[PhilBiker]

Hey do you think using my toaster oven for small baking needs like broiling meat is a good idea? The main oven in my kitchen is a conventional electric oven, I ususally use the toaster oven for small jobs, I figure it uses less electricity to heat such a small area. .... though the toaster oven is nowhere near as efficient as far as insulation and such. Keep the door closed and the big oven is airtight, the toaster oven has a loose door.

[JoeW]

I believe the most efficient household device for heating your food would be the microwave.

[PhilBiker]

But that has nothing to do with answering my question.

You want to broil meat or bake in the microwave, go right ahead.

[MonteQuest]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PhilBiker', 'H')ey do you think using my toaster oven for small baking needs like broiling meat is a good idea? The main oven in my kitchen is a conventional electric oven, I ususally use the toaster oven for small jobs, I figure it uses less electricity to heat such a small area.

[BabyPeanut]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PhilBiker', 'Y')ou want to broil meat or bake in the microwave, go right ahead.

[BabyPeanut]

Click
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'D')ryers are the energy comsumers in the home

By Jim Dulley, $ensible Home
February 12, 2005

Our dryer runs longer than it used to and the utility room seems chilly. The dryer is pushed back in a corner with a bend in the duct. What can I do and should I install a vent cover or vent it indoors?

— Hank W.

Dear Hank:The situation with your dryer is all too common. Dryers are one of the major energy consumers in a home. They use a lot of energy, electricity or gas, to heat the air which flows through the damp clothes. Because they blow air out of the house, they also suck huge amounts of already conditioned (heated or cooled) air from your house. This is replaced by outdoor air leaking in through cracks.

The first thing to do is move the dryer out from the wall and reposition the duct. Dryers need to have a lot of air flowing through them for effective drying. If the duct is squashed or has a tight bend in it, this can increase the resistance to air flow and greatly increase drying time.

Another potential problem is a dryer vent fire. When the squashed or kinked duct has restrictions, the air flow speed is reduced. This allows dryer lint to settle in the duct instead of being carried outdoors. Also, with the lower air flow, the air gets even hotter. Each year, houses are lost due fires starting in a lint-filled duct.

If you are cramped for space in the utility room, install a recessed dryer vent box kit in the wall behind the dryer. This allows you to move the dryer back further to the wall without pinching the duct. It is simple to install in the drywall, but you will probably need a new vent hole.

Another option is flat (only three inches deep) rectangular metal duct. It is telescopic for adjustable lengths. Run a short piece of dryer duct from the dryer to the metal duct and another straight piece to outdoors.

You will also have to cut a new outdoor vent hole with this option. The chill in your utility room during winter is likely caused by outdoor air leaking in through the dryer vent. Installing a tight-sealing outdoor vent cover is a must. The best one I have seen, which I use at my own home, is a floating-cap design by Heartland Products. It is a little pricey at $20, but it is effective. It is also easy to clean out any lint.

You can vent an electric (NEVER GAS) dryer indoors to save the heat and eliminate the loss of room air. This air is moist, so be aware of any moisture-related problems such as window sweating or mold. I partially heat my home with a corn/pellet stove, so the extra indoor moisture is welcomed. Use a dryer indoor venting kit with filters to catch any lint. Using a room fan set on low can help dissipate excess moist air if you position it well.

The following companies offer dryer vent products: Deflecto Corp., (800) 428-4328, www.deflecto.com ); Dundas Jafine, (800) 387-2578, www.dundasjafine.com ; In-O-Vate Technologies, (888) 443-7937, www.dryerbox.com ; Heartland Products, (888) 772-2345, www.heartlandnatural.com ; and Lambro Industries, (800) 645-2860; www.lambro.net.

Send inquiries to me at the address near my picture.

[pea-jay]

Didn't know that. Fortunately my dryer is situated outside of the main living space.

I try and dry with the sun whenever possible. Wife complains about the stiff clothes. Gotta use the dryer in the winter here. No sun-just rain or fog, which is not conducive to drying anything.

[MarkR]

If you can get one, get a dryer with a condenser. These don't need venting, and will heat the room they are installed in very effectively. They also provide a source of soft water for ironing.

If your house is too hot and you are actively running AC, you have to question the appropriatness of using the dryer in that situation - is there any way you could use a washing line?

[JR]

I haven't used my dryer in months. Even now in the winter, I have clothesline strung in the basement and drying racks in an unused bedroom. It only takes about a day to hang-dry clothes inside. Once spring comes, the clothes go back outside.

My gas bill dropped over a hundred dollars from one month to the next this winter when I stopped using my clothes dryer.

To help keep the clothes from being stiff either use fabric softner or vinegar in the rinse water.


Jodi

[PhilBiker]

Some newer dryers have moisture sensors built in so that as soon as the clothes are dry they kick off instead of being timed and heating up dry clothes.

[uNkNowN ElEmEnt]

Using the leg of a pair of nylons will also keep lint from being blown everywhere. Clothes really do last longer when you don't use a dryer but I can't help giving into the luxury of a soft comfy towel right after a bath.

[Ludi]

I admit I'm a clothes dryer junkie. It's a bad habit I really need to break and I'm going to work on it, just as soon as I dry this next batch of towels.....

[JR]

I really don't find my towels to be to terribly stiff as long as I use liquid fabric softener in the washer. I have heard that vinegar will do the same thing, but I haven't tried it yet.

Another way to soften up the towels a bit after line-drying is to give them a quick snap before folding them.




Jodi

[BabyPeanut]

I have an electric clothes dryer.

I added a diverter box. While I was doing the research I found out that the vinyl exaust tube that came with the house was a fire hazard so I replaced that with a metal exaust tube.

The diverter makes nice warm, moist air in the house but it needs a little air freshener spray. I'm using a frankensense product.

I use all-natural liquid softener in the wash. Ewww scratchy towels

[gg3]

Caution re. clothes lines in basements: possible mold hazard.
--
Fabric softeners also cause premature fabric wear.
--
The only sanitation/health-related requirements for use of a dryer are a) to kill & remove parasites e.g. when you know you have fleas, lice, and their eggs, on clothing, bedding, animal bedding, etc., b) to prevent formation of mold on clothes, sheets, etc. that can occur if damp clothes are hung for more than 24 hours without becoming completely dry, and c) to quasi-sterilize clothing and bedding used by people with contagious illnesses. Aside from those three cases, we should be seeking to reduce dryer usage as far as possible.
--
To reduce dryer time significantly:
Hang-dry indoors overnight; this will usually get most of the moisture out, and can reduce dryer time by half.
Get a high-speed spin-dryer. As a separate appliance, e.g. SpinX (about $450), or as the spin-tub on a twin-tub washer (about $300, also saves water in the wash/rinse cycles), these will further cut dryer time by half.
Or, some European-made front-loading washers let you adjust spin-dry speed; in this case use the highest speed offered.

Using a spinner (or high-speed spin cycle) *and* hanging overnight, you can cut dryer time by 3/4 or more. So instead of an hour per load, 10 - 15 minutes.
All of these steps require more "manual intervention" than most people are used to when doing laundry. But you save 75% or more, of the energy that would otherwise be used for the dryer. and still get fluffy towels & soft jeans.
--
My point being, this does not have to be an either/or dichotomy between the indulgence of warm & fluffy and the austerity of stiff & scratchy. As with everything else we do that uses energy, there's a viable middle ground between profligacy and puritanism.

[eastbay]

We've hung clothes out (or in) to dry for the past nine years during the days when the sun shines regardless of the temperature. I just drape them over the backyard furniture or hang them from the top of the door jambs on hangers. It's true that clothes last longer hang dried. Washed in cold water, my favorite t-shirts and jeans seem to never wear out or fade.

A trick to try on cloudy/rainy days is to pull out a few of the larger items from the washer and only stick in the drier the smaller items. That cuts down the gas usage considerably.

Anyone have any good luck with a particular clothes drying rack or stand?? I need to advance beyond draping them over the furniture. Locally, the stores have nothing other than lines.

EastBay

[JR]

Well, I have to confess I shop at Walmart. But, that's because in the little town I live it's pretty much the only store. I bought a couple of really nice accordian style wood drying racks that stand about 5 feet tall when set up. They hold quite a bit of clothes.



Jodi

[Frank]

Actually, electric ovens suck down the juice a lot quicker than dryers. Air conditioners and dehumidifiers are pretty bad too.

[gg3]

Folding dryer racks: this might be a good one:
http://shop.store.yahoo.com/awesome-clo ... index.html

Instant indoor clothes lines (and cheap too!): If you have door and/or window frames that happen to be located across from each other, you can screw little hooks into them and then make up lengths of clothes line with loops at each end that slip over the hooks.
These can be put up or taken down quickly as needed. You can set up a bunch of locations in advance so you have excess capacity available for large wash days.

Caution: Do Not set up clothes lines in proximity to "wall furnace" and "floor furnace" type heaters (serious fire hazard) unless you plan to keep a close watch on the clothes that are hanging there, and turn off the heat any time you're not watching.

[eastbay]

Went to Walmart yesterday and bought a cute 19.95 wooden dowel construction stand-up clothes drying rack. It's about 4 feet tall and holds abour one medium load of clothes. I hung out the wet clothes to try it out and take advantage of the sunny early afternoon and was pleased that the clothes weren't draped all over the yard furniture as they were in the past.

Then the wind picked up and blew the stand over, clothes and all. Looks like I need to do this in the early morning before the daily afternoon wind starts.

EastBay