Each of the country's 88 million dryers emits more than a ton of carbon dioxide per year.
A Line on Saving Energy
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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.
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.
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
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- Dec 30, 2005
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- 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
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- 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
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- 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.
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?
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.
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?
