Why Clotheslines?


Experience all the benefits of clotheslines just as millions of people around the world are doing everyday. Whether it’s saving money, energy, the environment, your clothes, or yourself from the effects of using a powered clothes dryer, clotheslines can have a profound positive impact on your life. Clotheslines have and always will be the most economical, energy conserving, and caring way to dry clothes on the planet!

5 ways to make a world of difference with clotheslines...

1. Save Money

  • The Ultimate Money Saver! One of the great things about clotheslines is they keep on saving people money year after year with no ongoing maintenance or energy costs. Aside from the small cost to purchase, clotheslines are completely free to use making them the least expensive way to dry clothes.
  • Clotheslines are the most economical, efficient, and gentle way of drying clothes.
  • With their total household impact, power driven clothes dryers are the single most expensive appliance in the home to operate. According to Energy Star, powered "clothes dryers use more energy than any other household appliance, contributing to higher energy bills and unwanted carbon pollution." While operational costs will far outweigh the cost of a new clothes dryer overtime, the cost to purchase a new clothes dryer is very expensive compared to a clothesline, not to mention setup and installation.

2. Save Energy

  • Clotheslines are one of the easiest ways to save energy since you can eliminate 100% of the cost by simply hanging your clothes to dry. Powered clothes dryers are energy consuming monsters that require an average of 5 Kilowatt-hours per load of laundry. Compared to clothes washers which only use an average of 500 watts per year, a powered clothes dryer consumes an average of 5000 watts per year.
  • Energy Star does not even label clothes dryers because most of them use similar amounts of energy, which means there is little difference in energy use between models. That's why clothes dryers are not required to display Energy Guide labels nor are they listed in Energy Star’s database. Energy Star recommends to “Air dry clothes whenever possible.” The U.S. Department of Energy also says to “Consider air-drying clothes on clothes lines or drying racks. Air-drying is recommended by clothing manufacturers for some fabrics."

3. Save Your Environment

  • When it’s hot outside, that's not a good time to waste energy heating your home by using a powered clothes dryer, nor is it time to add a load to the fragile electricity grids straining under the use of air conditioners. Considering most of our electricity comes from fossil fuels and nuclear plants, it’s refreshing to know that there’s a solution to naturally dry clothes using the power of the wind and the sun that consumes no natural resources. Powered clothes dryers are also a serious fire hazard, especially during peak times and in areas prone to fires. In the USA alone, powered clothes dryers cause more than 2,900 residential fires causing approximately $35 million in property losses annually. Consider peace of mind with clotheslines!
  • CO2 released to dry one load of clothes:

Clothes Dryer: 2 kg (4.4 lb)
Clothesline: 0 kg (0 lb)

  • Take into account that the typical American household demands about 400 loads of laundry every year and you’ll quickly find that powered clothes dryers alone are responsible for 1,760 pounds of carbon dioxide every year with each load consuming 4.4 pounds of carbon dioxide. This contributes to the loss of natural habitat for plants and animals to survive which we depend upon for our own survival.
  • Clotheslines work in cohesion with nature as they produce zero carbon emissions and since no carbon is created, there's no need to offset your carbon footprint or clear up any messes. The question is, how much damage to mother nature are we willing to cause in order to have dryer-fresh clothes?

4. Save Yourself

  • Think clotheslines are a thing of the past? While clotheslines have been used for centuries to dry clothes, they still remain the most popular way to dry clothes in the world. Places such as Australia, Italy, Japan, China and many other places throughout the world use clotheslines. There are lots more benefits to clotheslines than just saving money, consider that many celebrities use clotheslines for their high end clothing including Alicia Silverstone, Rachel Bilson, and Olivia Newton-John. Clotheslines truly have no socio-economic status, affluent or not, clotheslines are used everywhere by people from all walks of life.
  • Problems arising from the implementation of a clothes dryer are more numerous than its benefits. Dryer lint and chemicals from dryer sheets, clothing dyes, and detergents also decrease indoor-air quality creating an unhealthy environment in the home. Powered clothes dryers charge your clothes with static electricity by rubbing clothes together repeatedly so if you avoid this process, you'll avoid the static. Keep in mind that all electrical appliances transmit RF Frequencies which interfere with your bodies own natural electrical frequencies so any reduction in exposure is extremely beneficial.
  • Hang drying dramatically reduces your carbon footprint and is a uniquely simple way to be self sufficient. It’s important to support ways of living that embrace and empower the planet, the people, and the environment so we do not destroy the very things that keep us alive. Doing laundry should be enjoyable, fun and provide a sense of caring responsibility. Caring for your clothing is an act that promotes healthy skin, your bodies largest organ. Get your daily dose of natural sunlight (vitamin D), fresh air, and some exercise that may help increase your range of motion for just a few of the many health benefits. Many people have found hanging their clothes to dry in the sunny breeze as therapeutic and a great way to clear your mind and gain focus. It truly is one of the best parts of homemaking!
  • Outdoor clothes drying is one of the age-old ways to freely use solar and wind energy in your everyday life. Clotheslines not only make solar and wind power cost effective, but are also one of the easiest eco-friendly actions to implement and most often provide a long lasting return on your investment in more ways than you can imagine.

5. Save Your Laundry

  • Powered clothes dryers are destroying the fabric and color of your clothes. Where do you think all of that dryer lint comes from? Did you ever wonder why clothing doesn't last as long as it used to? That gray or pink fuzz that you peel off was the fabric of your clothes and ultimately dryers reduce the life of your clothes as a result. Increase the life of your clothes and eliminate dryer lint simply by hang drying your clothes. Hang drying keeps your clothes colors vibrant and reduces fading. Energy Star recommends: “Where and when possible, air-drying clothes instead of using a dryer not only saves energy, but also helps them last longer." Besides, laundry dries faster in the heat of sunshine, so why not take advantage of this power.
  • Air-drying can reduce wrinkles. If you remove clothing from a dryer immediately and hang or fold it, most items are relatively unwrinkled; however, this requires careful timing. Clothes which have been properly hung for air-drying will dry in the right shape, virtually wrinkle-free, and will be waiting when you're ready to get them. No ironing needed if hung correctly.
  • If you use a washer and dryer, you subject your clothes to twice as much tumbling as you would if you used only a washer. Clothes dryers toss clothes around, causing wear on the seams and sometimes snagging things with zippers. Beating them on a rock is gentle compared to what those fibers go through in the clothes dryer while they are heated, slammed and scrubbed against other clothes continually for a up to an hour at a time. Those fibers get broken, pulled, torn, and worn ruining the quality fabric of your clothing. Have you ever had a shirt or pair of pants ruined by pilling? That's what a dryer does. Pilling involves tiny threads that make up your clothing to break and roll up into little thread balls. This wear and tear causes the clothing to become thinner and may look and feel like an older piece of clothing.
  • Sunshine helps to remove stains from white clothes and the ultraviolet rays destroy viruses, bacteria, fungi and dust mites. That’s Right! The sun is a natural whitener, so no need to buy any bleach. The heat from a powered clothes dryer is enough to set a stain, but it's not enough to kill much bacteria or other unwanted growth. Clotheslines give your clothes a refreshing feeling and most people love the pleasant aroma and sun-dried feeling of clothes that are Clothesline Fresh. Those generations that have carried on this sustainable family tradition have proclaimed that no one has truly lived until they go to bed on sheets dried in the fresh summer breeze. For many, clotheslines are a reminder of their childhood days when they would play or hide in the sheets hanging on the line while at the same time helping hang the clothes to dry.

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