Why is line drying worth the trouble?

[JamieCatheryn]

You build something to hold up your line, and put it up, probably buying what you need to set up. You take your heavy wet clothes from the washer, carry them outside, lift each thing and attach it to the line, wait hours, go out again and take things down, carry inside, and sometimes toss in the dryer anyway for a bit to fluff them up, de-lint, and soften. I'm doing 2-3 loads of laundry every 2 days (cloth diapers and we can't afford a ton of clothes and we don't wear things more than 1 day between washes), that would take half my time up it seems to me. The electricity savings can't be that much can it? Makes since if you can't get a dryer right away but if you have one...? It's nice to get outside I know but there are other ways, like playing with kids or gardening or just sitting. Please explain, convince me maybe?

[Delicateflower]

Yes, the energy savings are that much. 5% of total US energy usage is for clothes dryers.

[dogretro]

I would at least continue to hang the diapers. For one, the sun is good for stains and for sanitizing. CDs take an unnecessarily long time to dry in the dryer & I always feel like I'm wasting electricity during the winter.

Personally, I don't find line drying to be much more time consuming than using the dryer if the line is actually in the sun. There was already line & clothespins in our basement when we moved in. First I had the line running from our porch to a tree, & now that the tree is gone, it runs from our porch to the swing set. Did not have to buy a thing, but I do need new clothespins now. Many items are already dry, or nearly so, by the time the next load is coming out of the washer, so I can take some items down.

[painefaria]

I enjoy hanging clothes... It is my quiet time. The clean clothing smell alone is worth it

[Phantaja]

I have a gas dryer, so it's not just the electricity, but the cost of gas.

On top of that, line drying prevents wear and tear on your clothes. You know the lint in the lint trap? That's your clothes wearing away.

In the summer, I swear it doesn't take hours. I usually put a load on the line, go inside and clean the bathroom or something that takes maybe 30 minutes, and on a hot day the clothes are bone dry by the time I'm done. Given a dry, sunny day, the line actually takes less time than the dryer. I fold them as I take them off the line, put them in the basket, and then all I have to do is put them away. Plus they smell nice.

I didn't build anything for my lines. I got some line and a couple of packs of clothes pins from the dollar store and attached them to trees. Works out just fine.

[enkmom]

Well, I lived with a year with no dryer. I have no hard numbers to give you, but our electric bill went up significantly when I started using the dryer again so yes, the savings are significant. To address your other points:

My biggest loads take less than 10 minutes to take out of the washer, bring up from the basement, hang on the line, and take the dry clothes off. I do my laundry once a week and had about 8 loads to do, so I plan it for a day I am going to be home anyway. I estimate that I only spend an hour over the course of the day "at the clothesline", and folding is something you would do if you used the dryer or the clothesline.

I bought my umbrella clothesline at Home Depot for $39 in 1995, so at this point is has cost me $2.60/year to own. Clothespins are about $1 a bag.

I never put anything back in the dryer to soften or de-lint. The only really objectionable thing for our family was the feel of the socks, but you get used to it.

Other points you might consider are that your clothes last longer when they are not exposed to the heat of the dryer. Personally, I love the smell of sheets and towels dried on the clothesline. I also bring in my laundry every night, but I am guilty of leaving the last load of clothes in the dryer so long I have to turn on the dryer to re-fluff and de-wrinkle. I have heard that the sun is a natural disinfectant for the diapers, but don't know how line-dried diapers would feel on a baby's bottom?

[talia rose]

it is my meditation and is good for the earth.....

[Drummer's Wife]

I line dry the kids clothes b/c I don't want them to shrink or fade. It's not anymore work for me, though, b/c I don't line dry outside, but inside on clothing racks - which means I put them on hangers as I would if they were dried in the dryer, and turn on the ceiling fan. We have a spare room that is now the family closet, and b/c we live in the desert clothes dry in less than an hr (and I don't worry about mold).

I'll be honest and say the main motivator is keeping the clothing nice, and not the energy use component - that's just an added bonus.

I couldn't do outside line drying because I live in a freakin' dust bowl. It's windy a lot, and dirt is everywhere. My backyard is basically half an acre of sand and tumbleweeds. Plus I have allergies and would have to re-wash the clothes if they were hung to dry outside.

[yeahwhat]

In addition to the savings from running the clothes dryer, if you're in a place that uses a/c, you're forcing your a/c to work harder every time you run the clothes dryer. I don't have a/c, so using the dryer in the summer just makes my house hotter and more uncomfortable. In the winter it helps heat my kitchen and I feel much less guilty about using it.

The smell of fresh, line dried sheets is a huge perk too.

[justmama]

I see it as something I'm doing that is good for the planet. I think a little extra work for me is okay if I am doing my small part to make a difference. And it takes about 20 minutes of active work per load, not hard. We actually don't even own a dryer. My old one bit the dust in a flood but we literally had not even plugged it in for over 2 years and I just haven't replaced it. I could if I wanted to financially but why? I won't use it. I enjoy hanging the laundry and my electric bill went down $40 per month when I started line drying. And that's $40 of electricity I'm not wasting when the sun does the work for free with less precious resources. I don't fluff my clothing in the dryer, if they need to be dewrinkled, I iron them. But that's extremely rare. It's really not about the money. If we all said, "eh, it's too much time to sort the recycling and put it on the curb, I'll just toss if in the garbage" what would happen? What if we said, "yeah I don't think I want to take the time to put this wrapper in the garbage, I'll just toss it on the ground?" One person in one situation may not change the world but lots of people doing their part makes a HUGE difference in our world. And it only takes one person to start a trend.


oh and I have 3 daughters who are REALLY messy kids. I do about 9 loads a week including towels and sheets and diapers(she's day trained but wears a diaper at night and nap). I just got a new front load washer and it spins out the clothing so well that on our breezy 65 degree sunny day today, the clothing was dry BEFORE the next load came out of the washer. I did 4 loads today to play catch up from 2 weeks without a washer. They were all dry and off the line by 2pm. That's a lovely thing!

[dbsam]

Like Drummers Wife, I hang our clothing to keep it looking nice, not shrink, etc. On the days I cannot hang outside I hang inside. I prefer outside because the clothing dries quicker and the breeze blows out the wrinkles and makes the clothing softer. My climate does not allow for year-round line drying.

Strangely I enjoy hanging out the clothes; I hated doing it as a child. But then, I only hang out clothing...my mother hung everything including underwear! I use the gas dryer for towels, undies, etc.

Putting up our retractable lines was easy and inexpensive.

I'm not sure if there is much of a savings on my gas bill.

[Katie T]

I don't really know what the energy savings are as I always line dry in the summer and have never paid attention to the bill. I do it because I enjoy hanging my laundry out and love the smell and crunchy towels.

IMO if it is really something you don't want to do, don't do it. It is your choice and don't feel guilty about it. But maybe just try it, it is relaxing to me to be out there hanging up my clothes in the sunshine.

[mamallama]

I'm in your geographic region, so I understand about questioning whether or not it's worth the effort. No doubt it's much easier when one lives in the desert!!

I have a busy family of five. Our littlest is out of diapers, but just barely, so we have pee'd in pants a couple of times per week & wet bedding a couple of times per month. We generate 9-10 loads per week (messy kids, cloth napkins, rags in lieu of paper towels, etc.)

We homeschool. I try to schedule the bulk of our activities during the day and before naptime. When we have to be somewhere at 10am, it's really hard for me to get the laundry up before we leave. When we return at 2pm, I have to consider the atmospheric conditions and decide then if the laundry will be dry before dark. At this time of year, most days it won't be, so I use the dryer.

The past couple of weeks have been unseasonably warm and dry. I haven't used the dryer at all.

In the thunderstorm season, I have the challenge of getting the laundry up before we have to leave, plus the challenge of deciding if it's going to rain or not before we come home. Sometimes I make mistakes.

In the muggy months, it takes all day to dry a load.

From November to March, I don't even consider the clothesline. I use the dryer and vent it indoors through a filter. It adds needed heat and humidity to our indoor air.

In the end, line drying is extra work for me. I enjoy doing the work when it works out, but I really dislike taking down rained on clothes and putting them in the dryer. I'm busy enough! Happily, that doesn't happen often.

I don't mind doing the extra work--I don't mind that the boy is riding his big wheel in his pj's (or naked, usually) while I hang laundry, I certainly don't mind the energy savings (yes, I agree that it's substantial,) and I've always been one to do a little extra work to live more lightly on the planet. I also like the way our clothes smell, the reduced wear and shrinkage, and the texture of our towels.

I think it's worth it.

[cristeen]

We don't line dry for 2 main reasons - I don't have anywhere to hang outside that's not shaded and for some reason DH objects to the prospect. And hanging even DH's work slacks inside, they take 2 days to dry most of the year.

However, I just wanted to say - it really does cost that much. When little boy was born, I saw our electrical bill go up by $50 that first month, and the only real change was diaper laundry.

I would gladly hang out probably half of our laundry if it were feasible for us. But, I grew up doing it, so it's normal to me.

[Turquesa]

Line drying is my favorite household chore. But to state the obvious, everybody is different.

It's really dry where I live, and on the hottest days, clothes are dry within an hour. We don't have the humidity that you do in Louisville, so I can understand why you dread waiting those many hours for clothes to dry.

If it's too big of a hassle, I say don't worry about it. Find other ways to cut costs and live "greenly," and you can revisit the laundry issue later.

[marimara]

Well I read most of the repsonses but here is my input.

The clothes dry faster in the summer on the line.

Electricity savings.

The methodical, repetitive movements are meditation in motion.

The smellgoodness, sanitizing, and stain removal are all chemical free.

It's better for the planet and all it's inhabitants.

Clothes last longer, esp those w/elastic.

I know this is kooky, but I feel a connection w/other women around the world doing a household task that is nearly universal down through our ancestry.

Notes: It really doesn't take long, if you factor in drying time, you actually have less time doing laundry. I don't always put them back in the dryer to fluff them, I use vinegar in the rinse cycle and otherwise give clothes a good "pop" when I take them off the line to soften them up.

[Eman'smom]

How do you clothes end up soft though? The few times I hang things they can stand by themselves, seriously beach towels so tough you can barely fold them, shirts are super stiff.......

We were without a dryer for a few weeks last year. Our energy bill didn't change and stuff was hanging all over the house drying.


I'm also biased again line drying, growing up my mom refused to use the dryer, it took 3 days to line dry jeans in the musty basement.

[Mrs-Mama]

I plan to get back into my line-drying habit as soon as allergy season is over. I line-dried nearly exclusively 2 summers ago and enjoyed working it into my day. I would put a load of laundry in the washer every morning (early 6:30ish). Then, when DS and I went outside to play, I hung the load out on the line. The clothes were almost always dry (except for maybe prefold diapers) around noon or so when DS went down for his nap, so that's when I would go outside and get everything in. I'm not much of an outdoor girl, but I did enjoy a few moments in the sun

Things I liked:

* Can't beat the smell of line-dried clothes (especially sheets)! They made our whole house smell good.
* Forced me outside everyday (like I said, I'm more of an indoor type).
* Stains faded easily.
* Cut our electric bill by 10% over the previous summer despite an increase in rates.
* It just felt good; kinda enjoyed playing the "old-fashioned housewife" role . I always thought of my grandmothers and great-grandmothers (some of whom I've never even met) while I was out there.

Things I didn't like:

* Faded dark clothing
* Towels were scratchy but we got use to it (and they soften up after one or two uses...we use our towels multiple times before washing).

I thought I wouldn't like the stiff clothing, but they were only stiff until we put them on. They loosen up as you wear them.

[yeahwhat]

Line drying outside on a windy day gives you softer clothes than drying inside or outside on a hot, calm day. I prefer my scratchier warm weather towels compared to my winter dryer ones. I haven't had a problem with shirts being stiff at all. Prefolds are a bit stiffer, but dd hasn't complained.

[sunnysandiegan]

I line-dry some things and use the gas dryer for other things. Dark clothes do best in the shade or inside or in the dryer on low heat, IMO. I personally dry items we hang up in the closet in that place after a few minutes in the dryer. Sheets and all bedding, including pillows, IMO, are sooooo much nicer dried outside in the sunshine! I also line-dry heavy items like rugs in the sunshine (all white) after a few minutes in the dryer.

I guess my point is it doesn't have to be all or nothing.