“Look at these things!” I used to think when removing my father’s gray work pants from my mother’s clothesline many winters ago. They were like boards, stiff with cold and almost capable of standing by themselves. But every time I brought them in through the cramped little space we hopefully called “the back hall” I watched them soften and prove they were dry. I was reminded that even New England temperatures are no match for the brilliant sun that dries any pants in its path.
I recalled those days to my skeptical daughter this winter when we started drying clothes on the back porch, positioning our rack so the sun would hit them just right. Today’s clothes must not be made of that old work-pants cotton because they don’t stand up when very cold. But they dry out there in the winter, as they do in other seasons. It provides satisfaction and makes us a little greener.
That makes two reasons not to use a clothes dryer but there are many more.
Blasting clothes with forty minutes of inescapable heat debilitates them. They don’t emerge in tatters. On the contrary, they’re reassuringly dry, warm and fluffy. We don’t say, “look at that debilitation!” The general weakening happens gradually.
Certain aspects of it, however, happen more quickly and noticeably. If you want your new black pants to turn gray, put them in the dryer every time you wash them. Wash them in cold water and line-dry them and they will stay black. They also won’t be full of that lint that dryers reliably spew all over black garments. If you favorite sweater fits you as long as you don’t gain two pounds, you’d better keep it out of the dryer, which specializes in shrinking clothes.
Like to iron? Me neither. When you hang up wet clothes nice and straight – line, rack or hanger – they dry that way. They may still need a little press but much of your ironing has already been done. The weight of the wet garment pulls it down, eliminating wrinkles during drying.
The same is true for folding. A dish towel neatly positioned over a rack rung is already half folded when dry. A wet T-shirt that has dried on a hanger over the tub is ready to put on.
Air drying clothes offers the flexibility of not having to bother with them right away. Leaving clothes in a basket after removing them from the dryer creates wrinkles. Hang them up when wet and that danger is removed. You can forget about them for days.
Time is a factor, too. Your wash load takes more than double the time when you use a dryer. Hang up clothes right from the washer and you’re done. Sure, they take time to dry but unless you are a really faithful disciple of Henry David Thoreau, you have other things to wear.
Finally we come to your quarters, which alone produce reasons to air dry clothes. If you use a coin-op dryer, it’s a constant bother to rummage for quarters, let alone maintain a little stash of them in a bowl. Unless you want to regularly trade a ten-dollar bill for a roll of quarters at the bank, you find yourself asking the 7-11 clerk, “could you give me back a dollar of that change in quarters?” It’s bad enough to need them for the washer. Quarters are also money, not just tokens. Regular use of a coin-op dryer will cost about $200 a year.
Start a good family tradition. Protect your clothes, help the planet, save money, and dry your clothes under the sun.
“Look at these things!” I used to think when removing my father’s gray work pants from my mother’s clothesline many winters ago. They were like boards, stiff with cold and almost capable of standing by themselves. But every time I brought them in through the cramped little space we hopefully called “the back hall” I watched them soften and prove they were dry. I was reminded that even New England temperatures are no match for the brilliant sun that dries any pants in its path.
