Each of the country's 88 million dryers emits more than a ton of carbon dioxide per year.
http://www.linedry.com/index.html
http://www.linedry.com/index.html
A Line on Saving Energy
- Thread starter gadgetgary
- Start date
panthera
Well-known member
Not quite the point
Progressive is a relative term. When it costs me $2.50/load to dry laundry in my own house, I prefer using the line.
Most environmentally sound decisions which we take here in the rest of the world are strongly motivated by economics...and I was trying to point that out. Americans are only now beginning to deal with the same realities we have faced from the start.
I was not bashing Americans, it is alarming to live between two cultures and see a country you love slipping ever further behind.
Progressive is a relative term. When it costs me $2.50/load to dry laundry in my own house, I prefer using the line.
Most environmentally sound decisions which we take here in the rest of the world are strongly motivated by economics...and I was trying to point that out. Americans are only now beginning to deal with the same realities we have faced from the start.
I was not bashing Americans, it is alarming to live between two cultures and see a country you love slipping ever further behind.
<blockquote>When it costs me $2.50/load to dry laundry in my own house, I prefer using the line.</blockquote>
$2.50 / 5KW (average dryer?) / 1 hr (average load?) = $0.50/KWH. Your electric service is $0.50/KWH? In that case, I'd probably line-dry, too!
$2.50 / 5KW (average dryer?) / 1 hr (average load?) = $0.50/KWH. Your electric service is $0.50/KWH? In that case, I'd probably line-dry, too!
sudsmaster
Well-known member
Dan,
To deal with the stiff/scratchy line dried problem, just run the laundry through one of your four vintage dryers on no-heat air-fluff only. This takes relatively little energy, and will generally produce much softer/fluffier results. I also run bath towels through an air fluff before and after drying, 10-20 minutes each. It's not as soft as completely machine drying, but it's close enough for me.
This way you can exercise your vintage equipment and save energy, too.
To deal with the stiff/scratchy line dried problem, just run the laundry through one of your four vintage dryers on no-heat air-fluff only. This takes relatively little energy, and will generally produce much softer/fluffier results. I also run bath towels through an air fluff before and after drying, 10-20 minutes each. It's not as soft as completely machine drying, but it's close enough for me.
This way you can exercise your vintage equipment and save energy, too.
I have aabsolutely no desire to be out in the heat or in the cold hanging out wet clothes. Plus, I have lots of birds in my back yard who like to "make deposits" all around.
turquoisedude
Well-known member
I must admit that I am thrilled to be in a place where I CAN hang out the laundry to dry again! The condo we have in Montreal has one of those 'no laundry drying equipment' regulations which I think is ridiculous.
I just love the smell of clothes that have dried out on the line (mind you the place where I do the line drying, Ogden, is Thirty-Miles-Out-Back-From-The-Middle-Of-Nowhere....)
I think should all make the effort - it would save all kinds of power and greenhouse gasses.
I just love the smell of clothes that have dried out on the line (mind you the place where I do the line drying, Ogden, is Thirty-Miles-Out-Back-From-The-Middle-Of-Nowhere....)
I think should all make the effort - it would save all kinds of power and greenhouse gasses.
maytagbear
Well-known member
I have no access to a yard here
in this apartment.
Even if I did, things "walk off."
Lawrence/Maytagbear
in this apartment.
Even if I did, things "walk off."
Lawrence/Maytagbear
Since the motor is (presumably) fairly constant, do the levels of heat have much effect on energy consumption?
Back when I was single, I would dry everything on high (As I have said before, laundry is not my forte). But John usually puts it on the medium setting.
Back when I was single, I would dry everything on high (As I have said before, laundry is not my forte). But John usually puts it on the medium setting.
Electric dryers emit no carbon dioxide, regardless of heat setting. What emits carbon dioxide is the fossil fuel power plant which likely supplies power to your house -- assuming you don't live in e.g. France, which has joined the 21st Century and gets 75+% of its energy from nuclear power.
laundromat
Well-known member
I hang 75% of my laundry out.I enjoy the aroma,texure,and complemnents I receive from curious aquaintances.My sheets,pillowcases,shirts,pants,boxer shorts,Teeshirts,and towels get line dried.The dress shirts and pants get 10 minutes in the dryer to get the wrinkles out.I dispise energy waste.
How would an acquaintance, someone you meet at the mall or a dinner gathering, etc., know that you hang-dry your laundry?
I have used those wood indoor drying racks off and on for years. These strike me as being a nice option for those (like me) who don't have access to outside lines.My approach has varied--at times, I dry everything on them. At other times, I dry some things, but dry dress shirts and pants in the dryer to prevent wrinkles. My only objection with these racks is that they aren't very durable. So I now buy these racks in thrift stores. Where almost everything else I have comes from, too....
brettsomers
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2005
- Messages
- 1,993
line drying is nice if its your CHOICE.
my mother is from a time and place (born in Mex) where she was grateful to have a Maytag. she thought a dryer was decadent. after i got my first job i bought a Kenmore gas dryer with my own money. she said she wouldnt use it. after the first month, i dont think she ever hung laundry again!
my mother is from a time and place (born in Mex) where she was grateful to have a Maytag. she thought a dryer was decadent. after i got my first job i bought a Kenmore gas dryer with my own money. she said she wouldnt use it. after the first month, i dont think she ever hung laundry again!
hoovermatic
Well-known member
I am so glad that I have the choice to line dry, even in this climate!! I have lived in apartments where there was no facility whatsoever to line dry and I hated it. With energy prices set to rise ANOTHER 40% this winter, I am planning on using the dryer as somewhere to store unwanted Christmas pressies!
electron800
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2007
- Messages
- 252
I never tumble dry
I have a washer/dryer and a tumble dryer and havent used either for drying in years. I line dry when it's not raining and use the indoor clothes airer when it is. I don't hang things on radiators (makes them stiff and can cause damp in the walls) and neither of my machines has a particularly fast spin, but nothing takes too long to dry (even in the North East climate) and nothing gets that musty smell many people expect it would. I think the mechanical action of a dryer just wears clothes out faster and it is a massive waste of energy.
I have a washer/dryer and a tumble dryer and havent used either for drying in years. I line dry when it's not raining and use the indoor clothes airer when it is. I don't hang things on radiators (makes them stiff and can cause damp in the walls) and neither of my machines has a particularly fast spin, but nothing takes too long to dry (even in the North East climate) and nothing gets that musty smell many people expect it would. I think the mechanical action of a dryer just wears clothes out faster and it is a massive waste of energy.
I tumble dry most of the time, been line drying recently though only sheets, clothes that kind of thing, towels always go in the dryer, unless i line dry for 40mins or so and finish in the dryer.
What i do love about the dryer though is the fabric conditioner smell, especially with the new lenor range
Jay x
What i do love about the dryer though is the fabric conditioner smell, especially with the new lenor range
Jay x
toggleswitch2
Well-known member
- Joined
- May 23, 2008
- Messages
- 5,000
eyes roll...........
~How would an acquaintance, someone you meet at the mall or a dinner gathering, etc., know that you hang-dry your laundry?
LOL when they wake up and get breakfast as well. Or perhaps the sandpaper towels!
~How would an acquaintance, someone you meet at the mall or a dinner gathering, etc., know that you hang-dry your laundry?
LOL when they wake up and get breakfast as well. Or perhaps the sandpaper towels!
as a washers and dryers designer, knowing all the backstages about the dryer's "miracle" I have a very strong opinion.
USE THE DRYER ONLY AS LAST OPTION!
Drier facts (all manufacturers knows that):
1) your clothes will last longer if you use a line instead of a dryer.
2) dryers spend a lot of money in energy (no matter if it's gas or electricity.)
3) Dryers remove the softener smell because of the constant air flow.
4) If you have a high G-factor washer, or a spin dryer, you can air dry even jeans and towels.
5) The money you save in two years if you prefer to use a line is enough for a 30 days vacation trip to London, including air tickets, 5 star hotel, meals and some tours and souvenirs. (brazilian fact because our energy is too expensive. I don't know in other countries because energy prices are different).
6) dryers are an excellent option to save energy IF YOU KNOW HOW TO USE IT!! Try to hang the clothes right after finished the washer's cyce. whe it's almost dry, you can use the dryer LOWEST TEMPERATURE, NO MATTER WHAT KIND OF FABRIC, ony to remove wrinkles. It saves hours of ironing.
7) If you can choose, prefer ELECTRIC dryers. They are safer and "less harmful" to our environment.
8) FORGET the dryer's drying rack. if the garment is so delicate that can't be tumbed, it's delicate enough to never see the dryer's interior.
9) try to do your laundry in sunny days. if it's impossible, try to use a fan near the rack to speed the drying. if it still not enough, so then use the dryer. BUT AT LEAST TRY!
10) If the moisture sensor turns the dryer off before the clothe are dry (and load is ok, program is correct), don't run other cycle or those "a few minutes more" timed cyce. residual moisture is not enough to make the clothes smell like my grandmother. finish to dry in the line. depending on the weather, it can be much faster than the dryer.
11) Ok, we have money to buy a dryer, we have money to pay for the energy and hang the clothes one by one is really boring BUT take the clothes out of the washer and toss them in the dryer is NOT only a fancy. it's stupidity. (except in those regions with a terrible weather.)
12) if you have a rack, on the summer you can use the air conditioner to dry the clothes. Just place the rack in room with the A/C on. of coure you won't turn um the A/C ony to dry the clothes.
it helps to balance the moisture level and it will kill two lions with a single shot.
USE THE DRYER ONLY AS LAST OPTION!
Drier facts (all manufacturers knows that):
1) your clothes will last longer if you use a line instead of a dryer.
2) dryers spend a lot of money in energy (no matter if it's gas or electricity.)
3) Dryers remove the softener smell because of the constant air flow.
4) If you have a high G-factor washer, or a spin dryer, you can air dry even jeans and towels.
5) The money you save in two years if you prefer to use a line is enough for a 30 days vacation trip to London, including air tickets, 5 star hotel, meals and some tours and souvenirs. (brazilian fact because our energy is too expensive. I don't know in other countries because energy prices are different).
6) dryers are an excellent option to save energy IF YOU KNOW HOW TO USE IT!! Try to hang the clothes right after finished the washer's cyce. whe it's almost dry, you can use the dryer LOWEST TEMPERATURE, NO MATTER WHAT KIND OF FABRIC, ony to remove wrinkles. It saves hours of ironing.
7) If you can choose, prefer ELECTRIC dryers. They are safer and "less harmful" to our environment.
8) FORGET the dryer's drying rack. if the garment is so delicate that can't be tumbed, it's delicate enough to never see the dryer's interior.
9) try to do your laundry in sunny days. if it's impossible, try to use a fan near the rack to speed the drying. if it still not enough, so then use the dryer. BUT AT LEAST TRY!
10) If the moisture sensor turns the dryer off before the clothe are dry (and load is ok, program is correct), don't run other cycle or those "a few minutes more" timed cyce. residual moisture is not enough to make the clothes smell like my grandmother. finish to dry in the line. depending on the weather, it can be much faster than the dryer.
11) Ok, we have money to buy a dryer, we have money to pay for the energy and hang the clothes one by one is really boring BUT take the clothes out of the washer and toss them in the dryer is NOT only a fancy. it's stupidity. (except in those regions with a terrible weather.)
12) if you have a rack, on the summer you can use the air conditioner to dry the clothes. Just place the rack in room with the A/C on. of coure you won't turn um the A/C ony to dry the clothes.
it helps to balance the moisture level and it will kill two lions with a single shot.
sudsmaster
Well-known member
How would an acquaintance, someone you meet at the mall or a dinner gathering, etc., know that you hang-dry your laundry?
Maybe it's the clothespins on the shoulders of the shirt he's wearing?
Maybe it's the clothespins on the shoulders of the shirt he's wearing?
sudsmaster
Well-known member
I line dry bath towels, bed sheets/blankets/comforters/pads/etc, bathrobes, etc. on the line, mostly. I run the towels through a 20 minute air fluff in the dryer before and after line drying - makes them fluffier and softer.
The tidy whities, socks, etc, usually get machine dried. Doesn't take long (I set the Miele 1918 for 1600 rpm final spin).
When it's raining for days I have to resort to the gas dryer inside for most stuff. A side benefit is that it sort of helps to heat the house in the cold weather. But this is only for 1/4 to 1/3 the year. We are blessed (or cursed) by bone dry weather 8 months of the year.
The tidy whities, socks, etc, usually get machine dried. Doesn't take long (I set the Miele 1918 for 1600 rpm final spin).
When it's raining for days I have to resort to the gas dryer inside for most stuff. A side benefit is that it sort of helps to heat the house in the cold weather. But this is only for 1/4 to 1/3 the year. We are blessed (or cursed) by bone dry weather 8 months of the year.
panthera
Well-known member
air fluff
I line dry when I can, when I can't, I use the dryer. No big hu-hu...my appartment in Munich is small and I have clients here (no, not that kind) frequently so it has to be presentable.
Stuff I line dry comes out fluffy and nice when I throw it into the dryer set to "air-fluff" for 20 minutes. The energy the motor and electronics consume is negligible, it's only the resistance heating which counts. The dryer would have to run for a bit over 20 hours on "air-fluff" to equal one hour of the heat running...
Of course, it helps that I can spin the clothes dry at 2800 rpm and as a few folks have suggested, a strategically placed fan makes all the difference in the world.
We have clotheslines in the yard, but the nasty old biddies throw your clothes on the ground if you dare to use them and don't stay out there with them.
I line dry when I can, when I can't, I use the dryer. No big hu-hu...my appartment in Munich is small and I have clients here (no, not that kind) frequently so it has to be presentable.
Stuff I line dry comes out fluffy and nice when I throw it into the dryer set to "air-fluff" for 20 minutes. The energy the motor and electronics consume is negligible, it's only the resistance heating which counts. The dryer would have to run for a bit over 20 hours on "air-fluff" to equal one hour of the heat running...
Of course, it helps that I can spin the clothes dry at 2800 rpm and as a few folks have suggested, a strategically placed fan makes all the difference in the world.
We have clotheslines in the yard, but the nasty old biddies throw your clothes on the ground if you dare to use them and don't stay out there with them.
toggleswitch2
Well-known member
- Joined
- May 23, 2008
- Messages
- 5,000
Wazz up wit dat?
On the ground? Why? I thought energy conservation in Europe was the thing to do for the conceptual benefits, for the planet, the asesthetic of the scent of the clothing and for practical resons (the high cost of energy)? So what gives with the geriatrics? Somnething to bitch about and a sense of control?
On the ground? Why? I thought energy conservation in Europe was the thing to do for the conceptual benefits, for the planet, the asesthetic of the scent of the clothing and for practical resons (the high cost of energy)? So what gives with the geriatrics? Somnething to bitch about and a sense of control?
I am afraid to say I am stuck with my dryer-electric,I do have a clothesline-but it is covered by messy sap producing pine trees,the squirrels and birds that live in them.Also the trees get visited by their insect freinds-don't want my laundry subjected to those-you would have to wash it again after drying!and the cost to saw down the trees is expensive-had a few of them cut down--at over $400 per tree including having the stumps ground(I had to fix the treemans stump grinder so he could finish)I'll stick to using the dryer.and clothes don't dry real well in the sticky humid summers out here.
panthera
Well-known member
Old Biddies
are the bane of Europe. It is getting better as the generation which brought us WWII is dying out (and not soon enough, thank you very much).
In much the same way as some of the older ladies around here want to keep this an exclusive club where everybody dances to their tune so many of the high septuagenarians and older here.
They really get upset when men dare to undertake "women's" tasks and if one is perceived to be an Ausländer, it is even worse.
The mayor commented on it recently, and here in my part of the city (Neuhausen) we have had every new club, bar, café or other gathering place for young people blocked since 1983, at least...and they have successfully prevented the transfer of liquor license to any new owner when an old one retired for at least that long, too.
are the bane of Europe. It is getting better as the generation which brought us WWII is dying out (and not soon enough, thank you very much).
In much the same way as some of the older ladies around here want to keep this an exclusive club where everybody dances to their tune so many of the high septuagenarians and older here.
They really get upset when men dare to undertake "women's" tasks and if one is perceived to be an Ausländer, it is even worse.
The mayor commented on it recently, and here in my part of the city (Neuhausen) we have had every new club, bar, café or other gathering place for young people blocked since 1983, at least...and they have successfully prevented the transfer of liquor license to any new owner when an old one retired for at least that long, too.
andrewinorlando
Well-known member
- Joined
- Oct 18, 2004
- Messages
- 1,392
I don't know about anyone else, but I have got so many better things to do than wait for laundry to dry on a clothesline. I do laundry at night, or early on a Saturday morning, 4 to 6 loads at a time, and I want them washed, dried and put away. My free time isn't gonna be spent waiting for clothes to dry on the line. I'd rather spend 3 hours at the park with my dog. I think it's a really nice luxury to be able to line dry, if you want to, but I'd rather do anything else besides laundry to begin with. My Kenmore gas dryer is fast, done before the washer is finished washing, the clothes are hung/folded and put away so I can be out the door! I have never noticed my clothes wear faster at all, and I keep my clothes for a long, long time (I'm cheap), but I usually dry at low temps because the washer extracts so much water to begin with. I have the yard and certainly the weather here in Florida for line drying, but it takes too long and it's too much work, to me anyway!
You don't have to WAIT for your washing to dry, you hang it up, then get on with your life and bring it back in when (a)it is dry and (b) you are home again.
really, there are some pretty lame excuses on this thread. Overhanging trees? Move the clothesline, put it under cover if need be.
I live at the highest rainfall place in this state, over two metres per year rainfall. (that is over six feet per year.)Some people joke it rains for nine months of the year and for the other three it drips off the trees. I do not have a dryer and neither do several of my neighbours. We line dry mostly, if it rains after hanging out then it is just a free extra rinse! In colder weather the clothes spend the day outside, then come in overnight to finish drying on clothes horses, we have four of them. It all dries eventually.
Chris.
really, there are some pretty lame excuses on this thread. Overhanging trees? Move the clothesline, put it under cover if need be.
I live at the highest rainfall place in this state, over two metres per year rainfall. (that is over six feet per year.)Some people joke it rains for nine months of the year and for the other three it drips off the trees. I do not have a dryer and neither do several of my neighbours. We line dry mostly, if it rains after hanging out then it is just a free extra rinse! In colder weather the clothes spend the day outside, then come in overnight to finish drying on clothes horses, we have four of them. It all dries eventually.
Chris.
I like to have the choice to either use a dryer or the line, sorry but i dont really care about my energy usage, i give myself the small luxary to wrap myself up in a fresh soft towel after a bath or shower.
I once tried the whole saving energy, and when i got my bill through the time spent saving energy vs money saved was rubbish.
Where i live if you left your clothes on line and left the house, they probably wouldnt be there when u got back lol.
Besides if you dry clothes on a airer, say in the winter you end up using more energy on home heating since warm air is attracted to damp clothes, this may not be as much as a dryer but its still using more energy which ever way you look at it.
I've never experienced more wear and tear on my clothes using a dryer, i've had some t-shirts for years that have been tumble dried time and time again and are still fine.
I think its always nice to have the choice to do what you want.
For me line drying cant beat that smell of ruby jasmine that i get when i tumble dry, i never get the smell taken away from the dryer.
I once tried the whole saving energy, and when i got my bill through the time spent saving energy vs money saved was rubbish.
Where i live if you left your clothes on line and left the house, they probably wouldnt be there when u got back lol.
Besides if you dry clothes on a airer, say in the winter you end up using more energy on home heating since warm air is attracted to damp clothes, this may not be as much as a dryer but its still using more energy which ever way you look at it.
I've never experienced more wear and tear on my clothes using a dryer, i've had some t-shirts for years that have been tumble dried time and time again and are still fine.
I think its always nice to have the choice to do what you want.
For me line drying cant beat that smell of ruby jasmine that i get when i tumble dry, i never get the smell taken away from the dryer.
electron800
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2007
- Messages
- 252
I couldnt agree more Chris
I can forgive people in colder climates owning dryers but they should only be used when things are needed in a hurry or weather is too bad and there's not enough room to hang everything around in the house. At most a compact (3kg load) dryer should be sufficient.
I can't imagine there is anybody on this site who lives in a climate less suitable for line drying than me but I don't have any problems.
You don't have to wait for clothes to dry, just go out and forget about them till you come home.
On a warm sunny day my clothes dry in about 20 minutes, much faster than my dryer could dry them.
Today isn't partucularly warm or sunny and my coloureds have dried in about an hour or so.
I think people should just give it a try.
These days I think we as a society have become too lazy with things like this and need to realise the old fashioned way isn't always harder.
I can forgive people in colder climates owning dryers but they should only be used when things are needed in a hurry or weather is too bad and there's not enough room to hang everything around in the house. At most a compact (3kg load) dryer should be sufficient.
I can't imagine there is anybody on this site who lives in a climate less suitable for line drying than me but I don't have any problems.
You don't have to wait for clothes to dry, just go out and forget about them till you come home.
On a warm sunny day my clothes dry in about 20 minutes, much faster than my dryer could dry them.
Today isn't partucularly warm or sunny and my coloureds have dried in about an hour or so.
I think people should just give it a try.
These days I think we as a society have become too lazy with things like this and need to realise the old fashioned way isn't always harder.
Lol is it really that bad to use a dryer or choose to use a dryer over a line?
Im sure the same could be said for using a washing machine over a wooden bucket and wash board / river and a rock lol
All of these appliances are here for convienance (cant spell) and to give us more free time.
But its really down to what you want to do, and how you want to spend your time.
Im sure the same could be said for using a washing machine over a wooden bucket and wash board / river and a rock lol
All of these appliances are here for convienance (cant spell) and to give us more free time.
But its really down to what you want to do, and how you want to spend your time.
I guess I really should take advantage of the California weather and line dry my clothes when I can. However, it sure as hell wouldn't make any sense having 4 vintage dryers remain static while the clothes dry out on a line :>)
I also have a problem with the clothes becoming very stiff and "harsh" when I line dry clothes that claim to be "line dry only." I use warm or hot water during the wash cycle, custom control the rinse cycle for a 5 minute rinse using warm water (instead of the typical 90 second Maytag rinse), and to top it off, I also use softener. Any advice?
I also have a problem with the clothes becoming very stiff and "harsh" when I line dry clothes that claim to be "line dry only." I use warm or hot water during the wash cycle, custom control the rinse cycle for a 5 minute rinse using warm water (instead of the typical 90 second Maytag rinse), and to top it off, I also use softener. Any advice?
Similar threads
