According to the U.S. Department of Energy our clothes dryers are the second largest energy hog in our homes. The Energy Star label of efficient appliances doesn't even bother to label them.
There is a little $5.00 solution to consider.
A clothesline has a few pluses:
1. You can save money and reduce your personal impact on climate change
2. Your clothes will last longer; dryer lint from your clothes is like sawdust from wood, no shrinkage, no static cling, less ironing.
3. Your clothes will smell fresher and the sunlight will bleach and disinfect.
4. Indoor racks can humidify in dry winter weather.
5. No more dryer fire worries (over 18,000 a year in the U.S. alone).
And, I'm not going to get all new age-y on you here, but there is something about the feel of those wet clothes against your arms when you hang them up and the warmth when you take them down that is very grounding - I'm starting to tear up a little bit just thinking about it.
(or maybe I have something in my eye, but you get the picture)
A clothesline has a couple negatives:
1. You can't leave the clothes up for days like you leave them in your dryer
2. It takes a little more time, but not as much as you might think
3. It can be a bit unsightly depending on how crappy your wardrobe is
I have a little clothesline that started out as a yard gym for Olive. It has a rubber donut that dangles from it and she spends hours jumping for that donut and wearing herself out while I work. Now I use it for towels, linens and jeans (I don't use it for everything, but it does save me a few loads a week).
It is also great for beating throw rugs and this is where some real therapy can come in. You can even draw a little picture of your mother-in-law (just as an example not that I have done this) on the back of the rug and the cleaning will be even more therapeutic (this kind of only works if you have kids though).
Hubby - Is that my mom's face on the back of that rug?
Me - Huh?
Hubby- My mom's face drawn on the back of that rug!
Me- *looking confused*
Hubby - Look! *points to back of rug*
Me - *frowning and shaking my head* These kids...
1. Laundry room vinyl lettering by
SingleStoneStudios2. Vintage Washboard from
ShamsandCoverUps3. Vintage Clothespins from
TripleTrouble4. Vegan Laundry Soap by
ShowerTreatSoap5. Dryer Pillow Sheets by
zJayne6. Wool Dryer Balls by
Romeo2Juliet
Some total random awesomeness to get us through the middle of this week. Who can resist English Dept's gorgeous bolero, some amazing recycled eggshell (as in the little chickie's birthplace and not the color) stationary by Nicolas Cheng, Unconventional Ida's amazing world by K. Smith, Cristina Pires' stunning dress made from a vintage 60's fabric, do-it-yourself mix and match felt stools, some genius recycled drawer shelving (have to try this!), and some fun Flip and Tumble shopping bags.
