The Money Mustache Community
General Discussion => Throw Down the Gauntlet => Topic started by: acc7x3 on July 23, 2013, 09:03:51 AM
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So I built a close line, have a yard, and a gas dryer. My goal is not to use said gas dryer in the month of August. Basic and simple throw down. Now crossing my fingers for no Tropical Storms...
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That is very cool. I did that for 6 mo when my dryer broke. I became much more attuned to the weather. Even if the clothes ended up in the rain, it was no big deal.
It would be neat for my dryer to "break" again. ;-)
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I hope this goes great for you :)
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I just got a drying rack and am trying a version of this. I'm trying not to use a dryer when the A/C is on. So during this heat wave, it's from 9am-9pm. During that time, I line dry. That way I'm using less power, using it at off-peak times, not heating up the house, and saving money. I would line dry everything, but we do a lot of laundry in my house. However, I am line drying 2/3 of my laundry now, and that's a start!
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That's a great idea. I have two drying racks that I use instead of my dryer and it's helped a lot. Hopefully the storms will hold off! I'm in the top part of the state.
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I dried my last load of laundry on my condo balcony. I don't have a rack so I improvised with a broom, two hockey sticks, a camping chair and several baskets. Finally got to use the heat to my advantage. Tossed everything in the dryer for about five minutes to finish up and soften slightly. It takes a long time since I am north-facing and don't have a place with direct sunlight to dry.
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Cool idea! My husband and son both suffer from allergies so I'm not sure if this will work for us.
Wonder if a roll through the drier at high heat for a few minutes at the end would "kill" any residual pollen? Thoughts?
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I have not used a clothes dryer probably since 1995. I hang shirts and pants on hangers and use a clothes rack for everything else. My mother is always saying that she'll buy me a dryer. I tell her I don't need one, I can dry my clothes for free.
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I'm down with this. I have drying racks too. I'm upping the ante and adding no dishwasher (i stopped using it months ago) and no air conditioner (i have a new condo and it is very well insulated, so I set the AC at 80 and it never actually reaches it).
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I tell her I don't need one, I can dry my clothes for free.
Does your mom live in NV? Because she should be able to understand it if she does, but might not get it if she lives in a more humid area.
I set the AC at 80 and it never actually reaches it
Oy I'm jealous! I set the AC at 80 and it comes on every single day in July and August where I live, alas.
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I tell her I don't need one, I can dry my clothes for free.
Does your mom live in NV? Because she should be able to understand it if she does, but might not get it if she lives in a more humid area.
Nope, she's in Utah. But I come from a family of 10 and she didn't have a dryer for years and years and years. In the summer we dried clothes on the line in the backyard and in the winter we used clothes lines my dad put up in the basement. With that many people we did all kinds of things to live within our means. My parents did not believe in having any kind of debt.
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Since its just me, I don't have to do a lot of laundry. I toss everything in the dryer for five minutes on low after air drying just to make sure since stuff like jeans take forever to dry. I'm making up for it by going for no hot water usage this month. If I do that, I think I can get my electric use to below 100 kWh for the month.
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SI'm making up for it by going for no hot water usage this month. If I do that, I think I can get my electric use to below 100 kWh for the month.
It is not the electricity that bothers me. I have a gas dryer, water heater, and stove. Gas is CHEAP, and my dryer costs 2 cents in electricity to run each time. The reason that I am not using the dryer is it is heating my house while I am trying to cool it.
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It's been 50 - 70% humidity here but our clothes still dry within a day on the rack on my porch. I just have to remember to shake the mosquitoes out before I bring the clothes inside.
The electric bill decreased by 65% since I started air drying the laundry earlier this year.
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I am renting a townhouse with some people right next to my University. There is no private yard and there is a significant amount of crime in the area, so I am legitimately worried about people stealing my clothes. Ideas on how I can reduce my drier use?
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I've dried clothes in the house plenty of times. You can also hang shirts on hangers (I prefer plastic they don't stretch the fabric like wire ones) on curtain rods, and stick a drying rack anywhere (just watch for dripping).
Even if you can cut your drying down by 1/2 that's a big deal.
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I used the dryer of about 15 min this week. The Girlfriend absolutely needed a certain shirt that I had washed for that day. but got the electricity bill in and it was a total of 56% lower. Because it was 5 days less, but roughly it would have been 47% lower. Granted I have been doing other things to cut my bill.
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when i had a dryer, i would store the blankets and warm throws in it in the summer months. much easier to hang a few things inside if its raining or on the line in the warm months, than to drag all those bulky items out of the machine! no dryer since retirement--just wait till it stops raining to do the laundry!
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That is very cool. I did that for 6 mo when my dryer broke. I became much more attuned to the weather. Even if the clothes ended up in the rain, it was no big deal.
It would be neat for my dryer to "break" again. ;-)
I find line drying very calming and therepedic. Being attuned to the weather, flora, fauna, all the senses of my surroundings and the neighborhood. Also like the feel of warm sun dried laundry. (except towels can be a bit stiff)
I also enjoy washing dishes by hand in the sink for many of the same reasons. (I have a window above the kitchen sink to watch the neighborhood through)
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I find line drying very calming and therepedic. Being attuned to the weather, flora, fauna, all the senses of my surroundings and the neighborhood. Also like the feel of warm sun dried laundry. (except towels can be a bit stiff)
I call line-dried towels "exfoliators"!!!
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I dried my last load of laundry on my condo balcony. I don't have a rack so I improvised with a broom, two hockey sticks, a camping chair and several baskets.
I. Love. This.
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I used the dryer of about 15 min this week. The Girlfriend absolutely needed a certain shirt that I had washed for that day. but got the electricity bill in and it was a total of 56% lower. Because it was 5 days less, but roughly it would have been 47% lower. Granted I have been doing other things to cut my bill.
What else have you been doing? My elec bill bums me out. We do not use AC, and the bill is around $90.