It's an addiction; I just can't stop...

**Valerie in WA** · 11-22-2005, 11:38 AM

...but this time I won!!!

I got the laundry to dry without using any purchased energy (just my own body's!).

Some of you may have followed my saga of living in the rainforest and being unable to line-dry the laundry this time of year. I just got my umbrella-style clothes line in August and learned to LOVE line-drying through August and September. October turned rainy, but then on a sunny day near the begining of this month, I tried to line-dry and it just didn't work. I also tried stringing a line in my attic, but that didn't work either. Several people made wise suggestions about using wooden drying racks around the house, but, truthfully, I'm not willing to do that. The four of us use every inch of our 1000 square feet.

But all that thinking gave me inspiration. This is only our second year with forced air and I was noticing how HOT the bathroom gets when you close the door. The vent is in the ceiling right in front of the door and has a deflector that pushes the air along the ceiling and toward the tub (without the deflector, the air blows on me while I'm trying to put in my contact lenses). My lightbulb popped on and I hung some wet clothes on hangers and hung them on the shower door track. Of course with shower doors, you can only use half to hang. So I went to the store and bought a tension-mounted rod and mounted it directly above the shower nozzle.

I filled that rod with hangers of clothing. I also pushed both the shower doors to the middle of the track (to allow circulation on both sides) and hung a few items at each end on the empty track. I found a 'four-skirt skirt hanger' in my closet (jeans are my usual uniform) and used it's clips, plus clothes pins to hang socks and undies. Further, I threw a couple lightweight things over the top of the shower door track in the middle. All in all, I can dry about 3/4 of a load of clothes in about about 5 or 6 hours (as long as we remember to keep the door closed. AND I can dry overnight as well (then the door will stay closed for sure). Nighttime, might prove to be the best drying time.

Wahoo!! I won!! I beat the weather!!

I'll have to take the rain out of my siggy and put the laundry-hanging back in.

**Minner77** · 11-22-2005, 11:42 AM

Great inspiration! I'm motivated now to try to reduce our reliance on our drier. Among myriad other reasons, we're renting while we build, so we're using the rental's washer and drier instead of our own, premium set (Maytag Neptune). They really are much more efficient -- drying takes forever with this current model.

(Our machines are sitting in the basement unused... would be a pain to connect, and I tell myself that we're just stretching out their lifespans!)

Blessings,
Mary

**MandiDawn** · 11-22-2005, 01:05 PM

I dry my laundry on our shower rod also. I don't do all of it (socks and undies, and towels go in dryer) but it is nice, plus they are already hung up when they are dry, so it's so much easier to put them away!!

**forestdale** · 11-22-2005, 05:53 PM

good for you, valerie. I'm so pleased you did it.

**hollyhill** · 11-23-2005, 01:17 AM

Where there is a will, there is a way! Rainforest or not.
WTG, Valerie.

**Indy Granny** · 11-25-2005, 01:41 PM

Our little bathroom also gets very hot with the door closed. I have been hanging itmes on hangers to dry overnight. Now you've inspired me to buy a tension rod to place over the shower head. I hate using the dryer any more than I just have to.

**PrairieRose** · 11-26-2005, 10:40 AM

Wow, wtg Valerie! You outsmarted mother nature

**favesis37** · 11-30-2005, 09:07 AM

awesome! good job!

**Michele Annette** · 11-30-2005, 09:24 AM

Yeah! I knew you would figure out a solution!

**MOMMYDEAREST** · 11-30-2005, 12:43 PM

i'm going to try that tonight...if its going to save me $$$$ i'm all for it

**RuthNY** · 12-01-2005, 05:42 AM

I have a friend that keeps a wooden dryer rack in her extra bathtub (she has two full baths). Maybe you coule get a small one for extra drying surface at night. Just a thought...