You don't need to make major life changes to lower your electricity bill while helping the environment. One homeowner recently revealed a clever trick for reducing energy costs just by using the great outdoors.
The homeowner recently took to the r/Anticonsumption subreddit to explain that they no longer use an electric dryer, massively reducing their family's energy consumption.
Instead, they use their backyard with a little help from a collapsible clothesline.
"Most likely the best thing I have to reduce my consumption of electricity is this collapsible umbrella clothesline," the homeowner wrote. "We use it spring, summer, and fall. In the winter we put the clothes on a drying rack and mini clothesline in front of the woodstove. Clotheslines and sun ftw."
Laundry can be an expensive chore. Experts have found that it can cost an average of $0.45 to run a load of laundry in the dryer if you are using a 5,600-watt machine for around 40 minutes at a 12-cent-per-kilowatt-hour rate. At an average of 24 loads a month, this can rack up to nearly $130 each year and nearly $1,300 after 10 years.
Opting to air-dry your clothes outside or even in a clean room in your home can save hundreds of dollars over time.
Reducing the use of an electric dryer also has major benefits for the environment, as the appliances are known for producing thousands of pounds of air pollution every year, per Green America. By air-drying your clothes, you can reduce this massive energy use in your home and do the planet a favor by cutting down on the heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere.
Additionally, it can help make your clothes last longer, helping you reduce the amount of clothing you may purchase over time, as the Washington Post explained.
You can also help the environment and save money by using organizations like ThredUp and GotSneakers, which offer customers cash back or store credit for sending in unwanted items.
Other homeowners raved about this eco-friendly alternative to clothes dryers, with many commenting on the Reddit post that they, too, use the hack.
"Air drying also will make your clothes last longer," one user wrote. "The abrasion and heat from tumble drying is much harsher on fabrics, especially wool."
"Love it. You get such a nice fresh scent doing it this way. Your clothes feel cleaner, I can't really explain it but I'm sure you know what I'm talking about," another said, adding that it can save them time, too. "And on a nice day, it's actually quicker (in my experience) than a dryer."
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