Twenty-One - Line Drying Clothes (And General Tips on Washing and Drying)

Line Drying

Since moving to MN in June, Guthrie and I have made an effort to have even our clothes enjoy the summer breeze. We started line drying as often as we could on the already-in-place clothes line outside. Though, we do this a lot more, it was not a complete life-style change for us. To make this a real change, Guthrie and I have added some lines downstairs to continue the air drying, even as our summer days grow short and chilly. The Green Year says that dryers use up about 6% of all of the energy in the United States! Short on space? Don't have an ugly, unfinished basement to hang up ugly lines like I did today? Invest in a drying rack. They come in all different shapes and sizes, wall mounted to stand along, and take up little space. Here are a couple of choices from Moss Envy near Lake Calhoun (former TC Green in Uptown): Wall Mounted / Flat Top / Heavy Duty

Worried that line dryer will make your clothes crunchy and hard? Here are some great fabric softener ideas (less expensive than anything you buy at the store and just as effective!) from Renest:

1. Baking Soda - Add 1/2 cup to the water and let it dissolve. Add clothes.
2. Borax - Add 1/4 cup to the rinse cycle.
3. Vinegar - Add 3/4 - 1 cup to either the wash or the rinse.

Detergent
Does anyone still use the powdered laundry detergent? We do. We returned to it in Atlanta when we were looking to save money. Some don't like it because it can clump, but most people aren't actually running their washing according to the directions. You are suppose to fill the washer with water first and add the detergent, and THEN put your clothes in. This is important because powdered detergent, according to The Green Year, actually is the more eco-friendly product. Liquid detergent is almost 80% water -- a resource we shouldn't waste. If you have a dish washer, consider powder detergent there as well.

Dryer Lint
Remember to clean the lint screen before every use. Not only does this help protect against fires, it help keeps the machine running with ease. Built up lint prevents air from flowing through the drying, making it work hard and run inefficiently.

Need more reasons to line dry? Click here for a ReNest Top Ten. Want to further green your cleaning? Check it out next week -- Green Cleaning!

Oh, Eliot says, "hi!"

Peace!