[cmrdporcupine]

I noticed a huge difference in how long my clothing lasts once I switched to hang-drying most things. It's not that huge of a hassle and saves energy and I don't have to buy clothes as often. I started doing a lot more hang drying after I bought a bunch of merino wool base layers I use for skiing (which can't really be machine dried).

[hinkley]

If you look near the laundry baskets at any home or department store, you'll find comically large 'lingeree bags'. Turns out running anything with a fine weave through these - satin, rayon, exercise clothing, high TPI pillow cases - not only makes them last longer but also prevents pilling.

Always button and zip your jeans, and if you're not in a hurry, cotton clothing seems to be less worn by friction in the dryer than by the high heat. I run a lot of my cotton knits through twice on permanent press instead of once on cotton. And I don't use dryer sheets. Dryer sheets keep your clothes from getting static cling when you have over-dried them, but over-drying them damages them. The static cling is a symptom that you shouldn't ignore.

What you want to do is pull your clothes out when there is just a hint of moisture in them. The air and the latent heat should be more than enough to suck out that last hint of dampness. And if one towel or pair of pants is still damp, nothing stops you from running them by themselves for a couple minutes while you fold the rest.

[c0nsumer]

I do this for cycling clothing. (Almost all synthetic, some wool, fair amount of spandex-y stuff.)

This stuff lasts forever when washed on cool/warm and then hung.

Friends of mine have complained about one brand or another not lasting very long, but they've been tossing the stuff in the drier.

We're fortunate to have a basement with a nice beam I can place hangers on (for winter drying), or a hanging bar I fitted in the garage (for summer). Lately I've been getting rid of 8-10 year old stuff that I no longer like or no longer fits, and it's sellable, as opposed to just worn out.

(Doesn't sell for much, but folks will happily pay $20 - $30 for special print cycling jerseys that are still in good shape and cost $80-130 new. Way better than tossing them in the trash.)

[tuatoru]

If hang-drying outside, turn your stuff inside out.

UV from the sun kills bacteria, and you want that on the side near your skin, and as a bonus the inside fades (UV again) but the outside doesn't. I have some t-shirts that are quite faded on the inside but still reasonable on the outside.

[zmix]

...and should be washed as little as possible!