Saving money may be the best reason to ditch the dryer. But there are others.
By: Steve Brannan - August 1st, 2007
As we all think more “green”, we become more conscious of how our daily habits affect the planet we share with all other living beings. For instance, once you become “conscious” of the life of a spider and learn to appreciate all the good these creatures bring with them to your home’s environment, you become aware that killing it will affect many things. But you don’t want a house full of spiders and their webs. So do you kill the spider or do you capture it and move it outdoors? Life has just become a little more complicated, but you have started to “awaken” to your true impact on this planet.
Okay, enough enlightenment for today. Let’s get back to why you should consider ditching the dryer – or at least easing up on its use. First, let’s look at that great motivator -— saving money.
Start with your clothing bill. Nothing wears out clothes faster than a dryer, (other than active kids, that it). Where do you think all that lint comes from? The abrasive action of clothes rubbing together, and the high temperatures, weaken the fibers in the fabric.
High drying temperatures will also fade colours. 
If you hang your clothes to dry, colours stay as bright as the day they came home, as long as you use the recommended washing temperature and detergents. My wife has a bright orange hoodie that’s over three years old now. It’s never been near the dryer and it still looks brand new.
It’s true that fabrics can be a little “stiff” if they are hung on a line but they loosen up pretty fast. If you have to, you can soften them up by tumbling them briefly on a “no heat” setting with a couple of tennis balls tossed in to break things up a bit.
Stains are less of a problem with line-dried laundry. Once stained clothing makes it from the washer into the dryer, it’s game over. The stain gets “baked in” and you’ve lost another garment, unless you can talk the kids into wearing it again. Hanging your laundry won’t “set” a stain and it gives you a second chance to get it out. I often use my Miele front load washer’s extended or soak cycles to wash badly stained clothing for five to six hours. You would be amazed at how well it works to remove “permanent” stains.
Line drying indoors helps humidify your home in the winter. I put a clothes line in my furnace room. There, damp clothes from the washer dry overnight. Sure the towels are a little stiff, but we all got used to that pretty fast. (Remember the tennis ball trick.) This set-up has allowed me to remove the humidifier from my furnace room, which means I’m saving water and electricity all winter long.
Line drying also eliminates “shrinkage” (Man, I loved that Seinfeld episode!) Clothing that is hung to dry won’t shrink. So you don’t have to worry about buying everything two sizes too big. And you won’t have to remember to hang special items to dry because you’re hanging it all. The dryer will only be used for emergencies, like when the kids’ snow pants are soaking wet and need to be ready for the next morning.
But the best thing about hanging up your laundry? It slows you down, and whether you realize it or not, you need to slow down. We all do. For me, hanging laundry is a meditative experience. I don’t have to do anything but hang and pin. My body bends and stretches, there is quality of work and order in my life. My actions are both meaningless and meaningful at the same time. I am at piece as I take pleasure in the completion of a simple task. I am one with my laundry.
It is nice to see an article on line drying. Major problem is that many communities (newer ones) now forbid or have a by-law banning hanging your clothes outside. This is really silly since you usually hang your clothes in the back yard. Maybe these communities should be banning gas or electric lawn mowers & get back to the old push mowers — that would be a lot of work for many. How about banning BQs? Getting back to basics would save more than just money.