Drying Clothes and Energy Conservation
Drying clothes in the open air conserves energy. According to the New York Times, "there were more than 88 million dryers in the country in 2005. . . . If all Americans line-dried for just half a year, it would save 3.3 percent of the country's total residential output of carbon dioxide." Does this Spark an idea?
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To Conserve Energy, Air-Dry Clothes on a Clothesline
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Clotheslines are the most energy-saving method of drying clothes. Clotheslines take many forms, and there is one for every situation. They can be retractable, stationary, treelike with many branches or folding racks. Drying clothes without electricity or gas saves energy. It also saves wear and tear on your clothes. Dryer lint screen is evidence of fabric breaking down from tumbling and heat.
Some tips for using a clothesline:
1. Watch the weather. You don't want to have to rescue clothes from the rain.
2. Look up. Don't string a clothesline where birds gather on branches above it.
3. Hang whites in the sun. The sun makes whites bright.
4. Turn colors inside out or hang out of direct sun. Sunlight will fade them.
5. Use clothespins.
6. Hang shirts by hem, not shoulders.
7. Hang pants creased the way you would like them to dry.
Use a Dryer Efficiently
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Use the appliance efficiently. When using a gas or electric clothes dryer, follow simple tips to increase efficiency:
1. Clean the dryer lint screen before or after each use.
2. Do not overload the dryer. In a properly loaded dryer, clothes dry in 40 minutes to one hour.
3. Choose a "perma press" (cool-down) cycle. This cycle ends with cool air, and the clothes are still drying.
4. Keep the dryer exhaust vent on the outside of the house clean.
5. Have a laundry day, and dry multiple loads back to back. The dryer warms up after the first load. Stopping and starting the appliance uses more energy.
6. When choosing a new appliance, choose one with a sensor that automatically stops the dryer when the clothes are dry.
7. Read the manual that accompanies your appliance for additional energy-saving tips.
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Use a clothesline and dryer in tandem.
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Sometimes rain prevents drying clothes outside. When weather won't permit clothes drying outside on a line, string a line or set up a drying rack inside (basements are an option). Air-dry for part of the process and use the appliance for part of the process: Either tumble-dry and remove when damp to finish with air-dry (good for delicate items), or air-dry and finish with a tumble-dry (good for towels and other heavy items). Whenever you opt to reduce use of a gas or electric appliance, you're conserving energy.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit washing laundry every morning. image by å...«æœˆ from Fotolia.com Wäscheleine image by inapf from Fotolia.com laundry dial image by Sirena Designs from Fotolia.com wäscheleine image by Ewe Degiampietro from Fotolia.com
