Does Anyone Still Air Dry Their Laundry?

Last summer I had the unfortunate luck of being reminded why I should air dry certain pieces of laundry. I bought a pair of pants that were the perfect balance of work-from-home meets office-appropriate wear, and I threw them in the dryer not thinking twice about it. When I pulled them out of the dryer, they had shrunk to a size that could have fit a middle schooler.

I tried them on hoping that somehow it was just my imagination, and I hadn't managed to shrink a brand-new pair of pants. Let's just say that I looked like I had just hopped off a horse in Colonial-era Williamsburg. Knickers really weren't the look I was aiming for.

This tragic mishap led me to wonder if anyone still air dries their clothes. Let me clarify that I do dry certain pieces of laundry on a rack – I just failed to consider it on this one instance. I pull out clothes that I know are too delicate (I'm looking at you, Lululemon) and others that would meet the same fate as my pants, if not closely watched.

I do know a lot of people who throw everything they own fearlessly into the dryer. I would argue that such a move is risky, but I understand that sometimes a time crunch happens, and you just really need to wear that lucky pair of jeans to complete an ensemble.

Just like ironing clothes, sewing on buttons, and separating your laundry, the days of patiently hanging out laundry to dry are long gone. As much as I'd love to romanticize the idea of line drying my clothes somewhere in the countryside, my reality is that I race to see how many episodes of Great British Baking Show I can watch on Netflix between each load of laundry.

I know that linens smell better after being in the sun and they're usually crisper too, but who truly goes to those lengths for laundry anymore? Do you still air dry your laundry? I'm genuinely curious. If so, what's your reason?