Well it seems half of you are saints when it comes to line-drying your clothes, some of you swing with the seasons and the remainder have shares in your local electricity provider.
Here are the results of my "How do you Dry?" poll:
- Always, or 90%, on the clothesline: 50%I like to think I use the clothesline, but if I'm totally honest, the dryer: 19%Aways, or 90% use the dryer: 15%A bit of both, depending on the weather: 15%
No-one sends their clothes to a commercial laundry (although this can be a good idea sometimes, check out this article), and thankfully everyone says they do actually wash their clothes (obviously no uni share house people read this blog).
So, how am I going on my challenge NOT to use the dryer? Fine. Really.
Despite raining for the first 8 days of the challenge I've managed to dry all our clothes, including sheets, towels and after one incident, a woollen blanket, with little fuss. The clothes were hung on hangers and clotheshorses and placed near heating vents, or in sunny rooms near a window. I did not use additional electricity nor did I put the heating on for any longer than normal (our system is on a timer to come on for part of the evening).
The EasternMax Residence's most excellent non-electrical drying method
Drying took no longer than it would've to line up the clothes for the dryer and I found that fewer items needed ironing as the wrinkles 'hung' out. I am definitely more aware of how much laundry this family has and have taken steps to reduce it.
I'm told that it takes 21 days to change a habit. So I will continue this challenge for 21 days and see how it goes.
13 comments:
As you seem to be doing such a good job changing your habits I am happy to send my laudndry to you as well.
Nice rack you have there ;)
I definitely I find that we go into washing minimisation mode at about this time of year.
(aka Mrs Washalot)
I haffta ask... did you get any 'crunchy' laundry? I find if I dry my clothes without movement - wind or air - I get crunchy clothes.
Or maybe I am weird...
Alice: No crunchy clothes here. If anything they seem softer than if they were line-dried outside. But perhaps that's because I'm drying them over gas-ducted heat vents which circulate hot hair... Besides, I quite like crunchy clothes. I'm weird like that :-)
I meant to say, I like your new banner. The feet look great with the text.
(I should be doing so much more than reading and writing blogs...)
Well there you are rack drying and here was me using my dryer for the first time in a year, to finish off the nearly dry towels. I decided they couldn't be accommodated on a rack! Good luck with your new good habit.
I'm impressed! You're inspiring me to do better here. It's summer, why shouldn't I take advantage of the extreme heat and scorching sunshine blasting down on us? Of course, it's hot enough I think even the clothes could start sweating.
Good on you!
The only thing I've put in the dryer for weeks and weeks was the mattress protector off Lily's bed, which I washed in readiness for her return from college on Saturday night (yay!). It has to be bone-dry before I'll put it on the bed, so once I'd dried it outside in teh sun, I gave it 15 minutes in the dryer. Which will also soften sun-dried towels, if you don't like them scratchy. But don't put those softening sheets in with them or they'll lose absorbency.
OMG. That's enough! I'm writing a domestic manual for my son who's leaving home in August and can't even change a toilet roll, so I'm full of handy hints ... it's not good.
I'm going to have to out myself as a dryer addict. I can't stand having multiple racks festooning the house, and my outside line is not well located for drying at this time of year. I do have one large rack which I move from place to place to catch sun and/or heating duct airflow...but that's my limit. I would find it extremely difficult to go 13 days with no dryer usage.
My name is Fairlie...and I'm a dryer-aholic.
Twenty-one days without a dryer in the winter - you deserve a sainthood!
I too love your new blog header, they are lovely shoes and the colour looks great - although I'm sure a blog or two ago I heard of a cowboy boot purchase, perhaps even more wild west?
I line-dry 100% of the time.
I am terrified of buying a drier lest i abuse it and become dependent on it .. although I admit one would be handy at times.
And liek Janet - I definitely go into minimisation mode - I hate hate hate racks inside ..
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