Simple Green: Clean Out The Lint Filter

Maybe we're weird, but we've always loved cleaning out the lint filter. Which turns out, is a very green thing...

A statistic we read recently said that the average U.S. home spends $135 a year in energy costs drying clothes. And it turns out that a clogged lint filter uses 30 percent more energy to get the job done.

So next time drying on a line isn't possible and you put clothes in the dryer, make sure you get clean out any trapped lint bunnies.

photo: via stock xchang/antSthetic

Comments (3)

Whoa! Cleaning the lint screen in your dryer is NOT optional. If you don't clean it you run a serious risk of a house fire. Way more clothes dryers go up in smoke from clogged lint screens than you can imagine, and a big smoldering mess that used to be your house is definitely not green.

i agree, it's super important! my mom's fancy new dryer beeps at us if the lint isn't cleaned out before every new load.

for the camping types, some boy scouts i know recommend balling up dryer lint and mushing vaseline into it, then storing it in a film canister - take it out and fluff it apart a little, and apparently it's a great firestarter.

A word to the wise: air-dry clothes whenever possible. Dryers are ROUGH on clothes, even when set on low temperatures. (High temps, of course, use up more energy and wear your stuff out faster.)