Clothes dryer....or clothes line?

The Chicago Tribune reports that we can save money and limit our energy usage by changing our ways of doing laundry. Hmmm, the Trib’s tips include washing full loads of clothes, using cold water, using a high-efficiency front loader washer, and using a dryer with a moisture sensor to avoid overdrying. Let’s see–washing full loads is pretty easy (hey, I have three kids!), and I use cold water for just about everything except the “whites” (yep, they get hot water, and I still use chlorine bleach for them, too!). As for the washer and dryer, well, our current ones came with the house when we moved in–and though the dryer indeed has moisture sensors, our washer is of the old top loader variety, and I have no plans to replace these units any time soon. So what else can I do?

Dryer or clothesline?

Well, if I use the dryer, I will spend more cash; use more energy (gas, in my case); have dry clothes in less time; and have softer, more lint-free clothes. If I don’t use my dryer, what are my options? I can hang things out on my outdoor clothesline, on my indoor drying rack, or on hangers. I can even put things on the radiators during the winter, and they’ll dry quite well there. If I go this route, I will definitely spend more time “managing” my laundry (go ahead and hang things up or drape things all over your house–it takes a while to do it and then to return to them later, check it they’re dry, etc.) My clothes will also be rougher to the touch than if they were dried in my nice, big clothes dryer. I will spend less on my gas bill, and I will use less gas–maybe a good thing for the environment. So what is the scorecard? If the status quo is “use the dryer,” then my alternative is “air dry” one way or another, and.....

Costs of air drying: I spend more time doing laundry; dried clothes aren’t nice & soft; and clothes take longer to dry.

Benefits of air drying: I use less gas (energy), and my own gas bill goes down.

Hmmm. What would I be doing with my time, anyway? Maybe getting paid for it, doing something else. Or maybe I would spend more time with one of my sons, supervising his homework; or I would have more time for exercise; or I would read another book.

My bottom line: I live in a big, energy-hogging house with radiators everywhere and a nice backyard that can accommodate a clothesline. So: I use the dryer when I’m in a hurry, or when I care especially about softness (read, underwear and towels!). Oh, and when my cleaning lady comes once a week (that’s another story), she washes the sheets and towels, and she uses the dryer then, too.

Dry cleaners, or ironing?

Should I iron or send shirts to the cleaners? I remember the first time I took my tailored shirts to the cleaners–I was working at my first post-graduate school job, and I was so pleased to have nicely pressed and folded shirts to wear. I still love wearing crisp-looking shirts. But what about ironing? What’s the impact on my spending, energy usage, and the environment of having the dry cleaners do my shirts vs. home ironing?

Well, first things first: if I start ironing my own shirts, that is more time from me, and the quality is definitely going to slip. Should I use Spray-N-Starch? Or is there some other less convenient home version of starch I could use to keep my ironed shirts looking good while they hang in my closet? Ironing also means buying and maintaining a little appliance (did I ever mention the preschool child of friends who, when presented with an alphabet book, pointed to the “I” page and asked her daddy “What’s that?”–not pointing to the (obscure) bird called an ibyx but instead pointing to the unfamiliar household appliance called an iron?), and I’ll use some electricity and water to run the iron–though will that be more or less that what the dry cleaners would use to wash and press those shirts? And what about the starch that the cleaners use–is it priced in a way to include any environmental damage caused by its production or use?

Hmmm, time for the score card again: the status quo for me is taking my shirts to the cleaners; so here’s how I look at the “what happens if I iron” question:

Costs of ironing: More of my time engaged in “household production", shirts not pressed as nicely

Benefits of ironing: I’ll use less energy? hard to know; I’ll save money; maybe fewer trips to the dry cleaners

My bottom line: my husband’s shirts can still go to the cleaners, and I’ll try ironing mine and those of my children. I’ll see if the extra time seems too burdensome (or whether I will wear fewer of these shirts!).


Why not do less laundry?

Don’t Americans have too high standards for the cleanliness of clothes? Why not relax our standards a bit–wear clothes more than once, and accept that others will do the same and perhaps even look a bit the worse for it. Why are Europeans’ standards different in this regard?


Bringing it together

The common theme is our American enthusiasm for using capital, technology, and resources–but not labor, especially our own, to get things done around here. As a rule, if it takes us more time to do something, we tend to avoid that way of doing things, and I’m no exception. Convenience is king, in my book. But somehow I irrationally think that putting in some work can be important. How much outsourcing can/should people do? There are nannies (crucial to my family when the kids were younger), cleaning ladies (still do this), lawn care crews (yep, have that too),......What about meals? Shopping, meal planning, meal preparation, cleanup, etc.? Hmmm, will have to continue this later.....