Below is a flashback of looking back to see how things were done, prior to all the high tech gadgetry ways to save time and money. So in the retro spirit let’s look at sure fire a no tech cost effective way to save money.
The clothesline
You may remember the visual to the right from your childhood days when your Mom hung out the clothes on one of these inverted umbrella type rigs or perhaps via stringing a line between the house and a nearby tree.
Well what is old is new again, at least when it comes to saving energy. We recently started doing for drying heavy things like towels, sweatshirts and jeans. The money we saved by using the dryer less often was measurable, almost 12-14% off each months electric bill. If you use a gas dryer you will get similar savings as well.
Environmental concerns and sky-rocketing energy costs have also prompted many state and local governments to pass “right-to-dry” laws allowing their use (check with you local ordinances before installing one).
Advantages of a clothes line
- Saves money
- Zero greenhouse gas emissions per load.
- Laundry smells “clothesline fresh” without using chemicals.
- Less wear and tear on your clothing fabrics.
- Laundry items tend to not shrink from the hot air of a clothes dryer.
- No static cling!!
- Your clothes are softer as dryers tend to remove short, soft, fine fibers.
- Possibly less ironing as items not immediately removed from dryer tend to get wrinkled.
- Items may dry more quickly on dry or sunny and windy days.
- Avoids airborne lint and reduced air quality.
- Eliminates heating up the inside of a house by a clothes dryer especially helpful during the summer months.
- Eliminates the internal house noise from the running clothes dryer.
Disadvantages of using a clothes line
- Laundry items need to be hung indoors during rainy weather.
- Neighbors may find it aesthetically unpleasant so it is best to erect it in an inconspicuous place.
- Laundry items may be more stiff which is easily remedied by giving them a short dryer spin.
- Wind, temperature, and humidity can vary the drying time.
- Environmental contaminants such as soil, dust, smoke, pollen and animal droppings can come in contact with clothing.
Drying laundry indoors
Laundry may be dried indoors for a variety of reasons including:
- inclement weather
- physical disability
- lack of space for a line
- legal restrictions
- to raise the humidity level indoors
- to lower the air temperature indoors
- convenience
- to preserve privacy
Several types of devices are also available for indoor drying. A drying rack or clotheshorse can help save space in an apartment or clothes line can be strung in the basement during the winter. Small loads can simply be draped over furniture or a shower curtain pole. The drying time indoors will typically be longer than outdoor drying because of the lack of direct sun and wind.
To learn some other quick inexpensive ways to save money visit the SAVING $ tab above to start saving energy and money today!
