Wash And Dry Clothes Efficiently: Here's How

Chelsea Green:

The first wave of appliances were created to do jobs that people didn't want to do or didn't have the time to do. These are the labor-saving appliances such as washing machines.

You're probably wondering what you can do with your appliances to wring more work from them for less pay, so you can start saving up and get some cool solar electric panels on your roof. This is a brief discussion of a few of the household "necessities."

Read the whole story: Chelsea Green

Comments

[spartanmom]

You can dry laundry in sub freezing weather. I used self-laundered cloth diapers for my children and we had no dryer at all. They would freeze like boards before I even finished hanging them! But ice can evaporate (I think it's called sublimation when a phase change is skipped). If the sun was out so much the better. I even did this with jeans and it works.

Now I have a gas dryer but I still use my clothesline for anything heavy or rectangular plus most shirts.

A WARNING though, NEVER hang anything with lycra in it (stretch clothing) in the direct sun! It breaks down the strecthy part!

[bannorhill]

Why not go naked? No laundry at all to wash.

[PDXTransplant]

I remember years ago (maybe even now) - there were ads in magazines etc. for solar clothes dryers for just $75.00! And you would receive a clothesline in the mail.

[irtrad17]

I hang clothes in the basement next to the heating pipes, works fine, but I still toss them in the drier on no heat for 10 minutes to get lint and cat hair out. They forgot to mention drier balls (rubber balls that look like dog toys that help to fluff the laundry)

[MightyMeno]

I love my very cool solar dryer. I walk outside with my basket of damp laundry and hang it up. Anyone who lives in the Sunshine State and doesn't have one, ought to be shot or fined or something.