I have ruined one too many shirts and pairs of jeans because I dried them wrong. I was never sure why my clothes were losing color, but every time I took them off the line, especially in summer, they were always so much lighter. I then realized I was drying my clothes all wrong!
You should dry clothes inside-out if they are air-drying. The ultraviolet rays from the sun are powerful and can bleach clothing very quickly. You need to hang clothing inside-out on the line to prevent clothing with color from lightening or losing its color entirely.
When I first moved away from my parents, I had no idea how to do laundry. Over the years, I’ve learned various tips and tricks from my family. These tricks have saved my friends and me so much time. Take the time to learn about why we need to dry clothes inside out, as well as hear some additional laundry tips!
Should Clothes Dry Inside-Out?
It should become common practice to turn your clothes inside-out when they are drying.
The reason why you want to turn your clothes inside-out is so that you protect the outside (that everyone sees) from being bleached. The ultraviolet rays from the sun are exceedingly strong and can lighten clothes very fast.
The way ultraviolet rays lighten clothing is by breaking down the chemical bonds in your clothes that create that color. When you take out a fresh load, and it’s sopping wet, it will have to stay in the sun for a long time. The more time clothing sits in the sun, the lighter it will be.
You do not have to dry white clothes inside-out. But I would recommend turning clothes inside-out if it’s anything other than white!
Aside from the sun, there are other elements outside that can damage your clothing. Keeping your clothes the right way around can lead to dust and dirt getting all over your clothes.
Tip: Turn your clothes inside-out before putting them in your washing machine. This will save you the irritation of taking wet clothes and turning them inside-out!
Drying Clothes Inside-Out: Tips For Air Drying
The first and most evident tip is to make sure your clothes are inside-out. As mentioned above, this will prevent discoloration of your clothes!
When air drying, it’s a good idea to give your clothes a good shake to get out excess water. This will help reduce the length of time the clothes have to be in the sun. It will also reduce the number of wrinkles in the clothing.
Be careful when you peg your clothing down. Clothing pegs often remain outside and can be quite dirty without us realizing it. This dirt can get onto your clothes and lead to you having to do another wash or, even worse, accidentally staining your clothes. Make sure clothing pegs are clean before pegging!
I would suggest washing all your pegs now and then putting them in a closed container so that they are sparkly clean to peg down your freshly washed clothing.
Using hangers is a helpful way to dry very delicate clothing. This makes sure that you aren’t having to use pegs on your delicate items but also frees up space on your line for other clothes.
Having more space on your line creates better airflow between clothes. Maximum airflow is ideal because your clothes will dry a lot faster and therefore aren’t outside for too long!
Should You Wash Clothes Inside Out?
Now that you’ve seen the benefits of hanging up clothes to dry inside-out, you’re probably wondering if there’s any benefit to washing them inside-out as well.
There are two benefits to washing clothes inside-out:
- Preserving color
- Saving buttons, ribbons, and accessories
Firstly, by washing clothes inside out, you are protecting the outside of your clothes by preventing color loss or fading from the heat of the water. Turning clothes inside-out also prevents friction from the clothes rubbing against each other in the wash. Friction would further reduce the color.
Secondly, using the inside-out technique will save you having to sew back on buttons, ribbons and other accessories that may be on your shirts, jeans, and jerseys! By making sure these small bits and bobs are inside, you are protecting them and they are way less likely to be ripped off.
Take the time to turn your clothes inside-out before chucking them into your washing machine.
Washing Clothes Inside-out: Tips To Prevent Fading
There are even more tips I could give to prevent fading and, overall, leave your clothes looking new for longer!
The first tip is to obviously use the inside-out technique for both washing and hanging up clothes. As you’ve read, this will help prevent fading.
Another thing you can do is make sure your washing setting is on cold. If you aren’t sure what temperature something is meant to be washed at, then colder is always better. The cold water prevents the color dye from washing out.
Do not use hot water unless told to do so! Using hot water allows the chemical bonds of the color to break apart and allows the color to fade!
It’s a good idea to not overfill your washing machine. By washing fewer clothes at a time, you reduce the amount of friction that is responsible for color fading. An added benefit is that your clothes will come out much cleaner!
When air-drying clothes, keep an eye on how dry your clothes are. Even if your clothes are inside-out, you do not want to leave them outside unnecessarily. Clothes, especially cotton, can be damaged and shrink if overdried. Monitor them closely and when your clothes feel dry, take them off immediately!
Finally, the color in clothes does stop running after a few washes, but it is always a good idea to keep using the above tips to ensure that your clothes look brand new for longer!
Conclusion
In conclusion, you should dry clothes inside-out to prevent color fading. Make sure to use the inside-out technique for washing clothes as well; this will help keep the color and also make sure additional accessories stay attached.
Next, here’s a step-by-step guide on airdrying clothes.
I’m an expert wardrobe organizer and a bit of a clean freak. I created this website and its YouTube channel to share practical guides about laundry and organizing. My teachings have been featured in multiple large news publications, and I’ve self-published two wardrobe organizing books and an entire course on the subject.
Loveth
Saturday 10th of September 2022
Hi,my name is liveth from Nigeria. I just bought a washing machine, Hisense 5kg WSPA503 twin tub but don't know how to wash socks,pants and handkerchiefs. Pls, how is the best way to save my washing machine?