Cheap and Green: Dryer Venting Inside the House

Ours look like this one from the HQ article - around $12 at the local hardware store

It happened this week. The cold hit town. On Sunday it snowed all day. The heater has been working hard! And the heater was sucking the humidity right out of the house.

So, I busted out the secret weapon - the alternative dryer vent. (Actually, all I had to do was flip the lever since the device was already installed.) It vents heat and humidity into the house rather than away from it. It is not nearly so green as the clothesline in the backyard, but clothes don't dry very fast when the temp is below freezing. So, if you are going to be using a dryer anyway, you might look into this to help your heater take a break.

WARNING: If your dryer is gas-powered, don't even think about it - this is only an option for people with electric dryers. And it is crucial that you clean the lint out often.

Here are two articles to familiarize yourself with the practice and with potential pitfalls.

Ebay Article: Can You Vent a Dryer Inside?

Homespot HQ Blog: Keeing the Dryer Heat Inside

May you be warm and need less lip balm while wasting less energy.

Hang Time (Crunchy Clothes) Revisited

When we last discussed hanging your undies out to dry, it was the middle of August (8-13-13), and those suckers would dry quickly. If done with a little care, I could hang stuff up after work and it would be dry before bedtime.

But here it is November, and it takes longer to dry things, and it takes some planning on my part. Really, with the 8-5 job and all the trappings of a modern life, only Saturdays now give me time to hang anything up. Therefore, the dryer has been overly busy and the laundry line has been mostly neglected.

But today, I found a little inspiration in the Ask Umbra column. I'll be busting out the clothespins this weekend.

The Winter of Our Discontent(ed laundry)

May your clothessicles flap happily this winter!