Clothesline Energy Savings

A list of savings down the line Can you shut down a power plant by using a clothesline? Several plants, actually, if everyone joined you and dried their clothes on an outdoor line. That's how much electricity we'd save. And that doesn't count energy used by natural gas dryers, or the energy it takes to scratch and drill gas out of the earth. Can all that savings be as simple as hanging clothing on a string? Nickel and diming your quarters Laundromats burn up a lot of your quarters. Doing laundry at home still takes 30 to 40 cents per load to dry your clothes. That adds up quick. Or slow: over the lifetime of your electric dryer you'll typically spend $1,500 just using it, not counting the cost of the dryer itself. Those costs will increase as energy prices rise, which they always seem to do. String up a clothesline, and your expenses are over. The clean spring breeze has always been free and always will be. The surprise is that it's also efficient, often drying a load as fast as a dryer can. A dryer has to create a lot of dry heat to burn through a thick wad of wet clothes. Spread clothes out on a line and water evaporates easily without all that heat. In the winter when air is especially dry, hang your wet clothes indoors. It'll add much needed humidity to your home. Humid air means smoother skin and easier breathing. It feels warmer and more comfortable for you, and helps prevent dry splitting of expensive wooden furniture.

Hanging on by a thread

"Do not iron. Do not tumble dry." Have you ever seen a care label that read, "Do not hang on a clothesline?" You never will, because nothing could be gentler on your fine clothing then hanging them in the breeze. They don't rub against each other like they do in the dryer, or crash against the paddles of the drum. They don't cook, shrivel and shrink in the heat.

Dryer heat isn't just expensive, it's abrasive. Clothes wear out more from dryer heat than from friction. That's where all your lint comes from. Heat rolls up the hems on your jeans too. You'll notice when you line dry that clothes stay flat and wrinkle free. Anyone for less ironing? Hang your clothes on an outdoor clothesline and you'll find they don't just look and smell better, they last longer too, which means less junk in the landfill.

No gold Star for you

Why don't electric dryers have Energy Star ratings? Because the Department of Energy found that all dryers waste about the same amount of energy, and none was significantly more efficient than the rest. The point of Energy Star is to compare, and the government found none worth comparing.

Save money while saving the Earth

According to the Wall Street Journal, cutting out just the drying portion of laundry chores saves an amazing 4.4 pounds of carbon emissions. Put another way, that's saving 16 square feet of natural habitat per load. It's better for your individual environment too. Would you rather be in your basement, or out in your back yard? Standing outside in the sun hanging clothes isn't a chore. It's a coveted meditative break, quality time with your kids, or a quiet respite alone with your thoughts. Talk about energy savings: when you're done hanging clothes on the clothesline, you'll have more energy than when you started.