Netweather and Jo Farrow have assisted with Brabantia's Love your Laundry campaign to encourage people to dry their laundry outside all year round. It is possible.
Over the winter months, it's easy to get out of the habit of drying clothes naturally. The washing line or rotary drier gets put away and forgotten about and it's not until spring has sprung that many people get back into the routine of putting their laundry outside to dry.
Brabantia has launched a 'Love your Laundry' campaign encouraging people, and even reminding them, that drying outside is
"good for the environment, good for your clothes and good for your wallet" Twan Vordoeck (Creative Director at Brabantia).
It saves energy and money, is gentler on your clothes and can be satisfying as you gather in a dry basket of laundry.
Netweather has worked alongside, creating a Laundry Drying Guide showing the best times for laundry drying on a particular day. It works in a similar way to our other weather indices such as "Will it Snow?", Camping weather or coarse Fishing conditions. You input your town, city or postcode and it gives you insight into when to put out your laundry.
"Our friends at NetWeather have created an amazing tool that allows UK users to enter their postcode, and see how suitable the weather conditions are for outdoor drying in their area, hour by hour! Genius" Brabantia UK
The index covers Poor, Fair, Good, Ideal and Superb all of which are possible all year round. Brabantia's research found that 43% of people in the UK were using a tumble drier through the winter with 22% not putting their washing out because they deemed it "too cold" or "too windy".
It is still possible to dry laundry in the winter months even when temperatures fall as low as 5C. Ideal conditions are closer to 12C but there must be a moderate breeze around 15mph. The wind is the key. It is this airflow that moves the small water molecules away from the fabric. Even if you are drying a few things inside, open a window and let the air move.
Netweather's Jo Farrow was involved in researching and the creation of the Drying Digest with several top tips for getting your laundry dry in the cooler months.
The wind is the most important factor (as long as it's not raining). Weak winter sunshine and higher temperatures should be viewed as a bonus. It's a different story in the height of summer but here in the UK, we have to take our chances. Especially as "Southern England recorded 239% of average and here it was the wettest February on record" Met Office, and the UK saw its eighth wettest Winter.
It needs to not be raining, so check the forecast and Netweather Radar, as the rain comes and goes. There will only be a couple of days in a month when it rains all day. The air shouldn't be damp. This might be due to fog or mist which is like a cloud on the ground. Often fog shifts during the morning as the breeze picks up or the sun gets to work. So don't write off a day just because there is a foggy start. You will need a breeze.
It is possible to dry your clothes outside all year round, not just in the summer months
People may be looking for sunshine and warmth to get their clothes dry but it's the wind which helps the most in the cool half of the year. The campaign hopes to change behaviour. If a family member puts the washing out on the line regularly or asks for your assistance, it can become a learned habit. With more folk living in flats without an outside space, the routine may be lost. Even how to peg clothes out properly, is a skill. Not folding items in half, using enough pegs, allowing plenty of air to flow through and getting the heavy fabrics such as denim out first. They will need as long as possible before the dampness of a winter evening takes hold around 4pm.
Brabantia's Drying Digest outlines the best way to organise your day and your laundry with plenty of drying tips.
