Like 40 % of UK households we own a tumble dryer. Yep, and it’s not even A-rated, but then no dryer is. Well, a new dryer claims to be, but it’s really class C unless you use the A-rated programme – which takes eight hours! 

 

Tumble dryers are one of the biggest energy guzzlers in the home. The average dryer uses 875 kilowatt hours of power a year, so cutting down will save energy, money and carbon (between 300-900 kg per year).

 

Over a month ago, I made a vow to cut back on tumble drying. So have lots of people, you say. Big deal. Well, to me it really is. I grew up in a house with no clothesline, and I didn’t even know what an airing cupboard was until I moved to the UK in 1991. With five children in our house, the washer and dryer worked overtime. We used towels once, then popped them in the hamper for laundering. That’s a lot of towels, especially in a beach town, where everyone spends the summer in a swimming pool or the ocean.

 

My best friend did have a drying line (and a tumble dryer in the basement for cold or rainy days). I remember thinking ‘How quaint’, as I helped her with the pegging out, but after a few minutes of enjoying the Laura Ingalls Wilder lifestyle, it just seemed a bit too medieval. In those glossy, golden days of the early 1970s, American technology – and advertising – promised a happier future free from such drudgery. 

 

Now that I haven’t used our dryer in over a month, I’m trying to embrace my inner housewife, but she's not the cuddly type. I'm pegging out the clothes, but I can’t say I'm enjoying it (and yes, my mother thinks I'm mad). I suppose if we had a big garden, I could tuck a clothesline away in a corner, but our little patio is quickly overwhelmed – it's awkward inviting friends round for a teatime tipple at our outdoor table when our unmentionables would be wafting in the breeze just inches above their heads.

 

Also, I don't relish the idea of my clean clothes communing with nature, rubbing up against plants as insects buzz about and crawl all over them. (Hey, just because I’m trying to go greener does not mean I’m a nature lover!) So more often I simply hang the clothes on an indoor drying rack. Drying indoors means if I forget them, as I often do, they won’t get drenched in a shower (not that rain was an issue until last week).

I just found a website for eco-friendly washing lines so took a closer look. One of them costs over £200, and they’re made in Australia. Doesn't sound very ecological to me – and surely not economical. Instead, try this overhead dryer from Natural Collection (right, from £65). It’s made from unvarnished FSC-certified pine and keeps your clothes safe from summer showers.

 

Perhaps I’ll use the dryer a bit when winter comes, but hopefully I’ll stick to my ban. If I don’t use the dryer for six months, I reckon I’ll Freecycle it and put some much-needed shelves in its place.

 

If you must use your dryer, try these tips to reduce energy use:

Place the dryer in a warm location so less energy is required to heat the air inside.

Use the washer’s spin cycle to reduce moisture before drying.

Clean the lint filter after every cycle to keep the hot air moving efficiently.

Dry full loads, but be sure enough air can circulate around the clothing.

Use dryer balls to reduce drying time by 25% with no need for fabric softener sheets.

 

And if you’re getting sniffy about my daughter’s Hello Kitty towel, can I emphasise once again that I never claimed to be a green goddess. Anyway it’s surely more eco-friendly to keep the towels we have, rather than binning them to buy bamboo. What if I told you I recently turned down an all-expenses-paid trip to a 'luxurious yet eco-friendly' resort in Africa as I can’t justify the airmiles (or recommend such a faraway place as a green destination)? I could be basking on a hot beach right now instead of sploshing through puddles to get to the bus stop, so don't push me.