Here’s today’s simple frugal tip of the day! Save huge amounts of electricity by simply air drying your clothes once they’re been washed. I looked up some of the most recent statistics I could find about the cost of running an electric dryer. Two years ago (2020) the common cost for most people was about $0.50 per load, but now that electricity rates are spiking everywhere I wouldn’t be at all surprised to find that that cost has doubled. It all adds up, especially if you do a lot of laundry. Yikes!
How to air dry clothes – Outside OR Inside
Once you’ve washed your clothes, let the washer do the hard work for you by allowing the spin cycle to finish completely. That will remove a lot of the excess water from your washed clothes. Then, you can use a clothesline outside to hang out your clothes to dry. You’ll need clothespins to attach the clothes to the clothesline, of course. But, this is dependent entirely on what the weather’s like! If it’s a warm spring or summer day, well then, hanging the washing outside is an altogether lovely experience. But, what if it’s too cold out to hang your washing outside?
Indoor drying racks come to the rescue! These simple (usually) metal contraptions can be popped up anywhere you have space in your home. They consist of multiple levels of metal bars, which give you space to hang out your drying. Some are collapsible, meaning they’re simple to store, even if you have limited storage space.
OR…how about using a garment rack to simply hang your wet clothes on hangers, and then dry on there? It would be very handy, and if you happen to have one of these around and aren’t using it, then drying clothes on it might be the perfect option for you. (If you’ve never heard of a garment rack, it’s basically a separate closet that you can put anywhere – a rod on which you can hang your hangers. They often have wheels, so they’re easy to move around to different locations.)
If you have neither of those, then try hanging your clothes onto the shower bar. I’ve done this many a time and it works just fine! Just make sure the shower bar is sturdy enough to withstand the weight of the wet clothes; if it isn’t then try another method of air drying instead.
Benefits of air drying clothes
Not only is it far cheaper to air dry your clothing, but it’s also a great way to extend the life of your clothes! All that lint you see collecting in your clothes dryer is coming off your clothes! Electric drying of clothing definitely shortens its lifespan, but air drying can make your clothes last a lot longer. Win-win!
Other FRUGAL articles you might enjoy: 10 Best Frugal Living Blogs | 8 Cool and Crazy Ways to use Aluminum foil around your home | Dollar Tree Finds for August 2022 | 5 Tips to Keep Cut Flowers Fresh Longer
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