Hanging out the laundry, this gesture that we repeat mechanically without ever really timing it. And yet, put end to end, it weighs more than one imagines in the schedule of the week.
According to a study relayed by TotalEnergies, a household of 4 or more people spends on average 1h30 per week on this drying task alone. A figure which takes on its full meaning when we know that drying in the open air remains, by far, the most widespread practice in France: according to the Homap barometer on laundry care, 84% of French households use it, a proportion that has been constantly increasing in recent years. The primary motivation remains environmental for 47% of the households concerned, closely followed by the economic aspect, constantly increasing as electricity bills become heavier.
This trend says something quite clear about our current priorities: the tumble dryer, long seen as an essential modern comfort, is losing ground. More and more households are voluntarily reducing their use, or even giving up buying one altogether, precisely because the traditional drying rack, as restrictive as it is in terms of time, literally consumes nothing. No running meter, no additional line on the electricity bill. Just a little patience, and waiting for the air to do its job.

What this task actually involves

Hanging out the laundry involves taking the freshly washed laundry out of the machine, shaking it to smooth out the fibers, then placing it on a drying rack, an outdoor line or a wall-mounted dryer, making sure to distribute the pieces well to promote optimal air circulation. Allow around 10 minutes for a standard load of laundry, a figure that quickly increases when there are several people in the household and therefore several loads of laundry per week.

Tips and tricks for efficient drying

Spinning plays a central role, which is often underestimated: spinning too weakly can double the total drying time, while spinning too powerfully risks wrinkling the fibers and damaging delicate textiles. A setting between 800 and 1000 revolutions per minute is suitable for the majority of common textiles, while more fragile pieces (wool, silk, lingerie) better withstand a gentler spin, around 400 to 600 revolutions.
For woolen sweaters or knitted clothes, never on a hanger or hung by the shoulders: their own weight stretches them irremediably when drying. Better to lay them flat on a rack or a dry towel, even if it means sacrificing a little speed to preserve the shape of the garment.
Spacing the pieces sufficiently apart on the drying rack significantly speeds up the overall drying: piled up against each other, they interfere with each other and unnecessarily prolong the process. Inside, choose a well-ventilated room, if possible with a half-open window, to limit the formation of ambient humidity and unpleasant odors from laundry that dries too slowly.

With 1.5 hours per week on average for most households and 84% of French people relying on open air rather than electricity, hanging out laundry is not an anecdotal detail in domestic organization. A small repetitive gesture, certainly, but one that weighs as much on your schedule as on your wallet and the planet.