One of the worst energy consumers
in your house is the dryer. In fact 58 billion kilowatt-hours of
electricity are used in clothes dryers annually. But if you are
washing cloth diapers at home it is a given that you must also
dry them right? Well, in the summer months it may be an obvious
choice to rely on "solar" power and hang your diapers (and other
clothing) on the line outside.
But what about those cloudy,
rainy, or snowy days when hanging diapers outside
is not practical? The answer may be an indoor clothes drying
rack. These are very similar to outdoor racks but they are
designed specifically for indoor use. Often times they are
placed in a garage, laundry room or bathroom and while some can
be attached permanently to your home many portable options are
available. You might even take a more frugal leap and make one
yourself. Mother Earth News magazine has directions online for
making one
here.
Perhaps you could put the diapers
on an indoor rack until they are almost dry and then use the
dryer (on hottest setting) to finish drying and to sanitize the
diapers. This would help you save 75% of the energy you would
use otherwise.
Other Diaper Laundering, Energy Saving Tips:
-
Clothes the door to your
laundry room in the summer to keep the heat from entering
the rest of the house. In the winter, do the opposite and
keep the door open.
-
Don't overload the dryer.
Overloading doesn't allow ample space for the clothes to
tumble and they will take longer to dry.
-
Purchase a front-load washer.
Front-loading washers leave less water in your clothes than
top-load washers meaning your dryer doesn't have to work as
hard.
-
Clear lint from the lint tray
before you use the dryer each time. Proper air flow will cut
down the drying time, as well as wear and tear on the dryer
and your clothes.
© The
Diaper Jungle
