Ironing takes a lot of time. It’s not only serious drudgework; it uses energy we don’t really need to consume.
The typical clothes iron uses between 1,000 and 1,800 watts of power. If using a midrange 1,400-watt iron an average of an hour a day, you’ll consume over 500 kilowatts of electricity a year. Using it just half an hour a day requires more than 250 kilowatts per year. Most of us tend to iron less than that, but here’s some other surprising energy math: Take the average U.S. residential electricity cost of 11.8 cents per kilowatt hour, that means paying between $30 to $60 per year just for a nicely pressed wardrobe! Time for an alternative.
To look your best without breaking out the ironing board, and saving energy and cash in the process, here are some tips:
*Drying wet laundry outdoors on a clothesline often negates the need for ironing—like the tumbling action of a dryer, the breeze keeps clothing moving to prevent wrinkles, energy-free.
*Speaking of dryers, removing clothes from the dryer while it’s still tumbling or right when it stops and hanging them right away, helps keep wrinkles away.
*Taking clothes from the dryer while they’re still damp and letting them finish drying on a hanger will stop most wrinkling, too.
