Tips to prevent the sun fading your clothes when hanging them outdoors
Whenever you have the opportunity to hang the laundry out in the sun or in the open air, you should take it: it is a natural method that removes bad odors and also prevents the formation of mold. It takes time and space, but when the weather is nice and temperatures are high, a balcony, a corner of the garden or even a south-facing window in your home will be ideal places to air dry clothes at.
The problem, however, could be that the direct rays of the sun end up discoloring the various fabrics: when it is very hot and the rays are "stronger", they have a fading effect on the fabrics, and make the materials very hard - especially if we forget the laundry on the drying rack or on the line for a long time. It is therefore best to take some precautions such as those listed below:
- Remember to take down darker garments before the others: these are the ones that fade more easily, and when temperatures are high, it takes very little time for them to become dry.
- If the spot where you hang the washing out is exposed to direct sunlight, avoid hangin up the most delicate fabrics here: linen and silk, for example, will discolour more easily. It is best to leave cotton, wool (spread flat, and not for long) or mixed woo in a shaded area. Certain fabrics that contain polyester, acrylic, and nylon will resist fading better.
- If you hang your washing indoors, and the sun filtering through the window is really strong, close the curtains (perhaps this is best if you have thin and near transparent ones, which filter the rays sufficiently). This could be the useful option to keeping the windows open, but without letting in too much light. Otherwise, you could use window films, the kind that protect us from UV rays.
- If you use a clotheshorse and not a clothesline, you can use some very thin cotton cloth (or some other similar fabric), or even as old sarong, for example, as a shield. You should place these items on the top of the other clothes on the clotheshorse, perhaps securing them using clothespegs. These items will provide a shield for the garments underneath them against the sun . This will be sufficient to protect them from the sun's rays but without retaining the moisture in the fabrics. It is also useful as a protection against dust, bird poop and pollen!
Finally, if you usually hang your washing out on a line, you can use light-colored garments as protection for the dark ones: put the dark ones on the line first, then place the light ones on top. However, when it is very hot, a double layer of fabrics dries quickly. Otherwise, especially if your line is permanently installed in the garden or on the balcony, you will always know which direction the sun will come from, and therefore you could put the light garments on the sunny side for longer and the dark ones on the other, less exposed side. Or use the light ones on the first line, and the dark ones on the line behind them - the garments in the rear will be shielded by those in the front!
In this way you can avoid unpleasant surprises when you take your clothes off the line!
