Blowing In the Wind: The Smart Way to Dry Your Clothes
The other day I was at Walmart, doing one of my favorite things which is judging what other people are putting on the checkout belt. There was an old guy in front of me, and I saw he had a pack of air fresheners with the scent “Clean laundry” with a picture on it of a white shirt hanging on a clothesline waving in the breeze.
I thought, how weird is that? We live in New Mexico where the sun shines 280 days out of the year. He could hang his clothes out and get the same smell for free.
Do you hang your laundry?
Yes, it takes more time than tossing it directly into the dryer. But hanging your clothes is cheaper, is better for your clothes, and is better for you.
The Energy savings
According to “Saving Electricity” website, the average dryer uses 3.3 kilowatt hours of energy. PNM charges 9 cents per kilowatt hour. A small load of clothes takes about 45 minutes in the dryer, so the cost of that load is 30 cents.
Your time alone is worth more than 30 cents, so that’s a non-starter economically. But since I enjoy hanging laundry, it’s an easy way to cut down a little on your carbon footprint.
Better for your clothes
Besides using electricity, clothes dryers toss your clothes around. When clothes rub up against each other, this causes wear.
- The lint that comes out of the clothes dryer is graphic evidence of your clothes wearing out
- Dryers shrink your clothes twice as much as hanging
- The dryer heat also affects elastic
- Tumble drying causes microscopic damage, making your clothes more likely to tear
- UV light can reduce or remove stains and also kills bacteria
Bring mindfulness to your clothes drying
I look at clothes hanging as an opportunity to take a break in the day, go outside, look at the sun, breathe some fresh air. Lately I have also used it to do a kind of yoga-stretch. Allow me to demonstrate.
- I reach down to get the clothes from the washer and carry the basket out to the line.
- Part of the sun salutation: exhale forward fold. Get the clothes out of the basket
- Shake out your clothes.
- Put your arms all the way up.
Being outdoors gives me time to think. I can work on my Toastmaster speeches.
I don’t get enough time outside, and hanging laundry not only gets me outside, it also makes me pay attention to the weather and the sun, and makes me grateful for the drying qualities of our desert air.
Conclusion
Hang your laundry! It doesn’t take much more time than tossing it in the dryer. It saves money, your clothes will last longer, and can keep you in shape both physically and mentally. And you will never have to spend money on line-dried-laundry-scented air fresheners.