If 100% used laundry line to dry clothes instead of dryers would that help our planet?

Question

My apartment burned on 1/11/07. A local church gave me a used washer that had been donated to them; however, there was no drier. Since then I have had to rely on a laundry line to dry my clothes. Now that I have realized over the course of these 3 months that my power bill is so much lower, I am considering not even buying a dryer.

I started to research line-drying laundry & apparently in some countries this is mandatory. I then discovered that a friend of mine who lives in Australia has never even owned a dryer (I always just assumed everyone used clothes dryers)

Then it occured to me if 100% of the popluation agreed to Line-Dry thier clothes for just the warmer months of the year... then wouldn't the earth be much better for it? Is this idea perhaps one small way to help prevent Global Warming?

And... I have been pleasantly surprised (having never Line-Dried before) that my clothes require less if any ironing. My linen napkins actually look as if they have been ironed.

Answer 1

Of course any method that uses less, or no, man made power will have a positive impact.

Using electrical power contributes to polution because most power comes from plants that use fossil fuel to generate the heat that generates the steam to turn the turbines.

Using gas power directly impacts the amount of CO and CO2 placed into our atmosphere.

Answer 2

When I was a child, very few people had dryers; I remember that the clothes always smelled good when they were dried outdoors :-) Certainly I think it would be a good idea for those who can and have the space to dry things outdoors, although you do have to take fading into consideration (which mostly just means bringing the clothes in as soon as possible). The one hitch would be people like me, who live in apartments or similar situations where there is no place to hang clothes out, but for those who can do it, I certainly think it's a good way to save money AND help the enrivonment.

Answer 3

I love the smell of line dryed bed sheets. But I learned my lesson with the rest of it when I stuck my leg into a pair of jeans straight from the line. Of course I never thought to make sure the bumble bee was not in the leg of my jeans. Give me a dryer every time. I will just have to pay more for electricity.

Answer 4

I used to line dry all the time. However, where I now live I cannot. My mother only uses her dryer on rainy days or when something needs to be dried asap. It IS cost effective and I would love to be able to line dry again. Maybe I'll turn my eldest child's bedroom into a line drying room.....

Answer 5

Though I'm sure there could be a benefit but with all the smog and dirt in the air these days, I couldn't imagine hanging my clothes in that. And of course, there is the time issue. Most don't have that leisure. In the communities we live in we have associations and covenants which do not allow outdoor clotheslines among other things that could bring down the value of your home and community.

Answer 6

I think you answered your own question. Fifty years ago, everyone line dried, with wire clothes lines, wooden clothes pins and nature. It worked then and it would work now. You're right, clothes need less ironing

Answer 7

Yes, but there is no way people will give up their dryers.