Clothes Dryer – How to Choose an Eco-friendly Clothes Dryer

Having a clothes dryer can be an asset in wet weather. If you’re tempted to get one, but environmentally concerned, here are some things to consider.

• Clothes dryers generally dry your clothes by heating and blowing air through them as they’re tumbled around in a drum. They obviously require power to do this, so they’re never going to be the cheapest option for drying your clothes. When you look, check out the energy efficiency ratings for the machines you’re considering, and go for a machine with the best rating you can find if you want to keep power consumption and running costs as low as possible. Size-wise there generally isn’t a big difference in running costs, so going for a small dryer of 3.5kg rather than a 5kg probably won’t have a huge impact on reducing the energy you’re using to run it, or on your power bill.
• Some combo washer-dryers work by extracting the moisture by using a condenser cooled by tap water, and this can be more energy efficient. Rather than being collected in a filter lint condenses with the water and goes down the drain. However, whilst this method of drying may save energy, it uses a lot of water for the condenser cooling process. These machines generally take a long time to complete drying a load, too.
• If you want to be eco-friendly to the micro-climate you have in your house, a clothes dryer with the facility to duct the moisture it extracts from your laundry outside is definitely the way to go. If that’s not possible, it’s really important to ventilate as much as you can when you’re using the dryer. A build up of moisture can lead to condensation, mould and mildew, and generally isn’t good for the fabric of your home. Removing lint from the filter regularly, and fluff and dust from the ducting occasionally is important. It’ll ensure your dryer’s operating as efficiently as possible, and reduces the risk of it becoming a fire hazard.
• Manual dryers require you to set the length of time you want your clothes to be dried for. Over-drying can shorten the life span of your clothes by speeding up general wear and tear. Sensor dryers take the guess work out by drying your clothes only for as long as necessary, and may therefore be kinder to your clothes. They’re usually more expensive, though.
• Going for the solar powered alternative to a clothes dryer whenever you can is a great option if you want to be eco-friendly. Clotheslines utilise sun and wind which are entirely free and totally sustainable. A good compromise is to make a clothesline your regular way of drying your laundry, with the reassurance of knowing you can use your clothes dryer as a back-up whenever necessary.