In an effort to lower our electric bill, conserve energy, and be a little more green, I have significantly decreased our usage of the dryer. It's easy, but it does take a little more time.
I wash our laundry in cold water and during the rinse cycle I add some vinegar. What vinegar? Yep, it is a wonderful laundry softener and no, your clothes do not end up smelling like vinegar. When the cycle is done, I pull out all clothes that are not underwear or socks, and hang them. Sometimes I have clothes hanging from both shower rods and doors and shelving, but that is only if I wait a really long time to do laundry. The underwear and socks, from all the loads, go in the dryer all at once for about 30 minutes. So instead of running the dryer for anywhere from 60-180 minutes, I only run it for 30 minutes!
I wash our towels the same way, except instead of hanging them inside, I drape them over the railing on our deck. Once they are completely dried, I fluff them in the dryer for about 10 minutes.
I know the time it takes to hang the clothes and wait for them to dry is not for everyone, but it works for us and we have enjoyed the benefits. Not only is our electric bill lower, we are doing our part for the environment and our clothes are lasting longer!
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