Do it better: air dry your laundry!
The wind and the sun take care of the drying.
The weather is nice, we play outside, we get dirty, we wash our clothes. Why not take advantage of this beautiful sun to dry our clean clothes in the open air rather than in the dryer?
Unlike the energy-intensive use of the machine, drying your t-shirts outside has no impact on the environment. The wind and the sun do all the work. Two forms of renewable energy combined in one.
“The only cost is the calories burned by the person hanging the laundry,” laughs Emmanuel B. Cosgrove, general manager of the non-profit Ecohabitation. .
In addition to the energy it expends, the complex machine that is the dryer also has an ecological impact at the time of its manufacture. A cost obviously much greater than that of a simple clothesline or clothes rack, which can also last longer and have no maintenance costs.
For a typical dryer, the consumption is 900 kWh/year, which corresponds to approximately 6000 km of road traveled with an electric vehicle (average of the Hyundai Kona and the Tesla 3), i.e. crossing the Canada from Cape Breton (Nova Scotia) to Vancouver (BC), according to Ecohabitation estimates.
Good for clothes?
According to Mélissa de La Fontaine, author , consultant and zero waste lifestyle expert, drying clothes outside would also be better for your clothes.
The small foams and dust that we find in our dryer are in fact bits of clothing fibers that crumble during drying. Drying your clothes in the open air prevents this wear and therefore allows them to be kept longer. (We know how polluting the fashion industry is, so take care of our precious jeans!).
And inside?
< p>Hanging out is perfect. Extending indoors (if you don't have a balcony) requires a little more care. As summers are generally more humid, you should avoid putting your clothes dryer indoors to prevent the potential creation of mold (unless you start the dehumidifier or enjoy good air circulation inside). his home).
The generally drier winters – in particular because of the heating which dries the ambient air – are more conducive to indoor drying of our loads.
Unless you are really in a hurry, there is therefore not really a good reason to favor the dryer in summer, concludes Emmanuel B. Cosgrove.
Tips-to-optimize air-drying free
– Dry sweaters on hangers for easy storage in the closet
– Buy a good rackthat allows air to circulate between damp clothes
– Do not overload the dryer to speed up drying
– Determining washing days according to the weather and choosing dry, sunny days
These tips were provided by Marie-Sophie Berruex, expert in minimalist lifestyle.
Our Do It Best series features good behaviors to improve the plight of the planet. To make a difference, enweille in the Environment section!
