How Is the Process of Drying Clothes on a Clothesline Different Than Drying Clothes in a Dryer?
Drying clothes on a clothesline offers many benefits over drying clothes in a dryer. Waste and cost are two of the biggest drawbacks to dryer use. With most dryers, heated air is used to remove moisture to dry your clothes, and that heat is lost to the environment. Clothes dried in the dryer come out fluffy and warm. Clothes dried on a clothesline have a fresh scent and essentially dry for free; however, you are at the mercy of the sun, wind and humidity when you line-dry. Does this Spark an idea?
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Cost
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Drying clothes on a clothesline is far less expensive than using a dryer. Using a clothesline saves energy and money. A clothesline involves only an initial investment and no ongoing cost -- and whether you use a clothesline or drying rack, the cost of the setup is far below that of a dryer. Dryers are one of the most expensive home appliances, notes the Underwriters Laboratories website. Dryers consume 6 percent of your home's electricity usage, and operating a dryer costs $1,530 over the 18-year lifetime of the appliance, according to Flex Your Power. Using a dryer may involve additional expenses, such as delivery fees, maintenance charges and the cost to wire an electrical outlet and install a vent. However, dryers do offer you convenience when you need to dry a large number of clothes or dry clothes quickly.
Condition
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Using the dryer to dry your clothes can cause materials to degrade and wear from friction, fabrics to pill -- form small balls of fuzz -- and stains to set-in, along with ruining waistbands and creating static, according to the Living a Better Life website. Dryer heat shrinks clothes by shrinking their fibers. The process of removing water from clothes creates lint -- essentially removing a thin layer of your fabrics. Dryer use can leave permanent wrinkles in synthetic fiber fabrics.
Both clothesline air-drying and dryer use kill germs on clothes. Sunlight also retards the growth of mildew. But the sun can harm your clothes. Sunlight exposure damages fabrics, weakening fibers and fading colors, notes the Michigan State University Cooperative Extension. Sunlight causes cottons to yellow, may discolor leather and weakens linen and wool fibers.
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Options
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Clothes may be dried outside on days when the weather is warm and dry. Outdoors, wind and sunlight help dry your clothes, but temperatures and humidity affect drying time. During inclement weather or in places where outdoor clotheslines aren't possible, clothes may be dried inside on a drying rack; however, drying clothes indoors increases the humidity in your home. Clothesline drying is safe for clothes that have been in contact with flammable substances or oils -- items which should never go through the dryer.
While most households use either a gas or electric dryer, many other types of dryers are becoming increasingly available. For example, heat pump dryers offer energy savings, condenser dryers operate without venting and microwave dryers have speedier drying times. In addition to clotheslines, racks, frames, rods and hangers are available for air-drying clothes.
Space
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With a dryer, you have to dedicate a permanent space in your home for the appliance. Clotheslines and drying racks are temporary, but may take up a significant amount of space when in use. You can dismantle and put away most types clotheslines, so the space needed to dry your clothes is available when the items are not in use. Outdoor clotheslines take up space in your yard, rather than inside your home, but many are made to fold out of the way when not in use.
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References
- Ohio State University Extension; Quick 'n Easy Stain Removal; Janis Stone
- Underwriters Laboratories: Product Safety Tips: Clothes Dryers
- Flex Your Power; Clothes Dryers; 2011
- Living a Better Life; Air Drying Clothes Without a Clothesline; Jill Cooper; 2004
- Michigan State University Cooperative Extension Service; Fabrics for the Energy-Conscious Home; Cynthia C. Fridgen, et al.; July 1984
- U.S. Fire Administration; Focus on Fire Safety: Appliance Fires; February 2009
Resources
- Photo Credit Thinkstock/Comstock/Getty Images
