Dryer vs. Hang Dry

Green Thing #2-

I have been hanging all my clothes to dry for about 4 years.  I live in an apartment and every cycle costs $1 to dry.  I wash about 2-3 loads a week and if I dried those clothes in the dryer it would cost me $104-156 per year.  I do not plan to live in these apartments forever so when I do move into a house I will only buy a washer.  The cost of a nice quality dryer cost $700+, so right off the bat I will save that much money.  I am not sure how much it costs in electricity, but I will be cutting down on that bill too.

The downside is that it is time consuming.  I probably spend 15-20 minutes extra per load.  To save time I have learned a few tricks.

• If it is something I hang-up I put it on a hanger to dry, unless it needs to be flat to dry or is a pair of jeans.
• I take the clothes out of the washer immediately so that they do not wrinkle.  If they stay in the washer I end up ironing and then it is a waste of time and electricity.
• This may sound gross, but if it is not dirty, don’t wash it.  I used to wash my sweaters after each time I wore it even if I did not wear it for long.  Also, I would wear my nicer clothes to go to church or special occasions for just a few hours, those clothes are not really dirty in less you sweat, spill or forget to wear deodorant.  This not only cuts down on laundry but it also saves your clothes, because the washer and dryer put a lot of wear and tear on them.

Another downside is it takes longer to dry.  If you are planning to wash something in the evening and wear it the next morning, you won’t be able to.  I don’t have problem with this anymore because I have learned to plan ahead.  The first few months were the hardest.

The easiest way to hang dry clothes is buying or making a clothing rack for inside so that you can use it all year long rain or shine.  I have had some cheap ones that break after a few months of using.  The best ones will run about $20-50, but they last a really long time. The small one I use is perfect for an apartment and is only $13.99 from Target.