Guess what I got to do yesterday? It’s so exciting when I get to this point in the year! It’s energizing, it’s freeing (because it gives me opportunity to be outside in the sun), and it’s fun!
I got to hang dry some laundry!! I am so excited!! I’m writing this date down: April 4, 2012 in the Pacific Northwest. Admittedly, it was a load made of mostly fleece material which dries super quickly. And it was 40-some degrees (according to JSarr), but at times, the sun was pouring through, it felt warm (I guess it’s all relative). I hope it was not too much of a sore sight for our neighbors the few hours it was up, since it was out front this time.
For whatever reason, hang drying my clothes in the sun is almost not like work to me (okay, it’s a bit of work but not much). It’s the atmosphere of being outside, the time enjoying the limited access to natural vitamin D, the smell of clean laundry. Oh, I don’t know. Anyway, it gives me time outside, and gives the kids some time to play in the cul-de-sac with their bikes.
I don’t hang dry all-year-round. If I was 100% hard core, saving EVERY penny, I might hang dry year round. The thing is, it is some work, especially in the winter, and I hate stinky clean clothes when those darks don’t dry fast enough. Then you have to rewash the stinky clothes that didn’t dry fast enough, and that’s not being a good steward of the resources God has given us, either. So, for many years I have not run the dryer on the warm days that will actually dry the clothes, and I am good with that.
THRIFTY THINKING: Dry a load a week on a drying racking during the warmer months.
Obviously, it will cut down on your electrical bill. My local energy company, the Snohomish County PUD, says by hang drying in the summer you can save about $25. Saving $25 to be out in the sun in the summer? I’ll definitely take it! This is assuming you hang dry 4 loads a week. Many families have way more laundry than that, so these families can save even more! I’d bet I was saving even more than that, because the last two years our dryer was running extremely inefficiently, taking over 90 minutes to dry a normal load. Yikes! Now JSarr and a couple of friends just fixed it (yay), and now it’s taking the normal hour or less than it used to take!!
It’s nice to give your clothes a little break from the dryer, since drying clothes in the dryer can be hard on the clothes. And the sun bleaches the laundry, especially the whites, nicely and naturally.
Over the years we have had a few different clothes drying racks. We had wooden
racks when we first started out which were less than $20. I HIGHLY recommend against buying a wooden drying rack if you are going to hang dry because the wooden ones are so skinny and flimsy, and all of ours have eventually broken. Six and a half years ago we invested in a metal drying rack with much success. It’s still going strong, after a little screw tightening here and there. We have two metal drying racks now. Pay the price, because it’s worth it in the end. They run anywhere from $20-$50.
To save time, I even put some garments on hangers (at least those that we generally hang in the closet). Fleece is perfect for this, and it frees up some precious real estate on the drying rack.
We also don’t limit our hang drying to just the rack. I use the deck rails and our picnic benches if needed, especially when drying sheets, blankets and towels. We have an odd yard which makes using a clothing line nearly impossible, but I do recommend it.
Hang drying is an easy chore to involve the kids. Mine often help hang the laundry, and they often ride their bikes:).
If you have wrinkly damp clothes, it’s best to shake them out, giving them a good whack if needed. Or you could throw them in the dryer after air drying for about five minutes to fluff them up a bit and take away those wrinkles. Sometimes I will even iron a damp shirt straight out of the dryer. When possible I really like to stay on top of the ironing.
So enjoy some sun. Enjoy clean clothes. Enjoy your family. Enjoy saving a little money. Hang dry your clothes, and don’t let yourself stress about it if you don’t do it all the time.
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Sonja
I agree! Hanging it out clothes on lovely spring days doesn’t feel like work. 🙂
Thanks for linking up at Thrifty Thursday. I had no idea hanging clothes saved that much money…. I think I’ll enjoy it even more now!
It’s amazing how much you can save, and if you do it in many areas, it really adds up to big savings! Thanks for visiting!