Would you like to save money and energy in the laundry room with a clothes drying rack? Do you homestead in an HOA where an outdoor clothesline is not allowed? How does line drying compare to using a dryer?
We answer those questions and give you seven reasons for using a clothes drying rack even if you’re still using an electric dryer.
Clothes Drying Racks to Dryers
Before we begin, I’m not going to lecture you on getting rid of your electric dryer. It’s your dryer! Do what you need to do to get through the laundry each week!
Having said that, however, if you’re interested in some energy efficient methods of drying your laundry, I’m happy to chat. This article outlines 7 reasons you may want to consider using a clothes drying rack every week for the laundry. Before we share those, here are some topics to consider as you think about drying racks.
- A clothes drying rack is often meant to be moved around, indoors or outdoors, depending on where you need it.
- There are also wall-mount drying racks that can reduce in size when not in use; these are especially good for small spaces like apartments.
- Clothes drying racks are particularly handy when the weather is wet and you need to do your hang drying inside.
- They are also great for people who live in apartments, where they have little to no outdoor space in which to hang clothes.
- If you’re using a clothes drying rack outdoors, you will need clothespins.
- Permanent clotheslines can be set up indoors or outside if you need more drying space than your clothes drying rack can afford.
- A seasonal or temporary clothesline can be hung inside using a piece of rope and some sturdy hooks – we’ve done that before!
If you want to air dry in smaller spaces and still be able to do it indoors in poor weather, a clothes drying rack is an essential tool to have.
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Let’s take these points one at a time and figure out what we can do about them. Some of us want to stop using our electric dryers completely. Others of us would like some kind of in-between solution. No worries, we’ll figure this out.
Having said all that, without further ado, here are 7 reasons to consider using a clothes drying week for the laundry week.
#1 Money Savings with a Clothes Drying Rack
The actual amount of money and energy saved varies depending on several factors like:
- what brand of dryer you’re using
- whether it’s electric or uses some other kind of fuel like gas
- how often you run it
An electric dryer can use 769 kwh of energy, according to Energy Star. That’s compared to 206 kwh used by your dishwasher, and 590 kwh used by your clothes washer.
Bottom line, saving energy in any amount is great but it’s typically less than a dollar per load in cash savings.
There are several factors to consider when using a dryer:
- The heat from a dryer can be hard on your clothes, especially over time
- A dryer sucks energy from the wall, even if it’s not in use
- Stains are set in a dryer’s heat
- A dryer can have a large initial cost, and then requires maintenance and power over time
- Forgotten clothes in a dryer will wrinkle
#2 Heat and Harshness
In order to dry a load of laundry in a decent amount of time (usually an hour), the dryer needs to reach a high enough temperature. This can cause your clothes to wear out quicker since extreme heat can erode the fibers. Certain fabrics degrade in the dryer quicker than others. Elastic banding is particularly vulnerable – be careful with your bras, ladies.
Line drying uses air and solar power to dry your clothing. Unless your rack or line is placed in the direct sun for hours and hours on end, the drying rack can be gentler on your fabrics. My current stationary line is positioned to get morning sun and then be in shade by the intense heat of the late afternoon.
I do have to be sure to bring the clothes in promptly to avoid bleaching, especially during the summer. The sun’s ability to bleach can come in handy though – keep reading.
#3 Using Both an Electric Dryer and Clothes Drying Rack
For the best of both worlds, line dry your clothes for the bulk of their drying period. Then toss them in the dryer for the last few minutes to save at least some energy and money.
- If you suffer from seasonal pollen or dust allergies, some time in the dryer can be just the thing to “shake out” your clothes.
- When the stiffness of line-dried clothing bothers you, a few minutes in the dryer can soften up your fabrics.
If you’re a line drying purist, get used to the stiffness of line-dried clothes and learn to love it. I’m a geek about this line drying thing and I actually love the stiffness – even in my towels. I’m so weird.
As far as allergies go, we live in the country now and are surrounded by dust a pollen of every kind. I give each article of clothing a good shake before I bring it in to remove pollen and ticks.
Be aware that, in the summer, using your dryer will increase the need for your air conditioner if your laundry room is in your house – that’s definitely a cost to be reckoned.
FYI, your lint trap catches a goodly amount of the fibers that come off your clothes in the dryer but don’t throw them away – make these upcycled firestarters instead.
#4 Unplug
From phantom load to the EPA, how much energy the dryer sucks from the wall when not in use is a very interesting bedtime story. Do your own homework but the research seems to indicate that, if you have appliances, it’s wise to unplug them when they’re not in use. The reason for this is that they draw a bit of energy even when not being used.
The technology and the government regulation change so often! Keeping on top of it all can get time consuming, so an easy solution is just to unplug when you’re not using an appliance. That’s not to say that you need to get rid of your dryer altogether, if you don’t want to. Just be aware of how it functions, and read up on it’s energy use before you purchase, especially if you’re buying new.
Here’s some guidance on that by Energy Star – click here.
A clothes drying wrack doesn’t require any electricity to run.
#5 Dryer Stains
No matter how many times you:
- tell your kids you’re not a laundress
- show them how to use the stain remover
You inevitably end up with stains that make it through the wash. I often miss those sneaky stains which means that if I use the dryer, I end up setting them in the heat.
You can dry everything on low heat to mitigate stain setting, of course. This will also cut down on the amount of abuse your clothes take from the dryer, too. However, low heat takes a lot longer to dry a load. So much longer, in fact, that it’s more practical to simply line dry your clothes.
If you have stains that make it through the wash, they’re much easier to spot as you hang each article to dry and it’s a simple matter to use the sun to bleach them out.
- Use your clothes drying rack and pin the piece of clothing in place so that the stain is exposed to the sun as much as possible.
- Depending on the type of stain, the intensity of the suns rays (which varies according to time of year and your elevation) this can take anywhere from an hour to a few days.
- This method is only advised for white clothing, of course – the sun is as indiscriminate in it’s whitening as is chlorine bleach.
#6 Cost
Forgetaboutit! Seriously, there’s no comparison here, especially over time.
A simple clothes drying rack can run you about twenty dollars. There are more expensive versions, of course, especially if you’d like a sturdy one made from wood.
A commercial dryer, brand new, will be upwards of several hundred dollars to over a thousand. You can buy them used and save a lot of initial cash but you’ll always have upkeep to pay for, plus the energy to use it every week.
Bottom line, the sun is free and line drying set ups are very affordable.
#7 Forgotten Clothes
I wish I had back the many hours of my life that I have spent re-dampening and re-drying loads of laundry that I have forgotten, wrinkled and disheveled in the dryer. Apart from the texture and wear on our clothes, this is the part about using a dryer that I really dislike the most.
Back when I used a dryer all the time, I was constantly forgetting laundry. Out of sight, out of mind for me! I’m too busy to remember to check the dryer. Because they’re hidden away, I forget about the clothes.
With a clothesline, and especially a clothes drying rack, the laundry is right in front of me all day. So, I can’t forget it very often. I’m not going to lie, I have forgotten it overnight before. But, when I do, the laundry doesn’t wrinkle while it waits for me.
In fact, I hardly ever have to iron anything because I can hang the wet clothes to dry into a nicely crisp, flat position. The air-dried stiffness provides a starched look, too. Sometimes I’ll encounter particularly wrinkle-loving fabrics that will require a hot iron. However, that doesn’t happen as often as it used to when I was constantly forgetting my laundry in the dryer.
If You Love the Dryer
If you love your dryer and want to keep using it, just unplug between uses to reduce energy consumption. Try using a lower heat setting to save energy and cost. Get a clothes drying rack and try hanging out your lingerie and other delicate items.
If you’re interested in the whole line drying thing but aren’t sure about it yet, get a clothes drying rack. Start using it for dishtowels while you start researching designs for a do-it-yourself clothesline.
If you don’t want to invest in a clothes drying rack yet, start throwing your wet jeans over patio chairs or your grape trellising, like we did for a long time.
When you really start to enjoy line drying, invest in some good clothespins because you’re crossing over into this DIY activity. You may as well have the right equipment.
Off Grid Laundry Experiences
As I interviewed dozens of homesteaders of various sorts doing research for my book, The Do It Yourself Homestead, I discovered that I’m not the only one to geek out over line drying.
It seems to be a universally pleasing way to cut back on energy consumption, and save some money by avoiding the use of a dryer. People across the board talk about how pleasant it can be to get everything hung, especially if there’s a light breeze and your children are frolicking in the distance. For more idyllic and practical homesteading information, be sure to check out the book below:
The Aspiring Illustrator says
Oh, we’re always using our drying rack here. Best way to process laundry. 🙂
Homestead Lady says
Glad to meet a fellow drying rack sister! I really do need to figure out a good place in the house to put in a line for winter but, until then, I think I’m just going to get another rack.
Rebecca says
This is something I really want to start doing! Good information!
Homestead Lady says
Let me know what you think when you finally take the plunge, Rebecca. Thanks for stopping by!
Jeannette Olton says
I have a small wooden rack that is not very sturdy. I would love to have an Ohuhu rack for drying heavy towels and jeans!
Homestead Lady says
Seriously, this thing looks like the Mac Daddy of laundry drying racks. Good luck!
Christina S. says
Any way I can :). hanging the laundry, gardening(drying herbs), drying homemade pasta, poolside,etc.
Homestead Lady says
Pasta! Christina, you’re a genius! I was just thinking the other day about what I can hang my pasta on – what a blessing you’ve been to me today. Thank you!
Elizabeth says
I have a clothes line in my yard, but bc I live in a duplex, I never feel as if I have quite enough room! I love this idea!
Homestead Lady says
I hear ya, Elizabeth! My tack gives me versatility indoors, too, especially in the winter. I need another one…
pilar roy says
For drying clothes! lol But really, I would use it on my porch to dry clothes.
Homestead Lady says
That makes total sense! 🙂 Good luck!
Kim says
I usually dry laundry outdoors in the summer. In the winter months, I toss wet items into the dryer for 20 minutes, put each damp item onto a plastic hanger, and then hang each hanger between the rungs of a wire shelf. If I do more than one load per day, I run out of hanging space and resort to using cabinet knobs and open drawers to handle the extra laundry. An Ohuhu drying rack would not only neaten the appearance of my laundry room, but it would also provide better air flow so that laundry would dry more quickly.
Homestead Lady says
I know what you mean, Kim, I end up with clothes hanging all over the house and we bump into them all the time during the winter. This rack is pretty slick, alright. Good luck!
Amy Hoyt says
We have a wood burner in our front room, and I’ve always used our small drying rack to do a half load of laundry on it. It would be wonderful to actually be able to do hang an entire load at one time!
Homestead Lady says
What a great way to multi-task that stove – good luck!
Chris says
I’ve got two wooden clothes drying racks that have been through cloth diapers for 3 babies, towels, and work jeans for 32 years. In winter I set them up near the woodstove and they add needed humidity to the air as they dry our clothes. Each one will hold a full load of wash, if I fold the clothes just right when I put them on the rack.
They are made of thick maple or birch wood. I had a rack with thinner wood that broke, but these heavy ones have held up well. And they fold down and can be slid behind the woodstove when not in use.
I don’t always use the racks but they’ve paid for themselves 100 times over. I think my initial investment was about $20 each, back in the 1980s. Definitely worth it. If they ever broke, I’d be replacing them.
Homestead Lady says
Absolutely worth every penny! I’d like to find some sturdy wooden ones but I doubt I’d be paying 80’s prices. 🙂
Jan V. says
Hahaha….love all this info but sounds like most everyone here lives somewhat traditionally, setting up indoor clotheslines and having some spare footage space for the nifty clothes racks. I do have one of the old wood dowel ones but my inclement weather drying is done in one of our 3 RV’s….. yep, ya heard me right.
This last November we moved off grid onto our 36 acres and everything is RV living…..but we do have 3 kitchens, 3 bathrooms, a guests room and our little RV we take camping.
But I digress…..indoor, inclement weather, clothes drying is in our smaller RV with lines s zigzaging all over. Our “house” RV bathroom has a small clothesline in the shower…. inclement weather finds us using a ton of hangers.
BTW, those clothes racks you show, those were being used in Korea (a lot of apts. there) back in the early ’80’s. Had I known we were going to be going off grid, we would have bought some in ’99 when we were last there.
Thank you for your posts
Jan V.
Homestead Lady says
What an adventure, Jan! What are your thirty six acres like – woods, pasture, water? How fun!
You can get the racks I showed at Ikea, if Korea is too far to go.
Thanks for stopping by!
Beth says
I just found this article and found it so relevant. I want to set up a clothes line in my basement (where the machines are). Our dryer is horribly inefficient but setting it up outside just isn’t practical. All the wet clothes would freeze into a solid mass within minutes. Do you have any tips or considerations regarding where to set up a permanent line indoors?
Homestead Lady says
We’re just working on that in our new (to us) house, Beth! You mentioned freezing so I’m thinking you have cold winters. I’ve read articles that say that your clothes will dry even if they freeze but that seems like more work than I want to do since you still need to thaw them out. You may want to investigate that more, though, if you live where it’s truly cold. For indoors, we’re going to be using our rack next to the fire place and purchase another because of how much laundry I do every week. We don’t have central heat but, if we did, I might install a permanent retractable line in the laundry room – the reviews on these lines are really bad, though. Here’s an accordion dryer that looks decent. I saw a really huge, wooden laundry rack somewhere – I think maybe on Kendra Lynn’s site, http://www.newlifeonahomestead.com. I don’t think her family makes them, I think they just advertise for someone who does.
I’m glad you asked because now I’m finally really thinking about what we’re going to do in this new house now that it’s winter. So, no, I don’t have any good advice for you – just random thoughts of my own. Let me know if you find a fantastic solution…:)