Hung out to dry

The other day our dryer went out. It just stopped wanting to run. In a house of four people this almost seems tragic. In our debate whether we should try to fix it or replace it I decided to run out and get some clothesline in order to get us by until the decision was made. After we stretched the line, and I took the first load out to hang up, I began to think about the potential savings this could provide us down the road. Yes, it's a hassle to hang up the clothes, and the clothes take longer to dry. The day I hung my first load of clothing, they were dry in six hours. I got to thinking about summertime and how the California sun is so hot, and realized that as the days get warmer, my dry time will be less. I could conceivably get two loads washed and dried in a day. The potential savings coupled with the intense summertime heat as well as the mild winters makes using the clothesline as a penny saver a natural choice for us.

We fixed the drier, but this won't stop me from using my new line. I read in an article online that clothes dryers consume 6% of a household's electricity usage. The other day we were reviewing our most recent PG&E (gas and electricity) bill, and were shocked at the monthly cost for gas. We calculated that we are spending no less than $5 a day just in gas usage. This may not seem to be a lot at first glance, but over the course of a year this can add up! We began to debate what we could do to cut this cost. Naturally I considered the clothesline!

It's a strange world we live in. Just 50 years ago people hung their clothes to dry on a regular basis. In that time somehow we, as a society, have become dependent on this machine to do what the sun naturally does. According to the same article, over 83% of households view the drier as a a necessity. There are even bans on clotheslines in neighborhoods all around California. Over 35,000 subdivisions in California ban the use of clotheslines. Why? Because they're not pretty and it makes things uncomfortable for the neighborhood if your undies are hanging up to dry. It's this kind of thinking that has us in the mess we are today.

Consumer Reports has a nice list of green ways to save money when doing laundry. Take a look at their site if you want more energy money savers too!

1. Wash clothes in cold water. You might guess that most of the energy used by a washing machine goes into vigorously swishing the clothes around. In fact, about 90 percent of it is spent elsewhere, heating the water for the load. You can save substantially by washing and rinsing at cooler temperatures. Warm water helps the suds to get at the dirt, but cold-water detergents will work effectively for just about everything in the hamper.

2. Hang it up. Clotheslines and drying racks spare the energy a dryer would use. You'll also get more useful life out of clothes dried on indoor or outdoor clotheslines--after all, dryer lint is nothing but your wardrobe in the process of wearing out.

3. Don't overdry your laundry. If you opt to use a dryer, clothes will need less ironing and hold up better if you remove them from the dryer while they're still just a bit damp. If you are in the market for a dryer, look for one with a moisture sensor; it will be less likely than thermostat-equipped models to run too long.


One last note, The Clothesline Shop asks Did You Know:

1.  clotheslines can save
you money?
2.  electric dryers use 5 - 10 percent of residential energy?
3.  clothes
and sheets smell better when hung outside?
4.  solar dryers save energy, thus preventing
pollution?
5.  fabrics last longer when air dried?
6. spending a few minutes out in the
sun is good for your skin?