The weekends are usually the craziest days at the GYA household, so instead of being put away when the usual, sane manner, they hung around the house as we rushed in and out of the apartment. However, once I’m finished with this post, it’s off to folding and putting away the end of last week’s laundry.

Let’s hope this week I fare better!

So, our situation thus far:

Pros

• I saved $6.60 on laundry last week from not using the dryers in our apartment’s on-site laundromat. In a year, that’s a $343.20 savings!
• Our clothes still seemed soft (I use a biodegradable, plant-derived fabric softener) and the darks dried darker-looking than usual.

Cons

• Air drying the clothes is taking over my living and dining rooms as well as the closet. Not cool!
• It does take awhile: the jeans took 12 hours to dry indoors while most of the t-shirts and miscellaneous items took 6.

Solution I’ll Try

• I’ve been toying with the idea of purchasing this. It boasts “60 feet of drying space in a small space”. I’m thinking this is perfect for me. If I were to get this, I could hide it in this awkward nook in the vanity area of our bathroom which is out of sight enough I wouldn’t be embarrassed when the neighbor drops by but easy enough to use and fold up.

We’ll see how this week goes as I have yet to line dry our sheets and blankets. That ought to be interesting. In the meanwhile, let me know what you think of this set up and any tips you might have in the comments. Thanks!

Headline photo courtesy of Suat Eman.

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The rules: the first week of each month I’ll name the experiment and how I’ll be trying it. This month is line drying our clothing. Since I don’t have a yard and line drying in sight on our balcony is banned, this will mostly be an indoor experiment. I will update you on the cost, the savings, the hassles, and the ease of line drying and see where it takes us.

To start, I do not have a drying rack like either of these. What I do have is some chairs and a 20-foot cord we used to use to leash the dog at the park. I also have plenty of hangers and a bathroom to hang them in. This may be changing though.

The experiment starts tomorrow in sync with the new laundry routine I’m implementing as seen at Unclutterer (scroll down to #6 to see the schedule). Thank you Erin for your continuous inspiration! In the meanwhile if you have done this before or have questions about the experiment, please share in the comment section and I will be happy to respond.

Image courtesy of ImageAfter.com

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Laundry, to be honest, is a chore I can just never keep up with. It seems that as soon as the weekly wash is done, there is already another pile that needs washing.

But does that have to do with being nice to the environment? PLENTY.

Being in an apartment, you have three typical scenarios you are dealing with: a local laundromat, an apartment complex laundromat or (I’m jealous if you have this) your very own washer and dryer in-apartment. But, believe it or not, my tips will be the same for all these three scenarios!

Newbie
Cost: it will actually save you money!
Time: seconds
Energy to do this: minimal

My tip for you is to get used to doing only full loads of laundry in cold water. Why is this a green tip? First, because there is no need to wash half a load of laundry. Save yourself the trip to the laundromat and the quarters by waiting a few days until you have a full load. Second, by using even warm water in washing and cold in the rinse cycle can save over three times the energy of washing and rinsing with hot water! The best thing is using the cold/cold setting if the washer has it because at least 3/4 of the energy used in any washer is to heat the water – so go colder and your clothes will be just as clean.

Sidenote: I still wash my whites (a full load!) in hot water and rinse in cold water. If you were married to a hockey player, you would too!

Amateur Environmentalist
Cost: about the same amount you would have used on conventional laundry detergents
Time: seconds to decide on the brand you want
Energy to do this: minimal

Switch from the detergents chock-full of petroleum-based (as in OIL), phosphates (water softeners that damage bodies of water) and “optical brighteners” (chemicals to make whites appear whiter which are toxic to aquatic life and not biodegradable) to an eco-friendly, plant-based laundry liquid or powder that will clean your clothes just as well. There are several brands out there – Seventh Generation, Eco-Cover and store brands at your local health food store. The great thing about these liquids in particular is you don’t need to use as much as with conventional detergents and the scents aren’t so nauseatingly perfume-like.

If you are really serious about being more eco-friendly, then consider replacing your older washer and dryer with a newer, Energy Star rated washer and dryer. However, this can be expensive, so if you do not have the budget to replace them, there is still a way to be green and clean without draining your wallet. Consider replacing the older, inefficient parts in your washer and/or dryer. A makeover for these appliances can help them and the resources last longer. General Electric, Kenmore, LG, Whirlpool, Samsung, and Maytag parts are all available for purchase at most hardware and appliance repair centers. A few tools and a do-it-yourself attitude are the only other things you will need for this job.

You can also nix those dryer sheets. Trader Joe’s (my store of choice, next to Henry’s) offer these great little sachets full of lavender. You throw them in the dryer with your clothes and they nix the static, lightly scent the clothes and help repel moths. After the 6 dryer trips I rip open the sachet, pour them over the carpet and vacuum them up 10 minutes later to refreshen the room.

Certified Tree-Hugger
Cost: this will save you money!
Time: actively – 30-45 minutes depending on how many clothes you washed, passively – an extra few hours compared to the dryer
Energy to do this: moderate

Hang-dry your clothes. Yes, it is an extra commitment time-wise, but the sheer energy you save is pretty amazing. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, this is how you calculate this:

(Wattage × Hours Used Per Day ÷ 1000 = Daily Kilowatt-hour (kWh) consumption

A typical clothes dryer is measured at 1800-5000 watts. We’ll take the mean of this for our calculations, guessing at 2 loads of laundry per week done once per week per person.

(3400 Watts × 3 hours/day × 52 days/year) ÷ 1000
= 530.4 kWh × 8.5 cents/kWh
= $45.08/year

I don’t know about you, but that’s one month’s electric bill for my household! That’s a lot of energy to save.

A little tip: I’ve noticed when I hang dry my jeans and sweatshirts, they get a little tough. To correct this, I’ve used 1/2-1 cup of white vinegar in the wash as a natural clothes softener which also helps with color-fastness and odors.

Happy laundering!

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Like the tips but have an even better one? Leave it in a comment!

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