A dryer is something that I grew up with in California, and I didn’t ever imagine that one could go without it. How else would you dry your clothes?
Well in Europe, and in Sweden, drying clothes one doesn’t necessarily use a drier. Usually you hang them to dry outside when the weather is nice, or in your apartment when the weather is bad.
Our apartment complex in Sweden had drying rooms. We would hang our clothes to dry, and turn on these big machines to keep the air flowing in the room and causing the clothes to dry quicker in the winter months. In the summer we would put our clothes out to dry in the yard of the apartment complex, where there was a spot for drying clothes.
Now that I live in a desert (Phoenix), I find myself not using a dryer at all. I mean, I am living in a desert! And it is surprising how quickly the clothes do dry on their own!
Living in the US, I realize there are a lot of people who just never thought to try to dry their clothes outside! So this is my challenge to you. Save some electricity. Save some fossil fuels it takes to make that electricity. And dry your clothes naturally for a week.
If you have below freezing weather, dry them inside.
If you have wet weather, dry them inside.
If you want softer clothes, get liquid fabric softener and put it in when you wash your clothes.
Not only will you save energy, but your clothing will also last a lot longer not getting beat up in the dryer!
And if you haven’t seen it yet, watch Alessio play basketball with Swedish recycling!