Using an
outdoor clothesline (or
indoor drying rack) instead of your clothes dryer can help you wring extra dollars out of your energy bills. A clothes dryer is your home's second-biggest energy sucker after the refrigerator, and the average household could
save over $100 a year by using a clothesline instead of a dryer, according to the
New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services. (Potential savings may vary, because really, who's average?)
A clothesline could also help your clothes last longer and smell better, when used outside (barring clothes encounters of the bird kind). If you're an apartment-dweller or don't have space outside for a clothesline, an indoor drying rack might be ideal. Several different types of drying racks are available, including collapsible standing racks and wall-mountable, accordion-style racks. If you dislike crispy jeans, the answer is blowin' in the wind: Line-dry everything else that you can, and you could still save money and reduce your energy use by using a clothesline.