Do you ever air-dry your clothes?

[Pool Hall Ace]

I saw this in The Vermont Country Store Catalog and was intrigued. When I was a sprog, our house had a rather large laundry room where clothes could hang to dry. We could also hang them outdoors if weather permitted (no pesky HOA rules back then).

I have also heard about an IKEA drying rack that is supposed to be good.

Even if my dryer was not starting to go on the fritz, I like the idea of saving both energy and wear-and-tear on my clothes. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that people in Europe and Asia live quite comfortably without a clothes dryer.

So how about you? What kind of impact has it had on your energy bills and clothing? Do you need to use a particular type of detergent?

[LiberalEsto]

1. I air-dry some things

I like the way things smell after hanging outdoors in good weather. I also air-dry delicate items outside in the summer, inside on cold or rainy days.

I drilled holes for eyehole screws in the laundry room's ceiling beams when we moved to this house, and strung clothesline back and forth across the room. Very useful,

[hlthe2b]

2. Oh, yeah, all the time...

My basement is only semi-finished and I have a long steel "beam" with railing that goes directly across where my washer/dryer are (and another one in the back of the basement that I can use to hang off season clothes--which I periodically spray for clothes moths before storing.

I also have one of these that is handy for towels--which I tend to dry in the dryer to about 20% dry and then air dry to finish. BED BATH &Beyond sells these
http://s7d9.scene7.com/is/image/BedBathandBeyond/15062617445383p?


The kind you are looking at are very top heavy, so you have to really be careful about balancing clothes as you hang them to prevent toppling, but certainly can work.

I don't have a large household so don't do as much laundry as others, but still, the less you use an electric dryer, the better the $$ savings.

[NEOhiodemocrat]

3. I air dry clothes

In the summer I hang out clothes, but out in the country no HOA, not everyone can I realize. In the winter thought I put a clothes pole (like you do in closet) over my washmachine from wall to wall. We have a small laundry area. I can hang shirts etc from it. Also have one of the folding racks that I put socks, underwear other small items on. Sit it in front of the wood stove if in a hurry. And as a backup when need more room hang hangers of clothes from the shower curtain rod. But our laundry area is right off the bathroom so that is handy for me. I use my everyday laundry detergent but the kids gripe because I don't use softener. I do put my towels in the dryer alot of the time as I don't like them hard. I feel that not using the dryer much must save money, but no data on that.

[Curmudgeoness]

7. Of course it saves money. It is free to air dry. nt

[Pool Hall Ace]

11. My energy usage is down!

According to my power company, an "efficient" home of similar square footage uses 524 kWh/month; I used 476 kWh.

I used the recommended white distilled vinegar as a fabric softener in today's load, and even towels came out soft.

[canoeist52]

4. When my sister visited Sweden in the '70's

They had a rooms set up with clothes racks and lines with hangers around the perimeter, In the middle, were placed room fans to move the air. This seems to be the fastest and most efficient way to dry many loads at once.

I have an indoor folding wooden rack for drying the non dryer woolies in the winter.
I love my outdoor clothes line, I can hang two large loads of laundry at once from March to November. Cloth lasts much longer when it's air-dried. I like my stiff cotton towels.

[Pool Hall Ace]

5. You really do like the stiffness? :)

I know that some people say it helps with exfoliating. I've read a few blogs that talk about using eco-friendly laundry detergent to help prevent stiffness when air-drying clothes (or use soap nuts, which are mentioned in another thread).

[hermetic]

8. I use vinegar

Add 1/2 cup of white, distilled vinegar to the last rinse cycle of a load to act as a natural fabric softener.

http://www.wikihow.com/Add-Vinegar-to-Laundry

I have not put anything in a dryer since 2006. 100% air-dried, indoors and out.

.
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[Curmudgeoness]

6. I often air dry clothes in the summer,

but I don't have a good place in the winter. My basement, where the laundry area is located, is very damp and cold in the winter, so things just don't dry. I think that they would mold before they dried. I have no problems with just using my regular discount laundry detergent, although I will say that some things are stiffer than I like. I never thought that this would be due to the detergent that I am using.

[PennyK]

12. I think you misunderstood

The stiffness is due to the clothes drying on the line, as opposed to being tumbled.

[snacker]

9. I only use my dryer for towels

Everything else air dries---outside if the weather is decent or in our basement if it's too cold. I hang towels out to dry on windy days.

[Handyman John]

10. Always when sunny

If it's not raining I always dry my clothes outside. My dryer causes lots of humidity in my laundry room, so I try to avoid it. I don't use any special detergent only ordinary ones. Also, sun rays are a natural deodorizer and the clothes smell great.

[shraby]

13. When my kids were little, I had no dryer, but did have an automatic washing machine.

I had 4 little ones the oldest was 5. I strung a line in the upstairs hallway outside their bedroom and could get 4 loads of washing on the line and by the next morning they were all dry.
We had a forced air furnace for heat in the winter, and none of the kids ever caught colds, I suppose because of the extra moisture in the air.
Used the outside lines in the summer.

[japple]

14. That is amazing. We have a little "clothes horse" dryer that we use on our screened porch. It

holds a few things, but most of the stuff gets dried on the clothesline year-round. We might have put towels in dryer to thaw/soften for a few minutes in winter and jeans usually need a bit of heat. All-in-all our laundry comes out fresh-smelling and white, white, white.

[840high]

21. Many years ago - we rented a top apartment in a townhouse.

I strung a line in the attic and dried my clothes.

[we can do it]

15. Almost always air dry. Barely use the dryer.

No static, no wrinkles.

[LaydeeBug]

16. I *love* hanging my clothes on the clothesline. They smell *amazing*

Weather doesn't always permit it, and so a dryer is also necessary, but I add a little baking soda to the wash and somehow it *does* something and the clothes smell so good.

I would never live anywhere with an HOA. Or too many gates. lol. I'm not that fancy

[Pool Hall Ace]

17. Good to know about baking soda.

I've gone from living in a community with an HOA to living in an apartment, so still no outdoor clothesline!

[LaydeeBug]

18. buy baking soda in bulk...

it is good for so many household purposes...

[Pool Hall Ace]

19. Available in 5-gallon buckets!

Wow!

But you are right, sooo many uses!

[MADem]

20. Great thread--the good ones last for years!

We have a mini washer we use in summer that spins the hell out of the clothes so they are almost dry by the time they are hung on the line in the yard. You just need to give them a good snap and hang them properly, and Bob's Yer Uncle!