Ditch the tumble dryer
Dry clothes outdoors using the elements
Your Challenge
Use the power of nature to dry your clothes outside on a sunny or windy day. It’s free and much better for the planet.
Even if you don’t have outside space, you can still dry clothes inside, with a clothes-horse or airer. Make sure the room is well ventilated (open a window) and never hang wet clothes over electrical radiators!
Why you're doing this
Tumble dryers are one of the most energy hungry appliances in your home, because they have to produce high temperatures for long periods while tumbling clothes around. This means higher energy bills too.
Reducing our demand for energy where possible means renewable energy is more likely to meet our needs and we are less reliant on supplementing the energy supply with fossil fuels. By working with nature and the elements, we can save money, save energy and save the planet.
Tumble drying also releases microfibres as the high heat and movement cause fibres to break off and shed and every gram of microfibres can contain thousands of strands!
How you'll make a difference
Even energy efficient tumble dryers have a large energy consumption per cycle. For example, tumble dryers with an A++ rating can consume 1kWh for half a cycle, and up to 2kWh for a full cycle! That’s equivalent to boiling a full kettle 30-60 times! Think about how much energy you could save, not to mention the reduction in your bills.
Track your progress
in the My Footprint App
Track your progress and discover many more challenges in the My Footprint app. Available for iOS and Android devices.
