Several years ago I bought an umbrella outdoor clothes dryer that looks something like this. I wanted this model because it reminded me of my grandmother. She had something very similar and as I child, I used to love to help her hang the clothes outside. We put ours up when it gets warm enough to dry clothes and take it down in the fall. Once the dryer is up, the only time I don’t use it is when I think I’m feeling rushed.
This summer I plan to slow down if I start to use the indoor dryer instead of the umbrella dryer. Along with my purse becoming a hot mess, hearing our electric dryer run will be a sign that I am too busy for my own good!
Yoga Journal recently published an article about clotheslines. Evidently, they are banned in over 300,000 private communities in the United States for safety and liability issues along with the fact that they threaten property values. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, indoor clothes dryers cause more than 15,000 fires, 15 deaths and 400 injuries. Maybe, we are banning the wrong drying method!
Luckily, my neighborhood is outdoor clothesline friendly so I can enjoy the following benefits:
- A smaller electric bill – At least 6% of a homes electricity consumption comes from a clothes dryer.
- Take a vitamin – Spending time in the sun hanging clothes is a simple, natural way to get your Vitamin D.
- Naturally fresher smelling clothes – Instead of using “fresh air” artificially smelling detergents, you can enjoy the real thing.
- Timing – You don’t have to stay home while the dryer is “running” or come home on time to grab your clothes before they wrinkle.
- The gently cycle = Clothes last longer because they don’t get overheated.
- Yoga class – Ok, you might not get a full on yoga class while hanging your clothes, but you will get some exercise, fresh air and time to breathe.
and a few more from Project Laundry List…
- Sunlight bleaches and disinfects
- Indoor racks can humidify in dry winter weather
- Conserve energy and the environment, while reducing climate change
Consider hanging a clothesline outside or indoors and let me know if you experience any of these positive changes.