I notice that it's very popular on this forum to line dry clothes.  How much per load do you save by doing this?

Thank you!

I'm not sure what we save per load, but I can tell you that since I've started line-drying (I started about 2-3 months ago), I have seen a MAJOR different in my electric bill. Between line drying, turning the AC up a little more and installing CFL bulbs, my electricity usage is now half of what it was this time last year.

Line drying is something I avoided for a long time because I thought we didn't have the room. I work full time so putting clothes outside on a line to dry was kind of out of the question for me. But I have a nice clothes rack that I had in storage. I took it out and use that to hang up most of my clothes. It works out great! and then, since it moves, on sunny weekend days I can put it out on our porch to dry faster.

So, to sum that up, line-drying has definitely made a big difference for us. Also, once the summer hits, it will be an even bigger help because our mobile home gets really hot during the Louisiana summer months and the drying running just makes it so much worse.

God bless,

Julie

 It depends on what you pay for electricity or gas - whichever your dryer runs on. There's a nifty little calculator here: http://michaelbluejay.com/electricity/howmuch.html that can help you see what running an electric dryer costs. 

 The last time I figured it out was approximately ten years or so ago. I called the electric company who was able to provide me with a chart on the cost per kilowatt hour for different appliances. My electric dryer cost approximately 44 cents per kilowatt hour at that time. I kept track of the number of loads that I did per month, and compared the cost of the previous month's average which included using the dryer, with the cost of the month's usage without the use of the dryer. This translated into approximately $1.00 per load taking into consideration a longer drying time per large load. I had all six children living at home, and was saving $60.00 to $100.00 dollars a month.

Have tried line-drying, and it seems to save .50 to .70 per load depending on weight/time etc.

My problem has been having to rewash entire loads due to bird droppings (no, the line is not directly under a tree or anything). So, by the time I do this, I haven't saved anything. Another problem here is that grandaddy spiders, loads of them, attach themselves to my laundry creating a problem in itself. Last of all, the pollen that sticks to everything aggravates my husband's allergies.

I do dry some things inside when I can.

Thank you all for the great information!

It does sound like it would save money--not as much as if I were doing wash for a large family, but every bit helps!

I definitely think I would do it inside since I have a LOT of birds around here. 

Mimi,

 I hang dry all my clothes inside on a clothes rack (the only exception being on a sunny weekend day). It works perfectly fine and we are even in a small mobile home.

But one thing to keep in mind is that hang drying inside does take more time to dry. But as long as you do a wash every couple of days and keep up with the laundry on a regular basis (rather than leaving it all for a single "laundry day") then it's not that big of an issue for us.

God bless,

Julie

While I can't tell you exactly how much I save, I can tell you that my outdoor line is tied at each end to a maple tree.  Squirrels are usually in the black walnut trees, and the birds are either at the feeders in my yard or the neighbors (attractions both well away from the line) or clamboring around the mulberry tree in the front.  I can't dry many things at a time, but the freshness of line-dried clothes is wonderful!  It's also a comfort thing as many of us were raised with clothes on the line.

If you live in a gated community or condo, however, be sure to check your regulations.  They may prohibit line drying where the neighbors can see what is being dried. 

Hope this helps (HTH)

Dear Mimi, Since I live in an apt building with laundromat in teh basement, I know precisely what I save by hanging my clothes indoors -- 75cents per load.  Yours in HIm, Deb

I don't hang up the clothes enough outside to see a difference. Too much rain here still.  If I was home most of the time I could catch the laundry before the rain.  In the winter hanging clothes really helps with the dry air in our house.

We have a what I think is called the butterfly/umbrella clothline, the one you open up and has 3 sides for hanging clothes. The hole for it was in the cement patio when we bought the place. Dh doesn't like it because it is too close to the walkway to the garage but we didn't make it!  I think the previous long time owners were very frugal. No flower beds really, veggie gardens, rhubarb, raspberries around the edges of the yard, potato patch at the side of the house :)

Actually I hung up a load of wash on the weekend and was quite proud of myself because the wash dried better then the dryer. Less wrinkles and that is with dress shirts etc.