Ditching the clothes dryer

[bumblebeej]

Ok, it broke, and I have no money and no choice here but to be dryer-less! So, I was reading online that I can save $30 on the electric bill a month by line drying. Is that true?

Also, I need a nice, heavy clothes drying rack. Where can I get one? Any mamas here that make such a thing?

[camprunner]

We got our clothes rack at Target I think. Yes it does save quite a bit of money. We save about 30/month. Someone was telling me they save 75/month. Consider also a retractable clothes line or hanging some wiere. It would take a lot of racks for us to dry a load of clothes.

[KnockedUpButtercup]

I have a very efficient gas dryer, and I still use it for drying sheets and towels. And I'm STILL saving $25 a month on my gas bill by not using for anything else. I use a retractable clothesline in my living room, and I hang a bunch of stuff up on hangers on the patio.

We prefer the texture of line-dried clothes now. I had to toss some stuff in the dryer when we were packing to go out of town, and my son noticed that his t-shirts were all "limp."

Holly

[wannabe]

You can get drying racks at bed bath and beyond and at storables. We have three for a family of three, one in cloth nappies. We only need a couple during the summer.

I don't know how much you save, I've never used a dryer very much.

[brogansmomma]

Clothes racks, retractable lines... I'm going to put in an umbrella-type clothesline (but with parallel lines, not the four-sided ones) at the new house since I use the one here for B's diapers/pull-ups. I don't like the texture or smell of line-dried clothes : so I don't yet dry clothes or sheets out there.

I'm not sure that I'd save all that much money since I only do two loads a week, three at the very very most.

[Julia Rose]

I live in a small apt. building with a washer and dryer, but try to dry my clothes on racks whenever it's possible. Does anyone have any ideas for the towles -- they come out so rough when dried naturally. I use a little white vinegar for a fabric softener.

[MissLotus]

I've been thinking of this lately too. Actually I did it a very few times so far...and one time the whole rack tipped over (note to self: get heavier rack) so by the time I found it there was dirt and bugs on my laundry...the second time I forgot all about it and it rained and THEN tipped over...and I had to wash everything all over again. The last time, nothing bad happened but as the PP said, my towels felt like sandpaper. So I've slacked off, I have to admit...

[bwylde]

We've been dryerless by choice for the better part of the past 7 years . We have had times of using it but we get along well without it even though we've always lived in an apartment. I find shaking things out or snapping them out before hanging them up helps a lot, especially jeans, towels and diapers. We never fully used the dryer all the time, but from using it part time with just DS as a baby (aka 3 people; we are a family of 4 now and lots more laundry), we are saving $25 a month. I don't want to see just how much we would use it for the sake of comparision

[kijip]

I don't know how much we save but I am about to find out since we have house guests here using the dryer a lot. I don't mind (no room on my racks for their clothes anyways and they think it is insane) but I am curious to see how much the August bill jumps.

Ikea has some cheap wall mountable racks that we use in our upstairs landing/hallway. A little limbo is required to get around it but it works well and does not take up any floor space.

[Ruthiegirl]

We have some simple eye bolts and clothesline strung up. Cheap and it was easy to set up. I have been lazy with hanging my clothes this summer though, heat + pregnant belly is a rough combination. When we do it though, we save a lot in energy costs. Our dryer is electric and a real drain.

We may be dryer free soon as our dryer is leaving really awful burn marks on our clothes. I haven't done laundry for a few days and it is backing up. : The timing sucks since the washer is leaking water and from what I have read, it means there is a rust hole in the tub and is not worth repairing.


Ahhh...the beauty of home ownership. There was a time when I would just call the landlord. Guess I am the landlord now.

[AKmoose]

If you have room in your yard, the umbrella kind is sturdy, holds tons, and isn't too expensive (maybe $40 at Home Depot?). DH drove a piece of heavy pipe into the ground, so if need be, could remove the rack easily. I love it, as I stand in one spot and hang everything (twirling the rack around).

[jennlyn]

Try Lehman's for a heavy duty drying rack. They have an online catalog and cater to people who prefer to do without electricity. I have their heavy duty rack and it holds a whole load of laundry. The racks aren't cheap, but they are well made and very sturdy. I have had mine for at least eight or nine years and use it regularly. Right now we are having humid rainy weather and I put the clothes on the rack in a room where the ceiling fan is on and they dry nicely. Think of it as an investment purchase. I used to have a rack that was made from a pattern in a woodworking book too. It looked like an A-frame and I could hang clothes on hangers and put them on this rack to dry. I have also hung things on hangers on the shower rod, just not too many or the tension rods would fall.