drying clothes on a rack - moisture?

[HawkeyeScott]

I've been using a foldable wooden/plastic clothes rack for the last 9 months or so in an effort to use our clothes dryer less. (Mostly to save money, but also just to use less energy. And it works. I do about 12 loads of laundry a month. I'm guessing the rack has cut my dryer use by 60-70%. Savings has been around $15 a month.)

Anyway, now that it's cold out, I've stopped putting the rack on the deck. (We live in a townhome and have no clothesline.) So I've been using it in the house. Now I'm wondering about potential moisture/mold problems I could be creating.

It's probably a non-issue but we've had a mold problem before and it was a nightmare. I think we're probably okay because the air in the house is so dry this time of year. This morning it's reading 20% humidity indoors. Compared to summer time, even with a bunch of jeans on the rack, there's probably less moisture in the air now.

My mom has done this for years and hasn't seemed to have had problems. I just wanted to see if you folks had any opinions. It's really a nice way to save some money and help reduce one's carbon footprint. I just want to make sure my house think's it's as cool as I do.

Best to you. Thanks a lot.

-Scott

 

[Kruse]

For clothes that I really don't worry about wrinkles, (everyday jeans, shirts, socks, etc.) I've used the drying racks for years. It puts needed moisture into the air, especially during the winter. For other items where an appearance is needed, I end up using the dryer.

 

[demarpaint]

I have a wood stove with a blower, and have a rack to dry clothes in front of it. It works great for everyday and work clothes. Savings are good, and it puts moisture into the air.

 

[Warstud]

With that low of humidity..I think you need to worry about yourself more than anything. You need to get it up to around 45%. You'll be able to breath better and it will feel warmer. If you set your furnace to say..70 deg. it will feel like 70 deg.

 

[HawkeyeScott]

Thanks guys. Never thought our air could be too dry.

And as for the wrinkles, I start all my clothes in the dryer for about 15 minutes. That helps soften them up a little and if I get them on the rack quick enough there are no wrinkles.

If you don't use the dryer at all, the clothes can get a little stiff. I have actually dried towels on the rack without using the dryer first, and they actually made noise when I used them. (Seemed extra absorbant though.) Jeans will almost stand up on their own if you don't use the dryer at least a little bit.

 

[The_Jeff]

If you have to you can put stuff outside below freezing and the moisture will sublimate away... disappear without melting. Just takes a couple days.

Think of all the people that run humidifiers and get away with it.

My idiot parents had a clothesline in their basement "to save money over the dryer" but ran a dehumidifier on setting 9, "Least humid".

But in living space you could actually use the humidity.

 

[opus1]

If your air is that dry and you're not running any sort of humidifier otherwise, I dont see this being a problem at all.

 

[JustinH]

I'm not sure if there is much savings to be had, unless you are doing laundry for an army.

We have a 1 year old regular cheapo amana electric dryer. I ended up paying 20 dollars extra for the heavy duty model that is a little larger. (or so they say heavy duty)..

Anyways, here in new york, our electric bills never go over 60-80 per month. Some months they are under 50 per month.

It seems like a heck of a lot of work to not save so much. I doubt the dryer was costing you 15 dollars per month, unless you are running it a lot.

I do like the smell of clothes that were dried outside in the warm sun, but there is no sun in Buffalo six months out of the year, and I gave up on that.

When I was younger, my mother used to hang laundry to save money. You don't see it done too much anymore..

 

[ARCOgraphite]

5000 watts at 14c/KWH = 70c/hr x 12 loads = < 8.40/mo.\\

Significant savings!

We should all do our part to lower energy dependence. Too many if Americans are too lazy and selfish to change.

 

[Bryanccfshr]

My wife hangs most my cloths this time of year up on a rack. (mostly Flannel and denim this time of year). THe front loading washer with high spin speed leaves very little moisture in the cloths plus I am in a super dry region, YOu can flat dry clothes or hang them . WE try to improve humidity in the home by not running the fan in the shower and not exhausting cooking steam but it makes no real difference it is DRY.
I have to use olive oil on y feet and hands to keep from cracking.

 

[mechtech2]

Your rack sounds like a win/win/win for all sorts of reasons.

But charts for humidity levels on humidifier systems call for less humidity as the outside temps drop. At zero F, it is about 25%. Get up to 30-40 and it goes to about 40%.

 

[jcwit]

As mechtech 2 says its a win/win all the way around. Even the cats like it, less shocks when we pet them!!

 

[HawkeyeScott]

This is similar to the one I use - link below. (Yes Basil, nice ...ahem...rack.) Wal Mart has them for about $12. My wife has got in the habit of using it too which has me wondering if I should invest in another. As far as the savings, I'm only estimating. Drying is the only thing we've cut back on and our bills are $15 to $20 less than they were a year ago. To my knowledge, electricity has not gone down that much.

It is some extra work, but I have more time than money and it makes me feel better.

http://store.laundrylist.org/Robbins_Wooden_Clothes_Drying_Rack_14_p/20-001.htm

 

[Kestas]

I've been doing it for decades. I've always had clotheslines in the basement for winter drying... outside for summer drying (except for unmentionables).

I can't see spending money to dry clothes when it can be done for free, especially when you consider some of the herculean efforts we go through to save gasoline. Though I agree with some of the posts above -- the savings aren't all that great.

 

[andyd]

Dont get the rack too close to the wood stove. I ruined a nice turtle neck that way. Wood heat is a labor vs money thing to begin with. The old school mind set was if you didn't have to spend money, it was better. The old ones wouldn't believe how wasteful we are. The lessons and hardships of the Depression stayed with them for a life time.

 

[Virtuoso]

I don't know how much it costs us to run our dryer..but we wash too many clothes to hang them. Not enough time. It's muuuch faster to just dry them.

It would add some needed moisture, though. In our old house, we only had a washer and no dryer. I'd park one of the drying racks above a furnace vent. Dried them out in a hurry!

 

[crinkles]

electric driers and hot water heaters should be illegal! i am also on an efficieny spree in our home to get our use to 18 kW.hr per day (we have EVERYTHING electrical). we are 5 people.

Reason for the 18? we buy 18 kW.hr in renewable energy so if we get down to that we are using no coal in making our power. it is however an indirect process so i hope the auditors whoop the arse of the power company.

 

[Kestas]

On a somewhat related note... if our country was truly serious about saving energy, we'd get rid of the stupid laws that ban outdoor clothes drying.

 

[HawkeyeScott]

Agreed. All of the townhouses in our neighborhoods have 2nd story decks. I would love to ask my nieghbors to agree to hang a clothes line and pullies between our decks. (Think: Little Italy.) But I'm pretty sure the homeowners assn. won't go for it. The rules here actually ban box fans in the windows. That's absurd...and one rule I don't follow.

Rules like that will have to go someday.

 

[Mr_Joe]

We have a woodstove & the wife dries lots of clothes on a rack near the stove. In the summer it's the clothes line. With the dry winter air the clothes are dry in no time. I don't think you would have a problem, even without the added heat of a stove.