No Ironing Method

I’m not exactly sure how applicable this is here, but it is a skill that my family has used for years to help with the electric bill and the environment. I have ironed perhaps twice in my life, and I can count the number of times I’ve seen my mom iron on one hand, so it works quite well.

1. Put ~1 cup or so of plain white vinegar in your rinse cycle. This will NOT make your clothes stink of vinegar and it will give you cleaner, less staticy/linty/wrinkly clothes with less soap residue. You can also put in 1/2 cup of baking soda to boost your detergent. We use about half as much as recommended on the box by putting it in the bottom of the empty washer and turning on the cycle so that it will all dissolve before adding clothes. This will make sure you don’t have any stray soap stains.

2. We dry our clothes on wooden racks that can be bought fairly cheaply and kept for a long time. On top of that, drying them in this way outside/with the windows open during the warmer months will keep your clothes fresh smelling (though I suppose this would not be such a good idea in the city). Generally we don’t bother doing underwear or socks this way, but all sorts of towels can be hung out as well. They may be scratchier but they will absorb more water.

However this method will still work if you go from washer directly to dryer. It just won’t save quite as much electricity because you’ll be using the dryer to dry the clothes instead of letting them dry on the line.

3. Place anywhere from 4-6 tennis balls in your dryer. They will NOT harm your dryer. I suppose you could put more than that but I have never tried. I would also advise you to let people know that it is simply tennis balls in the dryer as they will make banging noises quite frequently.

4. You can put more clothes in if they are already dry, but I would not do an extra large load. The balls need space to move around. Generally when my dad does his work clothes (he has to wear professional attire) he does them straight from the washer in loads of 10-12 shirts and/or pants at a time on medium for 15-20 minutes. You basically do the same with the dry clothes only, of course, I put in more at a time. There is no need for dryer sheets or anything else. If you happen to have a particularly wrinkly piece of clothing, wet a clean washcloth and stick it in with the rest of the clothes and the balls. It will help get the wrinkles out, although if you do the vinegar you shouldn’t have really wrinkly clothes to begin with.

5. Gather hangers; You will need to hang up your clothes as soon as they come out of the dryer.

That’s basically it! :) You can also save money by making your own laundry detergent. It is easy and cheap, and a lot can be made at the same time. This recipe is supposed to work well, but a quick google should give you many options.