Just Hangin' Out

In the United States, 6 to 10 percent of residential energy use goes toward running clothes dryers, according to Project Laundry List, a non-profit organization dedicated to making air-drying laundry acceptable and desirable as a simple and effective way to save energy.

The Boston Globe has reported that 91 percent of detached single-family homes in the U.S. have a clothes dryer, and a single electric model can spew some 1,500 pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere annually.

What can we do? With summer kicking into gear, I am going to start hanging my clothes out to dry on nice days. I have picked out a retractable clothesline that I can install outside (rather, I'll get Alex to install it!), and it'll be out of the way when it's not in use.

Several reasons to use a clothesline:

• The moisture remaining in clothes, sheets, towels, etc., after washing pulls the wrinkles out, as it drains through the material under the influence of gravity. Neatly fold the clothes as you take them off the clothesline and in most cases you’ll find yourself (and your electricity bill) freed from the dreaded chore of ironing. Dryers on the other hand are notorious for shrinking their contents, twisting them, inducing wrinkles and adding static electricity.
• Sunshine is a brilliant steriliser, so your clothes will smell great.
• According to Project Laundry List, you’ll be safer as a result. They reckon that clothes dryer fires account for about 15,600 structure fires, 15 deaths, and 400 injuries annually in the U.S.

To get started, check out these laundry tips, which include the best places to set up a clothesline and hang certain garments to avoid wrinking and bunching.

If you can't go all-out right now, think about placing a collapsible drying rack on your balcony or patio, or simply near an open window.