Washcast: Laundry Weather

Will your washing dry outside today? Washcast reads the weather where you are and gives you one straight answer, plus a drying time for every fabric on the line.

WHY HUMIDITY MATTERS MORE THAN SUNSHINE

Most people check the temperature and the rain. Neither is what decides it. Drying is evaporation, and evaporation needs somewhere for the water to go, so humidity is the first thing that matters and wind is the second. A cold, bright, breezy day will dry a load faster than a warm, muggy, still one. Washcast weighs temperature, humidity, wind, sunshine and rain together and turns them into a decision instead of a table of numbers.

A DRYING TIME FOR EVERY FABRIC

A bath towel holds several times the water of a cotton t-shirt, so a single estimate for a whole load tells you very little. Washcast gives each item its own window, from swimwear at under an hour to duvets and rugs that need most of a day. It will also tell you when the light will run out before your towels are dry, which is the thing that catches people out from October onwards.

WHAT YOU GET

One clear verdict. Whether today is worth putting a wash on, in plain English rather than percentages.

Per-fabric drying windows. Towels, sheets, jeans, shirts, socks, gym kit, school uniform and more, each with its own time.

An alert before rain. A heads-up when a shower is heading for the line so a full load does not get caught out.

The days ahead. A five-day outlook, so you can choose your washing day rather than hope for one.

Works in any city. Set your location anywhere in the world. There is no account and no sign-up.

WHO IT IS FOR

Households without a tumble dryer, or trying to use one less. Flat and apartment dwellers working with a balcony and one good hour. Families getting through several loads a week. Anyone who has rewashed a load because it came in damper than it went out.

WHY BOTHER LINE DRYING

A tumble dryer is one of the hungriest things in the house. Every load you dry outside instead is money you keep, and heat is what wears clothes out, so line drying is gentler on them too. The hard part was never the pegging, it was knowing which days are worth it. That is the part Washcast does.

No account. No sign-up. Set a location and go.