The Energy Efficient Clothes Line

Before electric dryers, people dried their laundry for free using a good old fashion Clothes Line or whatever they could find to hang the laundry out on. Dryers are incredibly convenient and many now are energy efficient but if you can hang clothes out and dry them the natural way, you can save even more energy and money even if you live in an apartment or flat or have limited space.

Hanging clothes out takes more time and effort than tossing them in the dryer but the energy savings are worth it. Think of hanging laundry as a mini workout/stretching session!

Indoor Lines and Drying Racks

No yard or garden to put up an outdoor line? Raining? Snowing? Limited space? Don't give up yet! Even if you live in an apartment or flat, you can still save energy and money by hanging out the wash. Look for something that can work with your home's layout and the space you have to work with.

Retractable and Camping Lines are very inexpensive and work well for lighter items. Finding a spot to hook them may take some creativity or rearranging but it's worth it. Because you can roll them up or somehow retract them quite easily, you can just take them down when you're not using them.

Wall Mounted Clothes Lines give you lots of room for the laundry and you can mount them indoors or outdoors. Choose a single line or several lines.

Flat Drying Racks work well for sweaters and knits that you don't want to get stretched out or are too delicate to go through the dryer.

Standing Drying Racks don't take up much room and are strong enough for jeans and other heavier clothes. Once the clothes have dried, just fold the rack up and store it away until next time.

Outdoors

For an outdoor line you definitely want something sturdy and that won't rust. Choose a quality material for your climate and check the warranties. The two most popular types are:

Rotary
If you have a space in your yard to dedicate to a clothes line, a rotary one will work. They are called rotary because they spin so you don't have to move around the line as you hang clothes.

Retractable
If you have more limited space or don't want to leave the line up all the time, retractable ones will work well.

Take a look at the yard or garden area and carefully select the most convenient place to put up the line. Once you put it up, you don't want to have to move it!

Don't Forget The
Energy Efficient Washer

Now that you're saving on drying your laundry, make sure you're being energy efficient with your washing too with an Energy Efficient Clothes Washer. The right washer can save energy, water and soap AND wash your clothes more gently.

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