Saved $120 a year just by changing how I dry my clothes

I used to toss everything in the dryer after every wash, no questions asked. About 6 months ago I started hanging my jeans, sweaters, and towels on a folding rack in my laundry room instead. It takes maybe 5 extra minutes but my electricity bill dropped by $10 a month easy. I still use the dryer for socks and underwear because I'm lazy, but this one switch has been way better than I expected. Anyone else find a simple swap that cut their power bill more than they thought?

2 comments

2 Comments

murphy.linda24d agoTop Commenter

Oh man, this is so funny because my friend Sarah had the exact same problem you're describing! She tried hanging her jeans in the basement and they were still damp three days later (she lives in a super humid area near the coast). So she set up a little box fan pointing at the rack on low and they dried overnight, but her electric bill was almost the same from running the fan all day. She gave up and went back to the dryer for everything except delicates, lol. Sometimes it really is just your specific setup or climate that makes or breaks these tricks.

claire_ramirez25d ago

Wait, you said jeans, sweaters, and towels - those are the bulkiest items in a load. Does hanging them actually make them dry faster on the rack than you expected, or do you have to plan ahead a day or two for that to work? I tried hanging my jeans once and they were still damp after 48 hours in my laundry room with no airflow. Maybe its just my setup or the humidity where I live, but I'm curious if you run a fan or something to speed it up.