Air drying laundry revisited - A rolliing rack

[eleny]

Excel Energy recently asked for a 19% rate increase for natural gas here in Colorado. I don't know if they'll get that much. But it made me so ticked off that I decided to do something that would make it easy for me to keep to my resolve to hair dry the laundry.

I got myself this folding garment rack from Bed, Bath & Beyond.


I don't have a basement or any space to stash an upright clothes rack so I needed something that folded down pretty flat. I would have looked for a used one from a store if we had room to store one that doesn't fold down. I had a 20% off coupon and got a break that way.

I like to dry tee shirts on hangers and pants using a pants hanger. Anything that can take a hanger gets dried like that to avoid creasing. I used it for the first time today. When the clouds rolled in this afternoon I just rolled it into the back hall from the yard and back out again when it didn't wind up raining.

It's not for everyone. But our climate is pretty arid and clothes can dry quickly on a sunny day. I'm delighted with how easy it is to get a whole bunch of clothes on the rack. This method is easier for me than using a line and clothespins. And it's lightweight enough to roll around even full of clothes.

For the rest of the laundry - towels, underwear & bedding, I use a couple of accordion free standing racks. Now I'm all set, rain or shine, 12 months a year. I'll just use a cold dryer to fluff some things or dry the wash in an emergency.

[NMDemDist2]

1. I'm not doing well in this department

my mobile home is small and we smoke in it so I don't want to hang stuff in here

outside is dusty, windy and pollen filled so hubby can't hang with outdoor dried stuff except at certain times of the year.

I'm stymied

[eleny]

2. That sure is a dilema

I can't seem to keep my grocery bill down with buying organics. But we cut corners where we can.

[NMDemDist2]

3. yeah,

we're doing great $$$ wise now. but organics aren't really that available around here so that dilema isn't on the list....

:rofl:

[eleny]

4. But you're starting to deal with that by growing some of your own

Can't beat that solution!

[NMDemDist2]

5. nope, garden died when I went to work

:cry:

[eleny]

6. Separation anxiety?

Really, what happened?

[NMDemDist2]

7. heat wave

and I wasn't there to rig up the shade cloth I had planned

[eleny]

8. Our western sun can be crazy powerful

[kestrel91316]

10. Try a fall garden once it cools off a tad.

[kestrel91316]

9. Maybe move the smoking outside?

[NMDemDist2]

11. we did that in Arizona for years

it's my house, I smoke

I smoke in my house.

[eShirl]

12. oh well

[eleny]

13. A follow up report

This rolling rack has worked out well. I can roll it around to sunny spots easily as the shadows fall in the backyard. Yesterday I tossed a fitted sheet over it and it was dry in no time.

This isn't for everyone but I wanted to report that every time I use it I'm delighted with the decision. It's made things much easier on me. I hope I can keep using it through the cold months. Looks like my dryer will only be there for when I'm not feeling well enough to fiddle with this method.

I won't know about the savings since our last bill covered up until August 9th. Next bill will cover 3 weeks of my not using the dryer.

[Longhorn]

14. I'm not using a rack but I'm hanging my clothes out on three

retractable clotheslines and I have the same feeling of satisfaction every time I do it. It doesn't get that cold here but I might need to come up with an alternative for when it does. I was thinking we could use the retractable clotheslines in the garage. There wouldn't be as much length but it would be warmer and out of the rain, if and when we get some again.

The rack is a good idea, too, though. It looks like it holds a lot of clothes! :hi:

[eleny]

15. Hi!!!

First, I'm glad you had a good time on vacation! You picked a good time as the weather was good.

I plan on rolling the rack into the garage during the winter and leaving it there to use throughout the cold months. Be happy you have that warmer climate all year, at least for this purpose. Hubby has a heater in the garage to keep it at about 50 degrees. So, it can now earn its keep this winter and dry the laundry. I like your idea of putting a line in he garage. Those retractables are so handy and then disappear out of sight. I'm going to have to figure out how to put one back in the laundry/mud room. The hot water heater is back there and can help with the drying.

If we have as much snow as we did last winter, I'll definitely have to put on my thinking cap for alternatives. But I'm determined to air dry come good weather or bad.

:hi:

[hippywife]

16. I posted this in another thread a long time ago, but

because we have such a tiny house, rolling racks don't work well for us. We solved the problem by getting some decorative iron wall hanging and put it up perpendicular to the wall like a shelf, rather than flush against it. We made sure to use anchors and some decorative but sturdy chain to add support, added some decorative items on top.

Pic here of what it looks like when not in use:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=353&topic_id=1636&mesg_id=1641

Voila! a very tiny space holds lots of clothes to dry inside when it's yucky outside. Note how small this space is. It's the "hallway", if you can call it that, just beyond our kitchen between the bathroom door on the left and the door to a small spare bedroom on the right.