So how much money are you really saving? Well if your average electricity rate is at 15 cents per kilowatt-hour, it averages out to about 50 cents per drying load. Average four loads of laundry per week, and you're looking at just over $100 in savings per year.
Clotheslines save energy: Hanging your clothes on a clothesline is a simple way to save energy. Appliances account for 13.6% of your total household energy use and cost. Skipping the dryer, especially during spring, summer and fall, helps keep that money in your pocket.
Not only will you save money on your energy bill, but you'll also be doing your part to reduce your carbon footprint and support a more sustainable lifestyle. Plus, you can potentially save anywhere from $256 to $590 per year by simply making the switch from clothes dryers to a clothesline.
Energy savings
So, what does that 7–8% of residential electricity usage look like in numbers we can understand? Every time we hang dry our clothes, we keep the energy equivalent of three pounds of coal in the ground.
The Cost of Drying Clothes
According to the cost calculator on this website, it's about $0.49 a load for me to dry clothes in the U.S. at $0.12 per kilowatt hour. So, that's about $82.00 per year.
How much does it cost to run a tumble dryer for an hour? According to Heatable, a 2500W tumble dryer costs about 85p to use for an hour. However, the tumble dryer cost per hour depends on the energy efficiency rating of your tumble dryer and the cost of energy at the time.
Turning down your laundry temperature can save up to 60% of the energy used in every wash, showing that every degree really does make a difference.
Be thoughtful about how you dry
“For lots of clothing, it's not recommended to use the dryer,” she says. “It's only line drying.” To help maintain shape and avoid wrinkles, how you hang things up matters, experts say.
To get the most out of drying your clothes, start by hanging them on a drying rack or line. Then, every few hours, turn the clothes over to ensure they dry evenly. This simple technique will help speed up the drying process and keep your clothes looking their best in no time!
Gas dryers heat up more quickly and generate a higher overall heat output, which is why they are more efficient. In many areas, natural gas and propane are cheaper than electricity, saving approximately half the cost to dry a load compared to an electric dryer.
Run full loads: save up your laundry to run a full load every two days, rather than a half load every day. Wash on cold: you'll get pretty much the same cleaning power from a cold wash as a warm wash, but it'll use less electricity. Switch detergents: consider switching to a cheaper laundry detergent.
Step 1: Choose a location
It is also good to install the clothesline away from high-traffic areas in your yard where children and pets play. For privacy's sake, choose an area of your yard that has the least visibility to neighbors and passersby.
Proctor & Gamble found that the average family washed 300 to 390 loads a year, spending $180 to $600 per year on detergent. This same study found that the average American household spends at least $1,500 yearly on laundry. Aside from the time (182 hours annually), what could you do with an extra $1,500?
Hang drying can be a safe-guard against these high-heat problems. Kelly Love, co-founder of Branch Basics, also credits hang drying with addressing other pesky laundry pain points, like static cling. “I always air dry any synthetic clothing or fabrics to avoid static that can develop in the dryer,” she says.
Your dryer uses heat to get your clothes dry, but it shouldn't make your home feel warmer. If you've noticed that your home gets hotter when your dryer is on, that means it's time to clean the vents. Learn more about dryer hazards that can occur when you have clogged vents and how you can prevent these from happening.
If you ask an older person what their parents and grandparents did before dryers were common in households, they'll likely tell you that they didn't do anything differently – they just hung their clothes outside to dry, even when it's cold outside. Even if it's below freezing outside, you get the same result.
Your clothes will last longer, maintain their elasticity, retain their color, and keep their shape if you keep them out of the high heat and mechanical action of a dryer. There is nothing more gentle than fresh air.
Air-drying also prevents laundry mishaps: If you hang-dry, it's much harder to accidentally shrink a garment or to set in a stain permanently. Best of all, for anyone with a penchant for the color black: Air-drying keeps your blacks and other darks, like deep indigo denim, looking their best much longer.
Hang your jeans up to air dry or use a no heat cycle
Exposing your jeans to direct heat in the dryer can shrink, fade or yellow denim, and it can also cause damage to stretch denim fabrics that contain spandex or Lycra.
For a load of laundry that was spun in a washing machine, and hung indoors in average conditions, the "easy" items will be dry in about 5 hours, and the "difficult" items will finish in about 9 hours.
Towels should be washed in the warmest water appropriate for the fabric according to the care label. Generally, warm or hot water is recommended for washing towels. Use a cycle specifically for towels or a normal/regular cycle.
Wash with the hottest water temperature setting listed on the care label. Polyester blends are best washed using warm water, while cotton can toleratehot water. Hotter water kills most germs and also takes care of dust mites that thrive in bedding. Wash at least once every other week.
Similarly, the cost of electricity to run a washing machine and dryer can vary depending on the cost of electricity in your area, but it can range anywhere from $0.25 to $0.75 per load. Another expense to consider when doing laundry at home is the cost of a washing machine and dryer cost.