June’s Top Tip

This month………….. Make summer work for you and the planet by ditching the tumble drier!

One of the biggest carbon emitting energy behaviours in our homes comes from drying our clothes using a tumble drier. The energy needed to heat the air and dry your clothes makes this activity one of the worst for the planet in our home lives. So make the most of the more frequent sunny and dry weather and get your washing lines up and air dry your clothes outside. Even when the weather is not so great, using a clothes horse to air dry your clothes in a sunny, dry or ventilated indoor spot can do the job too. The numbers – swapping from the tumble drier to air drying can save on average 93Kg Co₂ e/year, but depending on how frequently you need your clothes drying, this saving could range from 5- to an impressive 691Kg Co₂ e/year, making it one of the best swaps you can make in your home. So the next time your tumble drier gives up, don’t bother replacing it if you can and make use of line drying when the weather allows and strategic air drying using already heated spaces in the colder months.

Other benefits to line drying include increasing your time outside doing something physical – hang out the laundry and spend ten minutes listening to the birdsong and garden sounds, you may find it a nice calming activity to break up the day with. It can also be beneficial to your clothes too, as the UV rays from sunlight are said to have a disinfecting effect on laundry, as well as allowing it to air naturally (https://www.thespruce.com/reasons-to-line-dry-laundry-2145997). You could also reduce your energy bills by ditching another piece of high energy consumption equipment. Of course, if it still has use, either use your drier to the end of its natural life or recycle, please do not landfill even if you are ready to live without it.

So when you open the curtains and see the sun is shining, take a few quiet minutes outside to line dry your laundry and enjoy clothes dried naturally which haven’t cost the Earth 👕🍃