Would you put a clothes line up and use it if it saved you $30-50 a month?

United States
May 16, 2010 10:23pm CST
So a few months ago I stumbled across a site that showed money saving tricks and one was to stop using the dryer and put a clothes line up. So I wasn't to sure but decided to go out and invest in a pulley system and I installed it. We have been using it in place of the dryer unless the dryer is a must which maybe used once in a week. Our gas and electric bill is around 175 a month from month to month. This month the only change was the clothes line and its down almost 45 dollars. Now I know its not a million dollars but times that by 12 months and you have almost $500 a year. So if you can just slap a clothes line up and save would you do it?
3 people like this
11 responses
@lelin1123 (15595)
• Puerto Rico
17 May 10
I would love to have a clothes line outside. However, no matter how much softner you use in the wash the towels and the jeans do not come out soft if you hang them outside. For that reason and that reason alone I prefer my dryer. I wish there was a way to use a line outside and still have soft clothes but I haven't found anything that works as of yet.
• United States
17 May 10
Yes I do know what your talking about we just found a softener that actually makes the towels very soft and we haven't washed any pants yet. Though the money saving is a plus that I can deal with them being a little stiff.
@lelin1123 (15595)
• Puerto Rico
17 May 10
Well thankfully my electric bill is not that big. This month it was only thirty-six and change. I can't complain about that. This is with the computer on for the better part of the day, usually 3 tv's going at the same time, dryer being used for two days of the week, lights, microwave and motion lights outside. I would want to do it more for living green then anything else. What is the name of the softner that you found that works?
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
18 May 10
If my husband had no objection, would get the clothes line and have someone put it up. Unfortunately my husband would. That is the whole trouble, plus I feel that I would have to iron even the permanent press clothes because of the wind forming wrinkles in it. But I am up to the idea especially when it comes to saving money.
@lingli_78 (12822)
• Australia
17 May 10
i don't have a dryer at my house and always use the clothes dryer from the very beginning anyway... so i don't know the difference in the electricity bill as i never use a dryer before... but if you say that it can save you almost $500 a year, of course i will do it... why not??? every single penny counts especially in the difficult economic conditions nowadays... take care and have a nice day...
@cher913 (25782)
• Canada
17 May 10
i have done this recently because i want to save money. we have just done this because we live in a townhouse condo and are recently allowed to do this.
@sid556 (30960)
• United States
18 May 10
hi just, If i could, I would. Unfortunatly, I can't do that. I live in a complex where I need written permission to even put a plant outside so a clothesline would probably be out of the question. There is a common clothesline here but I've used it and had clothes stolen so a clothesline is not an option for me. I do hang clothes around my apartment in order to cut back on using my dryer and it does help. I also unplug appliances when they are not being used. It all helps. It seems small but it does add up.
@jessi0887 (2788)
• United States
17 May 10
Well my parents just started doing clothes line again. When you have loads of laundry it diffinately helps. I know I will invest in doing it myself when i get my own place. LIke you said it may not be much but every little bit counts.
@lkbooi (16070)
• Malaysia
17 May 10
Hi justpjteb, I have been using outdoor clothes line for quite a long period. If it is true that I can save 30 to 50 us dollars a month I believe I have saved ample money to get our clothes dried under the sun for so decades of year But I don't think we could save such a big a amount of money monthly. It might save 10 us dollar or so I think as the drying machine I use doesn't consume much electric power. Anyway I'm happy to hang the clothes on the line as we have sunshine day almost everyday. The tropical region we leave here having heavy rainy days twice in a year. Yeah, during this cold and wet weather day, no other choice we need to dry our clothes using the dryer. Happy posting and have a nice day
@Keola12 (799)
• United States
17 May 10
I would still prefer to put my clothes in the dryer to dry rather than hang them up on the clothes line, because a dryer saves time, and makes my clothes much softer with the help of a fabric softener sheet. From my experience, hanging on a clothes line makes clothes rough, even if I do use a liquid fabric softener in the washer, before hanging the clothes on a clothes line.
@redhotpogo (4401)
• United States
17 May 10
Of course I would, but you would need to be in a place that hot sunny weather most of the year. If there isn't enough sun to dry your clothes fast, then they're going to stink. And you'll need to keep them covered while they're out there drying, or dirt is going to get all over them, and then you'll have to wash them again.
@megamatt (14292)
• United States
17 May 10
That is why we do to begin with. We have a clothes line up outside. The fresh air makes the clothes smell better in many ways. Of course, the clothes line can only be used at certain parts of the year. Not to mention, the fact is you are at the mercy of the weather. However, when you are able to hang clothes outside, then it is a better option then throwing them in the dryer. Still it is still good to have a dryer. There might be times where you might not be able to have clothes outside for several weeks. There are spots of bad weather. The messy clothes pile up and that can be bad. Still a clothes line is a cheaper option. I cannot really imagine my backyard without one for instance. It has been there as long as I can remember.
@charylady (419)
• Philippines
17 May 10
i live in a tropical country and we always hang our clothes outside; except during the rainy season of course. i think it's wise to use solar power for drying our clothes. take advantage of the sun's heat; it's free.