How to stay clean and green

By Lori Huskey

The dryer is the second most energy consuming appliance in the home, followed by the refrigerator, and isn’t required to abide by energy standards.

So when my parents noticed the rising costs on their electricity bill, they decided to do away with clothes drying. A longtime fisherman, my father gathered his old fishing poles and created a make shift drying line above the wood stove. (I wonder when Pottery Barn is going to catch on to this fly fishing décor theme.) Hours later, our clothes were water-free without ever touching the dryer.

As the midsummer days offer more daylight, it’s time to use the sun not only for light but for its drying power. Now is a good time to stop using the dryer and start hanging your clothes in the sun. If you already have a clothes dryer, you can save nearly $500 a year by using a drying rack instead. If you are about to buy a clothes dryer, the prices range from $300-$1500 while a clothes rack will run you $75 tops.

For outdoor drying you can choose from an umbrella clothes dryer ($36) or a five-line retractable dryer ($45). Both are collapsible and can be used for easy storage. The upper section of the umbrella clothes dryer spins when wind picks up, adding a outdoor fresh breeze through your garments.

If your budget is nil, you can still use a solar-powered dryer. A clothesline can be easily built. You just need a rope and two holding points such as trees. For more long term outdoor dryers, try a pulley kit from your local hardware store.

It's easy to make a traditional clothesline yourself, using 4x4 or 6x6 pressure-treated posts for the uprights and 2x8s for the cross arms (which don't need to be pressure-treated). Simply notch the posts to receive the cross arms, set them in concrete, and run the lines on eye hooks between them. A 4- or 5-foot cross arm should give you enough room for five lengths of line, nicely spaced. Check out clothesline.com for all the details on what you’ll need.

As for the washing part of doing your laundry, you may wonder if those eco-friendly detergents are worth the extra $2. According to Co-Op America’s website, eco-friendly detergents are actually better on your clothes thus increasing the lifetime of your favorite garments. The best eco-friendly detergents are made without nonrenewable, petroleum-based chemicals. They are biodegradable and contain no optical brighteners, dyes or artificial fragrances.

Some excellent green laundry detergents to try include:

• Ecover: Offers nontoxic powder and liquid detergents, as well as a detergent for delicates.
• Natural Choices Home Safe Products: Sells Oxyprime, a nontoxic laundry detergent, and Allergy Free, a detergent for people with chemical sensitivities.
• Sun & Earth: Offers a “Deep Cleaning Formula” laundry detergent.
• Seventh Generation: Sells nontoxic liquid and powder laundry detergent, as well as Free and Clear fragrance-free laundry detergent and a detergent for baby clothes.