Question for Those Who Line-dry

I use Gain, it dissolves very well but I never use cold, body oils and dirt doesn't dissolve well in the cooler temperatures. If your laundry isn't smelling clean then it isn't clean, what ever perfumes/fragrances the soap has it is not covering up the fact that the clothes are still dirty. My BFF has the same issue, her kids clothes always smell dirty, even right off the line. They look dingy and stained up too.

My clothes smell clean, they look clean, I wash darks withe darks, whites with lights, and perma-press with a variety of clothes. Bed linens and towels get washed on hot and I add bleach to sanitize them. Again, stains and body oils, etc...do not wash clean in cold water.

location also factors into line-drying. We live <1/2 mile from an interstate & that affects our laundry, the smell of the kids coming in from playing, etc. Big difference on the locale! By contrast, our previous home backed up to a park.....& the laundry was great!

The smudges on the dark clothes can be from the liquid fabric softener or from too much detergent. I also find that if I pack too much into the load or if I mix a few towels with the clothes.....then I end up with the same smudges. It's a pain!

I wash my clothes in cold (well sometimes it is hot, because we have an 1100 gallon black holding tank, and if it is hot outside I end up with hot water - lol). I have been line drying for almost 20 years. I don't use fabric softener either. The only time I use the dryer is if it is raining...

I use a biodegradeable laundry soap, as I use a grey water system. Sometimes I make my own.

I agree that the white smudges are more likely to be detergent getting caught in clothing folds. You might have too many clothes in a load. I am for full loads, I don't wash if I only have a small load, but don't cram the washer full.

Not sure on the line-drying, but how are you putting the detergent in? I found that sometimes if I put the detergent in before the water is almost full, it leaves white spots. It's the detergent pooling in creases during the wash. Try that and make smaller loads.

I don't line-dry, but my mother used to when I was very young. She said she hung the clothes outside as early in the day as she could, and it helped if there was a breeze blowing. She thought breeze-drying helped the clothes smell better. Of course, you can't order a breeze whenever you do laundry, so I'll be interested in seeing other posts about this question!

Are you using fabric softener? I never do since it leaves the smudges on my clothes. They look almost like an oil or grease stain.
I have found that a lot of the problems I have with my wash aren't my detergent, but my water. We have a lot of iron in our water and I've had to learn to compensate for that. It's taken me 2 years to finally get my wash routine down!
Clothed dried on the line are never going to smell like clothes that come out of the dryer. In fact, they shouldn't have any smell at all. The sun is a fabulous way of drying your clothes. It helps to break down stains & bacteria. If your clothes don't smell clean, I would try a different detergent. And maybe wash on warm as opposed to cold.