Which is better, an extra rinse or the dryer?

September 12, 2008 5:15 PM

Which is better for the environment: a second rinse with vinegar or drying with something aside from dryer sheets?

I'm trying to do my part here, and for a while was line-drying all my shirts (also to avoid shrinkage). But they all end up rather stiff and linty, which is uncomfortable and also unattractive. I'm wondering which, in the long run, is better: using additional water and energy on a second rinse cycle with vinegar, or using additional energy drying them with something like dryer balls (which I use with the rest of my laundry, but they don't necessarily remove all the static)? Or if there's something else I'd love to hear suggestions!

posted by kindle to home & garden (10 comments total)

*By "a while" I mean years! But I've just upgraded my wardrobe with many new lovely shirts and they are so soft and comfy compared to everything else now! I'm afraid of them looking worn-out before their time, and I'm really trying to step-up my work clothes.
posted by kindle at 5:18 PM on September 12, 2008

I've never used either vinegar or dryer sheets (or really any sort of laundry gadget at all) and my clothes dry up just fine. I'd imagine not using a product at all like I do is the most environmentally friendly way to use a machine to do your drying. Is that an option?
posted by majick at 5:23 PM on September 12, 2008

You could try using fabric softener in your wash cycle for the things you line dry. Dryer balls don't really work.

Or you could just go for the middle ground and only line dry sheets and towels and do your work clothes the conventional way.
posted by electroboy at 5:37 PM on September 12, 2008

If your shirts are ending up stiff and linty after line drying, that says to me that you're using more detergent than you need to and/or your lint filter is full and/or your water could use softening and/or you're washing bigger loads than your machine can handle.

Tumble driers use metric shitloads of energy (certainly more than an additional rinse cycle would, assuming the rinse water is cold) and take years of life off fabrics compared to line drying. Avoid if possible.
posted by flabdablet at 6:36 PM on September 12, 2008

I line dry everything, and I think lint isn't much of an issue for me because I religiously separate lint givers from lint takers when I do the wash. Anything that produces lint goes in the "lint load" (which is usually the light load, since none of my nice clothes are light colored). Lint givers would be fuzzy socks, washcloths, towels, fleece, all that sort of stuff.

My all-cotton stuff can come off the line a bit stiff, but I actually like that.
posted by PatoPata at 8:43 PM on September 12, 2008

I rinse once with half a cup of vinegar in place of liquid fabric softer. No problems with my laundry.
posted by All.star at 10:03 PM on September 12, 2008

Vinegar is about as environmentally innocuous as one could ask for. How much the water is an issue is a function of your location.

Looking at what flabdablet said - avoid trying to cram the washer brim full to run fewer loads. It's harder on the motor, so it's going to draw more juice and/or die at a younger age, and you're clothes won't end up as clean.

Will your dryer allow you to tumble with no heat for 5 - 10 minutes? That might help soften up your line dried stuff. It takes a lot of energy to produce heat vs. run a motor. (Compare the amperage a hair dryer pulls vs. a box fan.)
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 1:47 AM on September 13, 2008

I line dry as much as possible. Lots of shirts get a quick dryer spin, with a damp dishtowel, to dewrinkle & soften. Still using a lot less fossil fuels.
posted by theora55 at 6:06 AM on September 13, 2008

Take clothes out of washer, shake to remove wrinkles, put in dryer on the air fluff setting for about 10 minutes to remove lint, then hang. Segregate items that generate lots of lint from the rest of the wash.

A second rinse with vinegar won't do much for getting the lint off.
posted by yohko at 10:41 AM on September 14, 2008

If you do use dryer sheets, cut them into quarters. You'll still get the softness and anti-static benefits, a box will last you a year, and opening the dryer door won't send you into sneezing fits.
posted by bink at 7:03 PM on September 15, 2008