The Blork Blog

My clothes dryer died two weeks ago. Since then I’ve taken a few loads of clothes to M’s place for laundering, but I’ve also continued to do laundry here. Afterwards, I hang the damp clothes on a rack in the bathroom. This time of year — with the house heated by electric baseboards — the clothes dry in just a few hours.

Despite the various fabric softening products on the market that promise “April fresh” textures and aromas from your dryer, nothing beats the feel and smell of air-dried clothes. This is especially true if you live in the country near the ocean, where fresh marine breezes can linger in your line-dried clothes for days.

Unfortunately, I haven’t experienced that in a long time. Second-best, however, is the ol’ clothes rack in the urban apartment. While you don’t get April or any other month’s fresh air, you do still get that marvelous crisp and stiff feeling, especially with items made of cotton.

Last week, for example, I washed a load of white cotton gym towels. After they dried on the rack they were stiff and wrinkley and begging to be used for a good rub-down. Forget about cottony softness — you’re not laundering toilet paper. Put some texture back in your life — line-dry your clothes!