I don't have any clothes as old as yours though for sure, but line drying generally helps your clothes last longer. I'm so glad I live in Colorado. It's a warm winter, but it takes like 3 hours to dry stuff on the line (especially synthetics). Of course that means all my synthetic fibers are literally billowing into the air I guess. Still, we've been going without a dryer for about five years now and I've had no regrets.

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owlninja 5 hours ago | parent | next [-]

My strategy forever is to wash all my shirts, put them in the dryer on low for 5 minutes, then hang them all up in a doorway overnight. My clothes last much longer this way and never get wrinkled.

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awkward 3 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Folding drying racks come in several shapes and are very affordable.

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DANmode 5 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

As long as that doorway isn’t made of wood,

or have any cracks for air to enter the door or doorjam,

that 90% relative humidity should be no problem!

	▲	dredmorbius an hour ago \| parent [-]
		Indoor air during wintertime tends to be low humidity in many places, with most residences running humidifiers to reach a comfortable (~35% RH) level. Clothes-drying will both benefit from the first and assist in the latter. (California is a notable exception.) In places which are humid during winter-time, cracking a few windows open will allow for equalisation with the outside, again keeping indoor humidity reasonable.

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jarjoura 4 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Do you live in a liminal hall of doorways? LOL

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dylan604 5 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

I use my line in Texas, and 3 hours would see the clothes go from wet -> dry -> melted! And that's in the shade!

Unfortunately, the line dried clothes are not soft, so I end up fluffing them in the drier using the air dry setting. Still cheaper than running the heating element, but hasn't eliminated the drier for me.

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chao- 4 hours ago | parent [-]

Hah! I live in (I presume) a different part of Texas, and 3 hours on a line might not even see clothes go from "wet" to "damp" in the shade!

	▲	dylan604 3 hours ago \| parent [-]
		It does make it hard to dry clothes when the humidity level is >90% even if you have triple digit temps!

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jarjoura 4 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

I had a european friend introduce me to indoor drying racks, and since, anything I plan to keep long term, I hang dry as well. I've found my clothes last longer and look nicer. Only thing I've found doesn't work well are towels.

	▲	mrspuratic 4 hours ago \| parent [-]
		I got a Foxydry (Italy) wall-mounted rack a few years back, best €100 I spent that year. Bottom rack folds up flush to the wall, top rack raises nearly to the ceiling. Towels dry fine spread over extra bar or three to allow for better air circulation.

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lo_zamoyski 4 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Or, if you are using a dryer, keep the heat low to moderate.