Air Drying Laundry: Save Time, Space and Money

No frugal handbook is complete without advice to stop using your clothes dryer and start air drying your laundry. Now with a renewed focus on the environment, many people are choosing to hang dry laundry for altruistic reasons. Making laundry hanging a part of your regular routine can seem like a daunting task. Here are some tips to make the transition smoother.

Save Time

Hanging laundry is not any more complicated than throwing a load in the dryer, though it is more time consuming. Besides actual hanging time, the most time consuming aspect is wrinkling. Nobody wants the added chore of ironing. Save time by hanging a load as soon as the washing cycle is complete. Damp laundry that sits in the washer for an hour our more will have more wrinkles than laundry immediately hung. If any clothing consistently needs ironing after being line dried, consider doing a small load of dryer-only clothes weekly.

Save Space

Outdoor laundry hanging is generally space friendly. Two to three loads per day can fit on most clotheslines. Indoor hanging can take over your house if you let it. Buy a few, good quality wooden racks and consider buying a folding metal rack. The metal racks hold an entire load of laundry, and sometimes more. Shirts can be put on hangers and hung from the shower curtain rod. Save large items, like sheets and blankets, for days when you can hang laundry outdoors. If this is not possible, consider hanging sheets over the backs of doors.

Save Money

It's no secret that hanging laundry to dry is a fantastic way to save money on your electric bill each month. Eliminating or cutting back on the use of the dryer can save as much as $50.00 a month in some areas. Not having to buy dryer sheets will also save you a few dollars a month. While outdoor clothesline and clothespins are inexpensive, indoor drying racks can be pricey. Save money by searching garage sales for gently used racks. If you buy new racks, don't forget that after a month or two, the racks will have paid for themselves in lower energy bills.

Forgive Yourself

With any change in routine comes resistance. Sure, you want to hang your laundry for the environment or for your checkbook balance, but sometimes it's a hassle. So, use your dryer when you really don't have the time or inclination to hang laundry. The important thing is that you are making small changes that will, eventually, have a big impact. Even committing to air dry one load of laundry a week will cut down on your electric bill and have a modest environmental impact.