What if legislators learned dryers use 10 to 15% of domestic energy in the United States!
What if they found out that this reduction could be obtained right away, at a negligible cost? What if they discovered that the savings would be obtained by using less power from coal-burning plants and dams, relying instead on energy from the sun? And what if they saw that the primary impediments to such a conversion were fussy provisions in the rules for residential subdivisions?
An unbeatable coalition of legislators would form. Crusaders against global warming and boosters of alternative energy would make common cause with advocates of consumers’ economic interests and defenders of property rights. Greens, blues and reds would join to support a House Bill and would then scramble to take credit for its approval.
Apparently clotheslines are associated in some people’s minds with urban tenements and rural poverty. Such people don’t want to walk — or more likely, drive — through their neighborhood and see someone’s shirts and towels flapping in the breeze.
Actually, the shirts and towels probably aren’t the problem — it’s the idea of underwear in plain view that induces waves of dread and fear of falling property values.
Opponents might change their minds if they knew that the U.S. Department of Energy reported could cut their electric bills by an average of 5.8 percent by spending a few dollars on a length of cord and a bag of clothespins. Even if the weather permits outdoor clothes drying only half the time, the savings would be noticeable. About 17 percent of clothes dryers run on natural gas. These appliances are more efficient, but a clothesline still costs less.
Should we have to fight for the "Right to dry"? How often do you air dry your clothes?
Comments (15)
My mom and I started air drying a couple of months ago and our bill significantly decreased. I do it in my backyard and my friends air dry in their dorm at college to save money. Before, when my parents lived in poverty, we made our own detergent, washed and dried our own clothes.
I miss my clothes line. My husband took it down several years ago and I never got him to put it back up. I think he was afraid of underwear out there too. Funny thing is, I always did undies in the dryer because well, who wants to hang their unders out for the world to see? I always had to tumble towels and jeans for a bit too at they got crunchy when sun dried. But, it got me outside and saved money so it was totally worth it.
My family doesn't own a dryer --we live in a rural area and we've always line-dried our clothes. They smell all nice and fresh afterwards! In the winter, we hang them up on racks in the house to dry. Course, since our clothesline is in the backyard, we didn't have to worry about people seeing our undies; I can see how it might be different in cities if you didn't have a backyard. It does take time to hang everything out though, so I guess it depends on whether it ends up costing more money to run the dryer or to spend the time it takes to hang everything up.
Air drying increases stolen clothes by over 20%.
The only clothes I line dry are things that shrink otherwise and bras. It's crazy how much faster a bra will break down if you put it in the dryer.
I've been hanging out laundry all my life (50 yrs) so I am a bit surprised by Endless Mike's claim that clothes get stolen when hung outside. Really? I have never had any clothing stolen when outside. Aside from that, clothing hung outside have a wonderful smell and dry amazingly quick. And the process of actually hanging them is wonderfully theraputic in this hectic world. My lines are also in the backyard so I seriously doubt that anyone can see them unless they were actually in my yard and as a general rule I don't hang out stuff if people are coming over. I do hang up undies though, who cares, no one can see them and it's not like I'm the only person in the world who wears underwear.
I use a clothesline about 50% of the time- for dark clothes and underwear I use the dryer to at least partially dry them. I live in town, and my next door neighbors are a bunch of college age guys, so undies stay inside. lol. But line drying stuff is unbeatable-and I have never had any trouble with people taking my clothes. But then again, I don't wear name brand stuff, so that might be less of a temptation.
I will air dry some things in the house, but never outside. We live in one of the developments that don't allow clothing lines outside.
I would use one if it was logistically possible to use it here. I think it's a bit too rainy for that to be feasible (trust me, I tried it when we were without a dryer for 3 1/2 weeks).
The advantages of owning ½acre in a small town. Plenty of room for the clothesline.
But where the heck did all my clothespins go??
@snowandstarstone@xanga - Yes! It's incredible what a difference it makes in extending the life of clothes in general, but bras especially. I machine-dry the basics I don't have to worry too much about.
I only air dry in my bathroom right now because I'm in an apartment, but I would love to have space for a clothesline.
@chickensrule4ever@xanga - we always had several line right next to each other - so the undies were always in the back or the middle. No one saw them except the family - and we would see them anyway! I never knew people were so concerned about others seeing their underwear!!
@Romans_837@xanga - If dryers lose socks, then clotheslines lose the clothes pins! I have the same problem!
I have a drying rack and it works fine for an apt space.
I let my work uniforms air dry because I hand wash them. Same with my bras and sometimes my pants. I usually keep my clothes in the dryer until they are just damp and then let them hang in my closet if I'm not going to be wearing those clothes that day.