Laura Allen, who helped changed the grey water laws in California, conserves energy too by air drying her clothing.

What’s the big deal about hanging laundry out to dry? My guess is the dryer is just too convenient. I’ve read that back in 1981 only about 13% of American households had dryers, but now almost 80% do.  Personally I love my clothesline. It was definitely one of the old Italian lady features that charmed me when I moved into my house 15 years ago. But besides nostalgia, there are other reasons to get out the clothes pins. If you’re trying to save money you can save between $100-300 a year by hanging your clothes out to dry. You’ll also be doing the environment a favor as well. According to the US Energy Information Administration  ” a typical household could save 1500 pounds of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere by hanging out clothes.” If that doesn’t convince you, here’s a few more reasons to switch:

Hanging laundry gets you outside in the fresh air away from that annoying computer.

Sunlight will naturally bleach and disinfect your clothes, just turn the black stuff inside out.

Line dried laundry smells great.

Your clothes will last longer and shrink less.

Tara Hui, a San Francisco urban farmer and featured farmer in Backyard Roots hangs her laundry on the line.