Can a Clothes Dryer Be Green?

Many people are measuring their carbon footprint these days, trying to make choices that limit the greenhouse gases that they release into the atmosphere. When it comes to drying clothes, the question is natural: Can a clothes dryer be green? The short answer is no. The long answer is maybe.

Clothes dryers use more electricity than any home appliance other than the refrigerator. There is no easily conceivable way to trim the dryer's electricity needs. The heat required to dry clothes can only be produced by massive amounts of energy. If you want to green your laundry, you'll have to dry your clothes the old fashioned way: on the line.

But, let's face it. Sometimes, line drying clothes is a pain. In some parts of the country, humidity levels are so high that clothes take days to dry. In others, the freezing conditions of winter mean that clothes drying is an indoor proposition. So, how can you limit the environmental damage?

Buy only a modern dryer with a working moisture sensor and use it. The moisture sensor will turn off the machine as soon as your clothes are dry, saving many kilowatts of electricity during each laundry cycle.

Avoid dryer duct diverters, which channel heat from your dryer's exhaust back into your home. If you have a gas dryer, the gas fumes can kill you. Even if you don't, the resulting mildew infestation from the damp dryer air won't be worth it.