by Carolyn Steele Agosta

Created on: October 14, 2009

The Slacker's Guide to Laundry - Your Dryer

Line-dry vs Electric Drying - one of the big questions of our age? Not really. For most people, if they could find a laundry system that works as fast as a microwave, they'd go for it. How many times have you started to get dressed in the morning only to find out that you have nothing clean to wear?

It would be nice to line-dry clothes - I hear they smell so nice, and who doesn't enjoy the sight of sheets waving in the breeze? Plus it's another way to get a little exercise, not to mention using less energy and potentially saving the planet and your wallet. But the reality is, most people just don't have the time. Many don't even have a place to hang a clothes line. And whenever I've dried clothes by hanging them over the shower curtain bar, they dry wrinkled. Then I have to iron them, which uses more energy and time, and makes me irritable and prone to sending out for pizza instead of cooking a healthy dinner.

However, there are ways to make your electric drying less expensive and less energy-consuming. Don't overload the dryer. This doesn't seem to make sense - if you can dry more clothes at the same time, isn't that a savings? Well, that IF you can. Putting too many pairs of jeans in the dryer more often means you have to run it for a longer time. The clothes need room to tumble so that they can dry completely and with fewer wrinkles.

Take the clothes out right away. Too many times, the clothes get left in and then wrinkle, and most people just run the dryer again to shake the wrinkles out. You know who you are. Towels that are not taken out of the dryer right away tend to re-absorb the humid air within the dryer and then require more dryer time or they begin to smell funky. Remember your college days?

Clean the lint trap every time. EVERY TIME. Your dryer will work more efficiently and safely. And check your dryer vent. It should be cleaned out occasionally. In some homes and apartments, the vent follows a tortuous route through walls and even the roof, but if possible, try to blow that thing out once in a while. And examine the connection between your dryer and your vent. Make sure it's not kinked, and vacuum that area every so often. Make your mother proud.

When it's time to replace your dryer, look for an energy-efficient model, not just something that will look pretty in the laundry room or that fits your budget. A little more $$ upfront will pay off in your utility bills.

I love the theory that we can go back to a simpler time and line-dry our clothes, regain a purity of soul and a closer bond to Nature, but I don't see it happening. I remember the old days of line-drying (I was a mere child. A babe, an infant. Practically in utero.) and it wasn't all that fantastic. Towels tended to dry as stiff as cardboard, and don't get me started on hanging out clothes in vicious Michigan winters. Do what you can to maximize efficiency, minimize energy use, and save your time and efforts for more worthwhile pursuits. Volunteer. Create. Commune with nature. We can all offer things of value to the Universe without the use of clothes pins.

Learn more about this author, Carolyn Steele Agosta.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.