How to dry your clothes the green way
There's been a lot of talk recently about how the humble clothes peg is enjoying something of a revival, as more people ditch their tumble dryers in favour of a more environmentally-sound solution. So let's look at the advantages of traditional drying methods, as well as what you can do when the weather doesn't co-operate...
If you're lucky enough to have the space for a tumble dryer, the idea of giving up such a useful gadget probably doesn't sound great, but if the eco argument won't convince you, the financial ones just might. There is simply no such thing as a 'low-energy' tumble dryer; like hairdryers, electric fires and most other plug-in devices that throw out a lot of heat, they guzzle one heck of a lot of energy. This is not good for your electricity bill or the planet's.
During the summer months, our friend the peg is obviously the best way to get things dry. There's simply no excuse for tumble drying when it's warm, especially since clothes hung out in the sun smell infinitely fresher than ones that have come out of a clammy dryer drum. Even if you don't have a garden, there are all sorts of clever devices designed to maximise space when you're hanging things out to dry. Eco Washing Lines have a massive selection of wall-mounted and freestanding washing lines, now available in the UK from Australia, where people know more than a little about outdoor drying.
Now, on to the more troublesome question of getting the water out of your clothes in winter. For most of us, cranking up the heating and installing a complicated system of racks and pulleys above our radiators is the obvious solution here, but can you do it without so much heat involved?
A number of mini-dryers are now available to address this problem. One such option is the Wonderwash, a non-electric portable drum that sits on your counter top. This one will wash as well as dry, but if it's just the drying function you want, you might want to look into getting a spin dryer.
Spin dryers are a lot more effective now than the old sort, which basically just span and distended your laundry - so don't be put off. The new-style spinners don't claim to totally dry your clothes, but will get rid of enough water that they won't need to be hung out too long, so whatever you do to finish the drying process - be it a couple of minutes on the radiator or simply hanging outside for a while - will take much less energy than it otherwise would have done. By popping in some dryer balls, your laundry will dry even more quickly and feel softer, without the addition of questionable chemicals.
