As part of my yesteryear push of looking back to see how things were done, prior to all the high tech gadgetry ways to save time and money, I will write about some of the old ways to achieve the same results.  Here is a first in a series of low/no tech cost effective ways to save money.

The clothesline

Inverted Umbrella Clothesline

You may remember the visual above 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. My wife and I have begun doing this especially when it comes to drying heavy things like towels and jeans. The money we saved by using the dryer less often was measurable, almost 12-14% off each months electric bill. I am sure 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.

Advantages of a clothes line

• Saves money
• Zero greenhouse gas emissions per load(2 kg of greenhouse gas emissions from the average mechanical clothes dryer per load)
• Laundry smells “clothesline fresh” without using chemicals while saving additional money
• Less wear and tear on your clothes fabrics
• Laundry items tend to not shrink from the hot air from a mechanical clothes dryer.
• No static cling!!
• Laundry items stay softer as mechanical clothes dryers tend to remove short, soft, fine fibers.
• Laundry items may be less wrinkled as items not immediately removed from clothes dryer tend to get wrinkled.
• Laundry items may dry more quickly on dry or sunny and windy days.
• No risk of toxic fumes as gas-powered clothes dryers can potentially leak gas.
• 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.

Legality

In the United States, Florida, Colorado, and Utah have passed laws forbidding bans on clothes lines. Perhaps these states should rethink and repeal these laws.

In Canada, the Province of Ontario lifted bans on clothes lines in 2008… a smart move!

To learn some other quick inexpensive ways to save money visit the SAVING $ page on this blog to start saving energy and more importantly money today!