Question about line drying in a humid climate

[pear-shaped]

This is just a curiosity, reallly. I'm just wondering if this happens to anyone else.

My clothesline gets direct sunlight in the morning into the early afternoon. That's more than enough time for my laundry to dry if it's sunny and a warm day. I usually take it down after lunch, but if I'm busy and and don't don't get to it until after dark, I find it damp again!

Up until recently I had to hang everything to dry inside, which was so much worse than having laundry dampened by the humidity if I leave it out, so I'm not complaining. Obviously, the solution is to remember to take it down, but WOW, I had no idea humidity could do that to laundry!

[wholewheatchick]

Yeah. Because it is so humid, the dew point is really high. We live in central Florida, so part of my concern is getting the laundry dry before the afternoon thunderstorms! I have found that it absolutely must be out on the line by 9 am at the latest. So now I try to remember to run the washer at night, and put it out before I eat breakfast. Usually it is good to go by about 2 pm.

[pear-shaped]

Originally Posted by wholewheatchick

I have found that it absolutely must be out on the line by 9 am at the latest.

Yes! The earlier the better. I've been hesitant to do the wash at night because I had some issues with the clothes getting a mildew odor if I leave them in the machine for more than a few hours. But that was before I started using vinegar as fabric softener. I might try it again to see what happens.

You have it worse than I do, with the rainstorms! I can handle clothes getting little damp, but I'd hate to forget them only to have them get soaked in the rain.

[sarahdavida]

ugh! we live in an apt. bldg. in Lima, Peru so we don´t have a yard for an outside clothesline - it one of the most HUMID places on the planet and we just had to accept that line drying inside, with a completely open window during the day, but cracked open at night (during the colder, more humid months) would take 2 DAYS on average (depending on the material) and then sometimes we´d still have to pop things in the dryer for a few minutes...

seriously, it is so humid here that when we go to Miami (where we used to live) for a visit, we can´t believe how wonderfully "dry" it is!

[CariOfOz]

Originally Posted by sarahdavida

seriously, it is so humid here that when we go to Miami (where we used to live) for a visit, we can´t believe how wonderfully "dry" it is!

That is really saying something... I lived in Miaimi for a while and It was nearly drier in the shower than it was outside at times

Queensland Australia here, humid disgusting subtropics I have the routine of getting clothes washed at bedtime and hang them out first thing in the morning (6ish am) and they are usually dry in an hour in summer.. a few hours in winter. Because our heat & sun are so intense, even if I miss putting the washing on at night I can still usually crank out a load and get it on the line in time to dry by lunch.

[sarahdavida]

Originally Posted by CariOfOz

Because our heat & sun are so intense, even if I miss putting the washing on at night I can still usually crank out a load and get it on the line in time to dry by lunch.

that´s the other problem with the winer here...mostly gray and overcast...very little sun...not pretty

[pear-shaped]

I'm beginning to think it's relatively dry where I live despite the dampening laundry. Thank you for the perspective!

Another reason I've hesitated to run the wash the night before is that I'm afraid it could rain the next day. I guess the worst that could happen is that I'd have to dry stuff inside and I used to do that all the time. I'd like to avoid it, though, because the room where I used to dry stuff had a SEVERE mold problem and I just cleaned it earlier this spring. It looks like a different room now, but it was so much work and I don't want to have to do it again anytime soon. Not to mention the fact that it was so depressing having to look at the moldy walls and ceiling all the time. But I guess every so often isn't the same as drying every day in there.

[CariOfOz]

Originally Posted by sarahdavida

that´s the other problem with the winer here...mostly gray and overcast...very little sun...not pretty

We're fairly lucky here, the wet comes in summer (although still plenty of sun) and in winter we have huge stretches of time where it's crystal blue skies (much to the of my rain water tank!!!!)

Originally Posted by pear-shaped

I'm beginning to think it's relatively dry where I live despite the dampening laundry. Thank you for the perspective!

Another reason I've hesitated to run the wash the night before is that I'm afraid it could rain the next day. I guess the worst that could happen is that I'd have to dry stuff inside and I used to do that all the time. I'd like to avoid it, though, because the room where I used to dry stuff had a SEVERE mold problem and I just cleaned it earlier this spring. It looks like a different room now, but it was so much work and I don't want to have to do it again anytime soon. Not to mention the fact that it was so depressing having to look at the moldy walls and ceiling all the time. But I guess every so often isn't the same as drying every day in there.

When our drier died, we didn't replace it straight away but there were still times when it was rainy etc for days on end and stuff had to get dried inside. My answer was to set up a rack in our garage and open the front garage door about a foot, and open the door that leads from the garage to the backyard as well..so that there was a nice bit of breeze pulled through. If the weather was that dismal, I'd actually plug a stand fan in and direct it onto the clothes t help