Airing your clean laundry: Skip the dryer, rack up savings

re: Airing your clean laundry: Skip the dryer, rack up savings

T1gerl1ly — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 02:37:46 GMT

I live in south Georgia where we have very hot summers, I had my husband build me a clothesline with 3 lines. I love to hang my clothes on the lines, they smell great and with my kids clothes, I don't have problems with all the decorations or decals coming of like they do in the dryer. I also put a cup of white vinegar in my rise water to prevent lint.

re: Airing your clean laundry: Skip the dryer, rack up savings

Chris — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 19:35:07 GMT

You could air dry your clothes indoors throughout the year, even if you think you don't have space for a drying rack. Take a look at the unique Ceiling Drying Rack at http://www.airdry.org

I absolutely love, it's the best and most convenient drying rack ever!

re: Airing your clean laundry: Skip the dryer, rack up savings

Barbara A — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 21:10:43 GMT

Donna,

I've been meaning to ask you: did you, many years ago, write a beautiful article for a magazine whose name I can't remember about being single and drying clothes on the clothes rack, continuing the practice once you were married? That article has stayed in my mind all these years, especially a phrase you used (if it was indeed you who wrote it) "just because I was dirt poor, I wasn't going to be dirty..."

Just curious. You're a great writer, by the way. I very much enjoy every article you've written.

re: Airing your clean laundry: Skip the dryer, rack up savings

Christine Taylor — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:23:14 GMT

Hi,

I just wanted to share my experience with a product that I bought a few weeks ago that is great for the environment and also save you money. It's a drying rack that you can use all year to air dry your clothes. It attaches to the ceiling and let you dry your clothes by pulling them and hanging near the ceiling. It doesn't take any floor space and I have mine installed in a laundry room near washer/dryer. It's kind of hard to describe without seeing, but you can take a look for yourself at their website http://www.airdry.org. I was able to reduce the use of my electric dryer by at least 75%, not too mention it's also so much more gentle on your clothes.

Thanks,

"Green" Christine

re: Airing your clean laundry: Skip the dryer, rack up savings

Kathryn Stewart — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 14:18:40 GMT

After a 30 year hiatus, I repaired the old circular outdoor clothes line--took 5 different stores before I found the plastic clothes line I needed: not to be found at Walmart, Walgreens, Ace hardware. Finally found the plastic line at CVS. It took my husband and me about 2 hours to get the new line attached to the clothes line pole--this time I maintained the line in one contiguous line, rather than attaching each line separately. Then there was the PVC piping which had to be hammered into the ground in order to hold the pole, in order to remove for aesthetics, mowing grass, etc. Finally, the clothes line was operational! What a blast I'm having hanging my wash on the line. So handy...just outside the walkout basement, where I conveniently have the wash machine...no dryer. (They're housed on the main floor in the laundry adjacent the garage).

re: Airing your clean laundry: Skip the dryer, rack up savings

Chelsea — Wed, 28 May 2008 20:41:30 GMT

I'm a student at Pomona College in Claremont, California and recently spent a good amount of time looking into the various clothesline and drying rack options since Pomona is going to purchase some for student use and I wanted to get the best available racks for us.

In my research, I was shocked to find that there is NO good website explaining all the different clotheslines and drying rack options, so I made my own! It's a wiki page on the Tip the Planet sustainable living wiki that ANYONE CAN EDIT. You can check it out here: www.tiptheplanet.com/index.php

I'm trying to spread the word so that the site becomes a clearing house for drying rack information, and people have to spend less time scouring the web for the best products. Have a look, share it with your friends, and by all means add your wisdom!

Take care,

Chelsea

re: Airing your clean laundry: Skip the dryer, rack up savings

Lucy — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 05:32:30 GMT

I am using drying rack too, but am having a problem. I havn't been able to find "fluff collector". I am from Japan and there is a product like this.

It is either attached to the washing machine or stand alone; itcollects fluff from washing. In US, dryers have fluff collector I understand. By skipping dryer, my laundry misses the opportunity to get fluffless.

I am trying to find anything that solves my problem but no luck so far. If you have any idea how I can possibly get rid of fluff from my laundry, it is greatly appreciated.

re: Airing your clean laundry: Skip the dryer, rack up savings

Lisa — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 13:25:53 GMT

We also dry our clothes on racks and the shower rod as a means of saving money and not wasting electricity. Another option, which my expectant daughter is considering --- counter top washers and dryers (laundry-alternative.com) as a way to do laundry inexpensively in an apartment setting. The machines are inexpensive and fast, if the information is accurate. Also, for those who can splurge a bit, if I were to buy another clothes rack, it would be the D-rack, which hangs a lot of clothing in a small space, and is movable. Both require an investment to purchase, but make this kind of laundry processing less time and space consuming. That is important for some of us. Still, for me, using what we already have is the most efficient use of limited funds.

re: Airing your clean laundry: Skip the dryer, rack up savings

Springer — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 16:04:25 GMT

Great to see many people like to hang laundry. I have been doing it for 24 years and I could care what anyone thinks. I had to buy a new dryer after24 years in December & with the crummy rainy weather I used it quite a bit this winter. I do hang jeans and darks in the cellar on my line, we have a wood stove, but the smell is not the same. I have heard all kinds of excuses, but in 24 years I can't even remember the last time I had bird doodoo on my clothes or had something fall off and get dirty. It takes less than 10 minutes to hang a large load of wash and the same to take it down. If there is any type of a breeze I get no more wrinkles than in the dryer and everything is soft. I have found both in the dryer and out my clothes are much softer without fabric softener. I find it funny that allergy sufferers can't stand the pollen, but the fabric softener doesn't bother them. I don't have allergies, but I can't stand perfume smells! Using less detergent also makes things less scratchy. I have older kids, but still do 8-10 loads a week and save at least $5 per week hanging out. There is nothing like hanging out wash in the morning when the sun is coming up. Saving money, helping the environment & getting outside is all worth it to me.

re: Airing your clean laundry: Skip the dryer, rack up savings

Stan Steamer — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 22:39:57 GMT

I consider bedding that has been dried in any manner other than on a line, in the fresh air, to be a sad concession to unfortunate necessity - like maragarine compared to butter. Sometimes the dryer is the only way to get large sheets or blankets dry in time, but that's not the preferred method.

Indoor racks work fine for clothing and smaller articles. But the smell of air-dried pillowcases is one of the great yet simple pleasures of bed.