I have written about this in the past but it has been REALLY hot lately and I thought I could revisit the issue.
One of the frugal ways I save money is to hang laundry to dry when I can. It costs $1 to run the dryer in my apartment complex so that is money saved each time I do NOT use it. I have a drying rack that I bought a few years ago that is in the spare room and it holds most of the clothes.
The rack sits in front of an open window and since I live on the second floor I have no qualms about leaving the window open (with a safety lock halfway) so there is great airflow. The window gets plenty of direct sunlight streaming in for most of the day as well so that is great for the clothes.
img from greenbabyguide.com
Of course I only hang items that would not be needed soon and those that can comfortably hang without causing problems. I just did a load of kitchen towels and those fit perfectly on the racks with no problems.
I know most people say they do not like to hang clothes because the clothes dry stiffly but I do not find that to be a problem. Yes the clothing is not as baby soft as when it comes out of the dryer but after being folded or ironed as needed they feel just like normal.
In fact hanging some items like T-shirts directly after washing has eliminated the need for ironing because they go on hangers which are then placed on the drying rack. It cuts down my laundry time a little bit because I do not have to wait that 45 minutes and then place the items on a hanger. I just take them out of the wash and place on the hanger immediately and then move them to the closet when they are dry.
I get to keep $1 off every load that I would have dried and while it is not much every little bit helps. Of course I will no longer be able to use the rack once it gets cold again but for now I am enjoying using the heat and air flow to dry my clothing.
I believe its totaly up to the amount of clothes/laundry being flipped during the day/week. I live by myself and there is absolutetly no need for a dryer sincer I do the laundry about once a week. But if you have like 2-3 children and the washing machine is on 1-2 times a day, particularly if you live in a appartment (with no balcony to make things worse) its not really a space saver (the laundry hanging thingie). I have a 500 sq foot place so I can dance around it if I wish so there is no need for the dryer, but as I said, if you have kids it would be something to consider.
Sincerely, Buyseech
That is quite true and I cannot image the tons of clothes that a multi-person household would have. I remember taking laundry off the clothesline as a child in a household of four and it seemed we had mountains of clothes all the time.
I have always been a fan of hang drying my clothes. For one of the reasons you mentioned I don’t have to iron quite as much. And I even do it in the winter. You would just need a box fan to make the air more around a bit more. I have also noticed that my clothes last a bit longer and have better shape now that I have stopped drying things.
I enjoy the reduced ironing too…although there are some items that still need it. I am wondering if running the box fan during the winter would negate financial savings of not running the dryer. In any case during the winter I use the dryer because the room smells musty if the damp clothes are left to dry.
I believe that the dryer is the most energy UN-efficient appliance next to the electric oven. Usually they are around 1.5-3 kw/h so I doubt anything can beat it.
It might be efficient but still solar energy and wind is free without electric consumption, so where ever it is possible we should choose that kind of energy and not electricity…
Kostas
The dryer should be used only in cold periods and in any case, as little as possible to save money but also to avoid consuming too much energy and thus pollute the planet. Obviously if you have a large family, things change, but for 2-3 people you should be able to do without the dryer.
Hopefully that the winter becoming shorter and shorter.
Oh, that’s nice. I usually just hang my clothes to dry.
Hi LuLuGal,
Drying cabinets are probably not here in Spain, we air dry all and the air is dry and warm 360 days a year so we have no problem with that.
Brilliant idea and a good way to save money however i guess this is only best for people who doesn’t have a family yet.
A family could do it if they had a drying room or a yard to hang the clothes on a line.
I frequently hang my laundry to dry as well. I don’t have a balcony so I have a temporary clothesline that I hook up from one end of my living room to the other, open the windows and put the laundry up for drying. I let them hang all afternoon and are usually dry by the time I get home in the evening.
-Jean
These are good tips, especially the one about the hanging the t-shirt directly after washing. It’s really an easy way of saving more and cutting your electric bill. I use this technique all the time and I know for sure that it really works.
I like to hang up shirts, shorts and pants right after they wash. Keep them from shrinking and not needing to be ironed. Sheets and bed linen I prefer to use a dryer to get that extra bit of softness. Not constantly using a dryer would save on the utility bill.
Actually I am trying to find one clothes drying rack for myself. But I was not trying to save money, as I do laundry at home itself with my own hands, but we don’t have a balcony. And we need to dry the clothes in my room itself. And in monsoons it is a big pain drying clothes on chairs, doors, etc. I will get one for my home soon and I am glad that I will save some money then.
My friend and I have a laundry service from our homes. We just don’t have the time needed for line drying so we went on the search for a way to cut drying time. We found if you toss tennis balls into the dryer it cuts drying time down by about 25% while fluffing bulky items at the same time.
Philadelphia Laundry Care