Tools for Air Drying Laundry

Benefits of Air Drying your Clothes

Your clothes will last longer.

When you use a clothes dryer, all that tumbling rubs and wears away the fibers of your clothes. All that lint that you pull out of your lint trap at the end of every load is actually part of the clothes you just dried. If you want that favorite outfit to last forever, the first step to keeping your clothes like new is to NOT tumble dry, but to hang dry.

Wool sweaters and other natural fibers also last much longer when they are air dried. After washing, you can re-shape your wool fabrics and set them on a laundry drying rack to air dry so they retain their original beauty.

A fact you may not know is that the heat of a dryer RUINS elastic. If you would like to do a little experiment, go out and buy two pairs of identical socks. Mark one pair to be dried in the dryer and mark the other pair to be air dried. Wear each pair every week, launder them the same but dry them differently. I guarantee the pair that is air dried will last twice as long as the pair that you dry in the clothes dryer. If this is true for a pair of a socks consider the impact on other expensive articles of clothing like bras and fine lingerie. When you get a bra that is a great fit, air drying it will mean it lasts twice as long.

For diapers, sheets, and clothes worn by ill people, consider drying them outdoors to harness the natural disinfecting and whitening properties of the sun. The sun's UV light reacts with the water in the clothing to produce reactive forms of oxygen that kill the microorganisms. UV from the sun also interferes with the reproduction cycle of bacteria by damaging their DNA.

Save money on your utility bills.

According to the Public Utilities Service of New Hampshire, an average electric clothes dryer uses 5000 watts of power, runs 24 hours per month, and adds $218 a year to your electric bill. Ouch!

Drying your clothes on a rack indoors during the winter will also add much needed humidity into the dry air of a winter home, which allows you to turn down your thermostat by a degree or two. In fact, you can save up to 4% on your heating bills for every degree you lower your thermostat. So instead of spending the money to run a humidifier simply hang dry your laundry in your home and you will add much needed moisture into your home to help lower your heating bill.

Adding this moisture in the winter also has health benefits. Increasing the humidity in your winter home can reduce the chance of upper respiratory problems and save you even more money on doctor's visits and missed time from work and school. The added humidity will also help to keep your skin from drying out, which will make you feel more comfortable.

Protect your home and family.

This next statistic is very sobering. US fire departments respond to an estimated 15,900 home fires involving clothes dryers or washing machines EACH YEAR. These fires resulted in ANNUAL losses estimated at 13 civilian deaths, 440 civilian injuries, and $238 million in direct property damage. Clothes dryers accounted for 92% of these fires. See the NFPA's report Home Fires Involving Clothes Dryers and Washing Machines. We know that we can not put a monetary value on our lives and health. Using a laundry drying rack removes a large fire risk from your home.