Line Dry Your Clothes to Save Energy and Money

Line drying clothes is a sure way to reduce energy consumption.  According to Laundrylist.org, clothes dryers account for 5.9 percent of residential energy use.  By investing in and using a clothes line or drying rack, you could potentially eliminate that portion of your home's energy consumption, costs, and any associated pollution.  All of that by letting the sun and wind do the drying for you.

Calculate your clothes dryer costs.

In our house, we use three drying racks to accommodate each load of laundry.  One of the racks has three pieces of netting attached to the racks.  The netting is great since it prevents stretching of knitted fabrics by allowing you to lay the clothes out flat.  In spring, summer, and autumn, we are able to line dry clothing on most days.  In the winter and on days with precipitation, the clothes are either placed in the dryer or line dried in our basement.  As a note of caution, if you line dry clothing inside your home, use a dehumidifier or have open windows so that humidity does build up in your home.  A home that is too humid may encourage mold growth.

Using a clothes dryer has hidden costs as well as the obvious cost of energy used to run the machine. If you use a clothes dryer in the summer months, some of the dryer's heat will warm your house.  In effect, your air conditioner will have work even harder to cool your home.

As with any machine, using it will cause wear and tear.  Maintence, repairs, and replacement will become necessary.  Reducing the usage of your clothes dryer will decrease the frequency of necessary care.  This can save both money and reduce the needed materials needed for repairs and replacement.

Speaking of wear and tear, using the dryer is harsh on the fabrics of your clothes.  All of that lint in the lint trap has to come from somewhere.  When you use the clothes dryer, your clothes become worn out much sooner.

If you use a clothesline or drying racks, there are some things to be mindful of.  If you plan to dry your laundry outdoors, keep an eye on the weather.  Rain can quickly soak your clothes.  And while we are on the topic of things falling from the sky, don't dry your clothes under trees or other places that birds congregate at.  Finally, if you are able, take dry clothes off of the line when they are ready.  By doing this, more air and sun can reach the remaining damp clothes.  This will speed up the drying process of the remaining clothes.