10 simple ways not to use your electric dryer, save power and $$ and maybe someone’s lungs.




My friend Amory Lovins at the Rocky Mountain Institute says that using electricity to make heat is about as efficient as using a chainsaw to cut butter. Most of our home dryers use electricity to produce heat, and 50% of our electricity comes from coal—the worst fuel known to man. Every year about 30,000 people in the USA die as a result of coal mining, use, and pollution. So, unless you are on renewables or nuclear, think: electricity = coal = bad.

Here are 10 simple ways not to use your electric dryer, save power and $$ and maybe someone’s lungs.

1. Line ‘em up and let ‘em hang out to dry. Outdoors lines in backyards or balconies are a great way to get clothes smelling fresh and dry on natural sunshine. Use durable clothes pins—reuse old wooden ones or recycled plastic to secure them.
   
   
   
2. Rack ‘em up. Indoors you can hang your clothes on a folding rack or retractable line. Humidifies the house in winter—so you won’t need to buy and run a humidifier either. 
   
   
   
3. Give them short shrift. For items that may wrinkle, tumble dry for just 5-10 minutes to get the creases out, then line dry—less to iron.
4. Take ‘em for a spin – when you must use your dryer (we have 8 year old twins and line drying is often not an option)—make sure they are as dry as possible before you put ‘em in the dryer. Running ‘em through an extra spin cycle doesn’t use much juice on one end but saves a lot on the other.
   
   
   
5. Eco-Efficiency. Clean your lint filter before every use—increases efficiency and reduces fire hazard. Do moderately full loads—overloading just takes more drying time. Dry heavy stuff separately from light stuff like sheets—they’ll both dry better and faster.
   
   
   
6. Drying Takes Balls! Make and use wool “dryer balls” These balls keep clothes bouncing and flying around in the dryer drum instead of sticking to the sides or each other—the improved airflow will dry the clothes faster and more efficiently. You can use scrap yarn for this- the clothes don’t care what color the dryer balls are—it’s dark in there anyway. You can find a DIY on wool dryer balls here or you can buy some here.
7. Get in the Rhythm. Time your loads during the week and save your weekends. Treat your washer like your dishwasher. When you’ve got a load of wash, do it at night right before bed. Then hang that load on the line to dry while at work or school. Bring ‘em in in the evening and fold ‘em while you watch TV, or better yet, sing and converse with your family. You are using electricity and water at non peak times for washing, and no electricity for drying.
   
   
   
8. Rugs and Rags Get Special Treatment. Never put rugs or rags in the dryer put them over the back balcony, porch rail or door to dry- usually takes less than 24 hours.
9. Wear it Again, Sam. Can you get another wear out that sweater, those slacks? Definitely do your undies every day, but leave outer clothes until they are soiled, stained or sweaty. If it hasn’t been washed, it doesn’t have to be dried.
   
   
   
10. Time is Money – and Waste. When you do put your load in the dryer, do you set the timer automatically or arbitrarily? What if you set it for ten minutes less? Newer dryers usually have a dryness setting that lets you chose the right amount of time for a given load. Try choosing less time and see what happens. You can always add more time later if you need to.