So did the benefits add up? Was all the effort of line drying worth it?
Meh.
First of all, after being ill last week and laundry piling up despite my new laundry schedule, I cheated.
Yes, O Internet, I cheated. I so cheated! I used the dryer not for one load but for six loads of laundry. I just couldn’t handle a day or two of line drying the clothes taking over my living space, especially since I had six loads of laundry to dry. I just couldn’t do it again! And while those set-ups to line dry clothing are nice, I’m currently in getting-out-0f-debt mode, which means every spare dollar is headed toward that.
Is it possible?
Yes. Easily done for an apartment-dweller? Well, not so much. Like I said before, it must be a planned effort to not interfere with living spaces and the rest of your routine.
Is it worth it?
If you can manage, then definitely – the sure positives of this experiment where the laundromat savings and the energy savings.
The bottom line
Only do this if you have the time and can coordinate line drying your clothes to not interfere with your life. Otherwise, only wash what is truly dirty and use the dryer only when necessary.
Image courtesy of Michelle Meiklejohn.
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I’ve been doing this for about two years now in fairly small apartments. Admittedly, it’s just me and I’m know as that “crazy eco guy” by my friends so it’s no big deal for them to see it sitting out. I do three loads of laundry a week and each one dries for 24 hours (not that that long is usually necessary, but I tend to hang one evening, then put away the next after work). I use a drying rack like the one featured in your first post on the subject. There is definitely an adjustment period, but the savings in energy and clothing costs, will keep me from ever going back.
Since this post I’ve actually come to line dry about 1/3 of our stuff. We live in a bigger apartment now, which means this would be less hindering to our lifestyle. Maybe this experiment deserves an update!