The Green Homes Challenge
makes it fun and easy to save energy,
adopt environmentally-friendly practices,
and use renewable energy.
- Learn about actions you can take
- Set goals and track your progress
- Join a Green Team to stay motivated
Clothes dryers use 5-10% of a household’s daily energy use and are one of the most expensive home appliances to operate ($100-$200/year). They are also one of the most dangerous causing more than 15,000 home fires annually. If you would like to know how much energy and money it takes to launder your household’s clothes, try out this calculator.
Instead, line-dry your clothes inside or outside. Explore clothesline and rack options on urbanclotheslines.com. If you think that your homeowner’s association or condominium prohibits the use of clotheslines, here’s some good news! Maryland’s “Right-to-Dry” legislation (SB 224) went into effect on October 1, 2010 and requires condominium associations, homeowner associations, and cooperatives to allow homeowners to install clotheslines on their property. Learn more about the benefits of air-drying clothes.
TIP: Using hangers can really reduce the length of clothes line you need. (You’ll need a rod or taut wire for this approach). Use each hanger as a mini-clothes line for socks, dish towels, and the like. Install a rod over your washer dryer or use your shower rod for hangers during rainy or winter weather.
If you have severe allergies to pollen, check the weather and the Air Quality Index before you hang your clothes outside.