Rediscovering the Clothesline

by Catherine Zandonella, M.P.H

When my clothes dryer broke last summer, I was forced to do something I vowed as a child never to do: I hung my laundry outdoors.

My mother used to hang our clothes in our suburban backyard, an act so embarrassing to me that I refused to invite friends over. Now, with two kids of my own, I am following in Mom's footsteps.

Maybe it was the fresh smell or the excuse to get out of the house, but it took only one load before I was hooked. My frugal side (also inherited from Mom) appreciated the savings on electric bills—about $85 a year, or $1,530 over the 18-year lifespan of a dryer.

Nationwide, residential clothes dryers annually consume about 66 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, the amount that would be produced by burning 34 million tons of coal. In comparison, solar drying does less damage to clothes, eliminates static cling, reduces wrinkles and makes it 50 percent less likely that you'll lose a sock. Best of all, it's good for the planet, and the sun's ultraviolet light is a natural disinfectant.

Feeling nervous about trying it? Project Laundry List (www.laundrylist.org) provides tips on how to start. If you don't have outdoor space, place a drying rack by an open, sunny window (from $22.95 to $75.95, www.abundantearth.com). Also see the Laundry Product Report.