Why do clothes smell so much better when hung to dry outside?

1. 76

   Katelyn Weelposted 10 years ago

   Why do clothes smell so much better when hung to dry outside?
   
   Regardless of where I live (I've lived in two different countries), what kind of laundry products I use, or the temperature/weather conditions outside (except maybe humidity), my clothes always smell AMAZING after I've hung them to dry outside. I used to use a dryer, and they came out smelling fine but nothing special. Here, we don't use a dryer so clothes are hung inside most of the time. When I hang them outside there is a unique and incredibly fresh smell. The smell is the same every time, so it's not nearby flowers or something like that. It even happens on a city balcony. Why?

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2. 60

   bill1961posted 10 years ago

   The air quality from the ground pollutants differ's from the pollutants in the atmosphere. The lighter pollutants in the ground takes longer to effect the air quality of the all day heat....as for the air in the atmosphere heats up quicker and heads down to earth much longer in the day. Therefore the air quality from the ground effects is slower and therefore you clothes smell better from the morning freshness of  the much better air.

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   1. 59

      Zelkiiroposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Or, y'know, the high artificial heat of a dryer eliminates the smells of your detergent and fabric softener via evaporation, whereas the milder natural heat of the sun doesn't.

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   2. 76

      Katelyn Weelposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Zelkiiro, I also notice this effect if I put clothes out when it's cloudy and cold outside, so it's not heat related. Also, the outdoor scent is the same regardless of the detergent type/scent so I don't think it's that either.

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3. 77

   sallieannluvslifeposted 10 years ago

   not overthinking this question...simple....God scented....

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4. 73

   Babbyiiposted 10 years ago

   Fresh air and sunshine make a big difference!

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5. 83

   peachpurpleposted 10 years ago

   since our weather is either sunny or rain, my laundry feel dry sometimes due to scorching sun, fluffy and sof if the sun is not shinning bright and lots of wind blowing. It is best to keep the laundry outside, to kill the bacteria

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