Do We Really Need Clothes Dryers?
August 2nd, 2007, 15 Comments »
For the past seven years, I’ve probably used a clothes dryer once a month. I wish this were out of some kind of smug ecological sensitivity, but it’s more practical than anything. Here’s why?
- We lived in Ireland, and we had a combination washer/dryer device in our flat. This is a ridiculous, useless invention. The washer part works okay, but the dryer function doesn’t merit that term. You’d have more success if you microwaved your moist clothes.
- Since a massive growth spurt in my teens, I’m paranoid about my clothes being too short (in particular, my trousers). It’s irrational, I know, and I’m excellent at doing laundry, so I almost never shrink my clothes. Still, hanging clothes to dry is the safest way to go.
- We only have a washing machine in Malta. We dry clothes using the nearest star to the Earth.
In short, we’ve just gotten into the habit of hanging clothes on a rack to dry. That fact that the dryer is a big, idle electricity sucker is just a bonus.
Now, I’d imagine that a family with young children produces a crapload of laundry, so it would be more difficult to go dryer-free. And it’d be pretty unpleasant to go to the laundry mat, wash your clothes, and then cart them home, dripping wet, to hang up.
So I’m not ready to be prescriptive on this one just yet. Riddle me this: why do we need clothes dryers?