I'll have to figure out what kind of drying rack to get.  I think I'll end up doing it in the garage since I have wood floors in the rest of the house.  (The washing machine is out there anyway.)

It's interesting that it costs as much to dry it at home as it does to pay at the coin laundry.  Because I have a small washer and the set-up here is annoying--I can only wash a few loads at a time or it overloads the septic system--I actually sometimes miss going to the laundromat!  We don't have a nice one here, but in the last city where I lived there was an especially nice one by a park and in 1 1/2 hours I could get six to ten loads of laundry done while sitting in the park paying my bills.  Now it takes 30 minutes to wash and 20 minutes to an hour to dry so I'm always running back and forth leaping over the drain that floods every time the rinse water leaves the washer.  I feel like I'm in an episode of Lucy!

Mimi:

I feel like I'm in an episode of Lucy!

Life wouldnt be dull at least!

We have a gas dryer, and I don't know how much I save per load, but I do know when we moved here and hooked the dryer to propane, it seemed to take a lot longer to dry some loads, like jeans.  I figured the sun and wind are free resources, why not use them!.  Now very rarely do I use the dryer.  Stuff either gets hung outside in nice weather, or inside in cold weather.  Large plastic hangers and hangers with clips are free from clothing stores if you ask for them, and mostly I use hangers to hang-dry clothes.  Socks and small stuff get hung on a small clothes line I put up and take down (either inside or out) when I'm done. 

Mimi:

I'll have to figure out what kind of drying rack to get.

The availability of effective and efficient indoor drying racks are one of my pet peeves. In the end, you get what you pay for. The wooden ones available in WM are very inexpensive, but were/are not designed very well. I need(ed) a good solid workhorse. I bought several versions in "Amish country." The wooden ones may put color on to your clothes and the wood does get discolored. I also have an Amish made sock rack. It is an unusual construction that clips onto my wash line. When I need it, it is great! I purchased a number racks that are made of metal/plastic covered dowels. They are lightweight and hold a nice amount of laundry, but they cannot take much abuse. Each of us (women) have one in our bedrooms for personal items. My all time favorite, a plastic coated metal one, is not available any longer--at least to my knowledge. I found my first one in a garage sale. There was a time that they were available on line and were called Super Dry Maxi Clothes Dryer, but alas, the company that sold them must not be in business any longer. :-(  When my daughter and family were in Finland a year ago, they were available and purchased one for me! (My kids know me. I get a clothes rack from Finland and fly swatters (heavy duty and great) from South Africa. I love them both!)

Here is a picture of one: http://www.artweger.at/app1/produkt.jsp?pg=Dynamische+Seite%7CWaeschetrockner%7CProdukte%7CTOP+DRY+MAXI+Produktseite&lg=en

Mine are not as fancy.They do not have the large plastic parts, but the basic construction is the same.  

Good luck in finding the perfect rack. After all, the right tool for the job makes work more enjoyable and the outcome perfect!  

 I do not own a dryer of any kind, we hauled it to the recycling center about a month after we moved into this house.  I will never own one, too much cost and trouble for me. 

We started out by doing 3 loads of laundry a week, 4 loads every other week with linens.  We saved $33 the first month on our electric bill(no other cost savings other than no dryer) as the year went along we now have cut our electric bill(we are set up for all electric in our home)from $220 a month to $92 by not using a dryer, using non electric lighting on darker days, keeping all the lights off, not using electric appliances other than kitchen appliances and the vacuum(once a week)during the week.  

But alas, we also have the same problem with finding good drying racks like Gigi.  Our Amish one does discolor our light or white clothing, the painted wood racks we bought from Linen 'n Things are weak and break easily(we have repaired one of them 6 times in 3 months)and we have 2 cheapies we bought at Walmart that are not very sturdy and will only hold wash cloths or undergarments.  I have 5 different sized racks and can wash and hang 6 loads of laundry(laundry for 2 adults once a week)inside or outside.  

We are always looking for dryer racks as that is eventually the only product we will use along with our wringer washer.  : )  But the savings and the time involved fit right into our lifestyle, and it takes overnight to dry in the house, a couple of hours to dry on the deck.  When mil visited us for 2 weeks she was hesitant to use our method and packed more than enough clothes for 5 women! lol  But after she saw how well they worked she bought a couple of racks at home and now is thinking about gifting her dryer to a family that needs it.  : )

Brianschef Michelle 

Those of you looking for a good drying rack....

 I'm just using a metal clothes rack that I already had. It came from Walmart and I know that they still have them. They are in the same isle/section as the hangers, iron boards, clothes pins, etc. See link below of one that is similar to what I have, except mine is white/metal, bigger, and has a shelf thing at the top which I use to dry socks and underwear.  They are kind of pricey, I guess (someone else bought mine when I was younger), but it'll last forever and it's very sturdy. I also like that mine has wheels so though I usually keep it in our bedroom to dry, when it's pretty outside I roll it to the front porch for some sunlight.

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3429397

 God bless,

Julie

Gigi:

http://www.artweger.at/app1/produkt.jsp?pg=Dynamische+Seite%7CWaeschetrockner%7CProdukte%7CTOP+DRY+MAXI+Produktseite&lg=en

OMG!  I have one of these, purchased at a thrift shop for an embarrasingly small sum. 

Have you checked Project Laundry List for racks?  http://www.laundrylist.org/

When I dry in the basement, I use one of those reel-out thingies that attaches by screws to one wall and hooks to another hook on the opposite wall. It is seventeen feet long and I have dried 10 large towels on it without it ever falling.

It cost about $15.00, I recall. Leaves no stains on anything. I bought it on eBay, but I'm sure some hardwares sell them.

I guess another issue as to saving dryer money is how well your washer spins out the water. This, for me, has varied considerably between the 3 washers I've owned. Another thing that can cause dryer use to add up, obviously, is how many loads a month you wash. A single person would (or should) have many fewer loads than a large family.

What ways do you guys use to reduce the number of loads? Re-use of towels once or twice when hung to dry between showers..things like that? Do your kids (or spouses!) put on clothes, take them off (clean) and throw them in the hamper? (Sorry if I'm going off course, but the fewer loads, the better, right?)

 We are hanging and reusing towels more than in the past. It saves on the amount of loads a week. DS is the worst for throwing the clothes down. I am never sure if they are really dirty or just landed in the pile. We are trying to work on this. I do one load a week for DM, 2 or 3 for DH, DS and myself. DD does her own laundry so maybe one load every two weeks. She is good to take care of her clothes, rehang and rewear. Then add a few loads a month of bedding and extras that pop up. Babs

We do about 3-4 loads per week on average, but then again its only me and DH.

I can see how laundry--washing, drying, detergent, bleach, dry-cleaning( don't do much of this) can really be a large budget buster for a home with several kids, babies, and lots of house guests. Not to mention the work itself...uggh. Ironing just tops it all off....