Urban Blog

When I was a freshman in college, one load of laundry cost $4-$5, and most of it was because of the dryer. I like having clean clothes, but I was not about to pay that much just to dry them. My roommate and I bought a drying rack, and every weekend we would have wet clothes all over the house to dry. We were young and inexperienced, and there are much better alternatives today that have the same financial benefits.

But first, we should address the stereotypes of living without a dryer.

MYTH 1: It’s rural. Wasn’t it on the prairie that people used clotheslines? This is the 21^st century! What about science!

TRUTH: Science says that drying clothes is actually bad for the fibers, and can fade out the colors faster. This is even worse if you use fabric softener. Switching to using a drying rack or clothes line can make your clothes last longer and for free.

MYTH 2: My clothes will be stiff and scratchy without a dryer.

TRUTH: Not necessarily. If you use the right soap and make sure your clothes are well ventilated, your clothes will be nice and soft. Just make sure you get your clothes drying right away. It’s an added bonus if you live somewhere with good clean air; then your clothes will smell fresh too.

MYTH 3: I don’t live in an area with good air; in fact, I don’t even have a backyard to put up a clothesline.

TRUTH: You can hang up a clothesline indoors, or use a wide range of drying products that dry your clothes quickly and are subtle. You don’t need to have an apartment that looked like mine as a freshman; you can be sophisticated and money-wise. Urban Clotheslines has products especially made for those of us in the big or not as big cities, with limited space and no yards.

For me, it was all about savings. Dryers cost a lot of money upfront and a lot of energy down the road. In total, that can be as much as an extra $150 – $200 a month. Going to a laundromat is not much better, and you never know if you will get your clothes back in one piece. If using a sleek retractable rack means that I save money, but also cut back on fossil fuel use and heat pollution, then that just makes the whole deal a bit sweeter. Come and see what Urban Clothes Lines has to offer, or contact us if you have more questions about finally leaving that dryer in the dust where it belongs.