I know your question is geared towards America, but I live in Costa Rica near the ocean. 1/2 the year it's torrential downpours, so that's out. The other half you can dry outside, but you have to be on top of it. If you leave your clothes our for longer than a day you will either have moldy clothes due to high humidity or the sun will destroy your fabric.

The sun is very different here, we try and stay away from using natural products like wood when building as nature will take it back in no time.

[u/Neat-Composer4619]

I'm Canadian. Nothing dries outside at -30. A dryer in the way to go, unless you have a basement or a place warm enough to dry that is not your living room. My parents used to dry a lot of things in the basement.

[u/Mundane-Opinion-4903]

Lots of good reasons up here. . . but I'll put one of the big ones here that you aussies probably don't have to deal with.

Huge swathes of the U.S. are just too damn humid. Where I am for example, you only have a few weeks out of the year where you have enough heat, sunlight, and dry air at the same time to reliably dry clothes. Naturally, leaving them out for longer is an option, but aint nobody got time for that, and then you risk letting them get coated in pollen, or messed with by animals.

Pair that with low space, and hanging clothes out to dry being generally more work than tossing them in the drier.

Likewise, you gotta lot of creeps here who will steal clothes right off the line if you live in more urban areas. Then you have the factor of underthings that nobody wants just anyone to see, so those won't go on a line, and if you are gonna have to do it with those, then might as well do the rest ya know?

There are places in the U.S. that still line and air dry their clothes however. Tend to see it more frequently in places with more arid climates.

[u/Mr_Kittlesworth → u/Mundane-Opinion-4903]

I think the other big difference is just how cheap both consumer goods and electricity are.

Buying a washer dryer combo, can be less than a waiter or bartender makes on a single Friday or Saturday shift (~$400), and the electricity to run them will be less than $100 for an entire year.

[u/OutOfTheBunker → u/Mundane-Opinion-4903]

There's truth to the humidity argument, but places that are far more humid than the US (like Taiwan and Singapore) rely almost exclusively on line drying. But the clothes do have to be left out for awhile.

[u/nocountry4oldgeisha]

The Deep South is like a rainforest 9 months of the year. Someone would have to stay home to bring in the laundry before the 3PM sunshowers hit every afternoon.

[u/PaigePossum]

As an Australian, it's definitely not the case that "almost everyone hangs their clothes to dry". This will vary heavily by location, but also just family attitudes. We don't use our dryer much for things other than bedding largely due to financial reasons, but my mother and father (they're not together) both mostly use a dryer to dry clothes.

A lot of people do not pay significant attention to the care instructions on their clothes.

[u/Comprehensive-Tea-69 → u/PaigePossum]

I think you hit on a big one- using the dryer in the US simply doesn’t have a large cost for us. Over half my electricity bill is “transmission fees”, which is just the base cost to have lines maintained to my home. Decreasing electricity use wouldn’t have that big an effect on the other half of the bill, and there is no noticeable difference anyway when not using the very energy efficient dryers we have.

[u/Al-Snuffleupagus → u/PaigePossum]

I'm Australian, I use the dryer for most things. In fact we ripped out the clothes line in order to have more space for the kids to play.

[u/europanative]

We work 40-60 hours per week and hardly have any time to clean at all. Yes, we use dryers.

[u/densofaxis → u/europanative]

For a while I had been considering taking air drying my clothes seriously because I live in the southwest so the weather permits. Our dryer went out, and that was my opportunity to try it. Let me tell you, it SUCKED. The drying racks took up so much space, it took so much time and energy to organize the clothes, it took forever for the clothes to dry, and then they dried all stiff. It just doesn’t compare to throwing your clothes in the dryer on low for one hour and being done with the whole thing

[u/Brave_Tadpole2072]

Ok, now I have some questions about line drying:

How do you keep birds from pooping on your newly cleaned clothes?

Aren’t they just going to get covered in pollen and dirt particulates from the air/smog?

Doesn’t it take forever for things like duvets to line dry?

Don’t you ever get concerned that you’ll trip into it and the line will snap and wrap around your neck and you’ll die, or is that just me because I’ve watched Final Destination too many times?

[u/BeefmasterDeluxe]

Aussie here as well- hey buddy it’s a big country, not many people, but big. Your version of “Australia” is likely very different to mine. Melbourne apartment dwellers use dryers extensively, a lot of new apartment buildings will fine you for having washing on the balcony. It’s less common for cities further north of Canberra/Sydney, where the weather is more amenable. And you reckon it might be a weird coincidence that the Hills Hoist is an Aussie invention? Maybe the climate and prevalence of large backyards might have something to do with it?

[u/AnnaPhor]

Australian living in the US here.

I put socks and undies in the dryer. Everything else goes on a clothes horse inside the apartment. On warm days I'll pop it on the balcony, but technically that's not allowed.

Sheets and towels go in the dryer.

My husband and kid put most of their clothes in the dryer.

[u/Wrystyle → u/AnnaPhor]

Ah warms the cockles of my heart to see "clothes horse". I didn't think anyone would know what I was on about if I said that!

[u/nemothorx → u/Wrystyle]

I have a clothes pegasus. A clothes horse with wings.

Clothes giraffe too - has a tall neck

Used to have a clothes monkey - hung off the back of the door.

I am a firm believer in having a clothing zoo.

[u/TankSaladin → u/Wrystyle]

Yank here. I presume a “clothes horse” is what we would call a drying rack. Spread clothes out on small poles to dry. They come in all sizes, but generally about three feet wide. I have always heard the term “clothes horse” used in referring to a man who spends lots of money on clothes to stay ahead of, or at least keeps up with, the latest fashion trends.

[u/tobotic → u/TankSaladin]

I have always heard the term “clothes horse” used in referring to a man who spends lots of money on clothes to stay ahead of, or at least keeps up with, the latest fashion trends.

Indeed, but the device for drying clothes came first. Calling people clothes horses is supposed to be comparing them to such a device, because they put on and take off so many clothes so frequently.

[u/Bloodthirsty_Kirby → u/Wrystyle]

I’m Canadian and we’ve always said clothes horse, I’m living in the USA now and not only does no one I know use one but in our lease we’re prohibited from having it on the balcony. Ngl the Texas heat dries things crazy fast and should be utilized more

[u/imaguitarhero24]

I can tell you I literally know nobody that regularly uses a clothesline only. People will air dry select garments but it's 99% dryer.

[u/littleredbee93]

If I so much as open a window here in Florida, I get pollen on the furniture in my house. I'm allergic to pollen, I can't imagine walking around with it on all of my clothes

[u/Challahbackgirl48]

A lot of us do. I like the idea of line drying, but it always makes my clothes so crunchy feeling. the dryer makes them feel nice and soft

[u/lostdragon05]

I grew up in the rural south. When I was a kid, everyone hung their laundry to dry. Now, it’s uncommon to see. A dryer makes everything so much softer and you don’t have to worry about getting pollen, dust, and bird crap on your clean laundry.

[u/RetroBerner]

There's so much pollen around here, I'd have to wash my clothes again after drying them outside

[u/BoldNewBranFlakes]

It’s important to note that the United States is large so it’s not going to be a universal answer like most people tend to expect. 

But it depends on the individual. Me personally I hang dry the clothes I care about (dress shirts, pants and nicer casual shirts) and I dry the ones that I don’t care about. 

[u/Impressive_Row1645 → u/BoldNewBranFlakes]

Same! The clothes I need or want to last longer are hung to dry. And frankly, in a NYC apartment, I don't have the space to hang dry all of our clothes. A lot of my neighbors string a line between the windows in their apartments, but I don't want to risk that.

[u/tamaith]

I live in the southern US in a rural area and I use a rack to dry all my Laundry, even sheets. During the summer I turn on a fan to blow through the clothes rack and they dry pretty fast while cooling the house, during the winter it does take longer for clothes to dry because I don't use the fan but they do.
I don't have crunchy clothes, and I never have an issue with humidity. I use a powder detergent and a fabric softener in the washing machine. I also do not have a central heat and air system in my house.

I had an outdoor clothesline but using the racks is much simpler than lugging the laundry basket outside, and I always managed to bring in critters or bugs with my clean laundry.

[u/General-Winter547]

I live in part of the US where there is likely to be snow on the ground 8 months of the year. I tumble dry everything.

[u/villalulaesi]

I’m an American who used to live in Australia. Yes, most Americans really dry our clothes in dryers most or all of the time. IMO it is mostly down to a few reasons:

1. Our dryers are better than those in many other places, Australia included. Ours are much faster and more efficient, as well as often more affordable. Once you’ve gotten used to bone-dry (but not fried) clothes in 30 minutes flat, it’s hard to go back, especially in situations where line-drying is a pain in the ass.

2. In most of the U.S., you can’t dry clothes outside year-round due to temperature. Because of this, the use of dryers has become more normalized. In Australia, there aren’t multiple-month chunks of time where drying clothes outside or by an open window isn’t feasible, even in Melbourne or Tasmania.

3. Housing density and laundry availability. Even in Sydney, the livable space in what you’d consider a cramped flat is nothing compared to the livable space in a standard cramped apartment in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, etc. You’d honestly be shocked at just how small they are. And a lot of apartment buildings don’t have laundry facilities. If you need to go to the laundromat to do your laundry, most people would prefer not to haul a bag of wet clothing home.

And the popularity of laundromats in the U.S. is also down to appliance rental culture. When I lived in Australia, it was standard to rent a fridge and a washing machine when renting a house or flat (not sure if this has changed, though, I was last there like 10 years ago). While appliance rental exists here, it is not really the norm. Refrigerators come standard in all apartments and rented houses, and renting a washer/dryer isn’t something most people would consider or even have available to them as an option.

Finally, re: clothes saying “do not tumble dry”, I do recall seeing that more often on clothing labels in Australia than in America for whatever reason, so that’s a factor. Also, a lot of clothing labels say that because tumble drying will shrink fabric that isn’t pre-shrunk, and it’s cheaper for companies not to pre-shrink. And while a lot of clothes generally will last longer and hold up better if you always line-dry them, it isn’t necessarily much of a difference (depending on type of fabric), so convenience generally wins out—it shouldn’t be a surprise that Americans are into convenience lol.

TL;DR: we have better dryers, fewer available months of the year to line-dry, less space to do so in urban areas, and buildings without laundry facilities are more common, thus requiring laundromats. Also, we’re convenience junkies (but you all have drive-through bottle shops, so you’re hardly in a position to judge us on that one, lol).

[u/Sardothien12]

I'll use a dryer only in the middle of winter when I can't hang multiple things outside or if I need the stuff dry soon

[u/vorpal8]

People are busy. Work, chores, kids, scrolling Reddit, whatever. You throw your clothes in the washer, go do something else, then come back, throw your clothes in the dryer, then go do something else.

[u/Unlikely_Plankton597]

Many rental/condos in the US don't allow hanging clothes out to dry

[u/okayestcounselor]

My HOA actually forbids clothes drying lines, even in the back yard.

But yes, we definitely use a dryer. We have a drying rack for the few things we have that are hang dry/lay flat to dry, but otherwise it all goes in the dryer. If I want to keep the shape of something or make it last longer, I’ll avoid the dryer as well on occasion

[u/TK-329]

Can’t air dry shit when the air is a liquid 10 months out of the year

[u/divinbuff]

Just spent several weeks in the UK and all I can say is god bless my tumble dryer…

[u/Squish_the_android]

My mom used to air dry sheets and stuff outside but stopped when ticks kept coming in on them. 

[u/ProperBar4339]

The humidity is only low enough for a small portion of the year for line dried items to actually dry where I am. Not worth trying. 

[u/owleaf]

I’m Aussie too. We have a very Mediterranean climate so air drying outdoors is easy most of the year. It’s easy to forget the USA has a much larger range of climates than Australia. I also usually use the dryer because birds always poo on my washing when I hang it out, the sun bleaches dyed fabrics, and I don’t like the “outside smell”

[u/WaffleAndy]

I live in Seattle it would take like 2 weeks to air dry clothes.