What's the best time to do laundry in the summer?

[XemaSab]

We've got a washer and dryer in the attached garage but they're not vented so when they're running the garage gets warm. (Venting them would require tearing up the floor and moving water to the outside wall. We're a little short on cash now, so this is not a priority.)

In the summer the uninsulated garage is warm anyways, but usually not as warm as it is outside. (To put it in perspective, it's 90 today, and it could be 100 next week. It often cools off at night, but in the summer it's almost never cool enough to have the AC off.)

There's a side door that can be opened to cut down on the humidity, but that runs the risk of letting in even warmer air.

So is the best time to do laundry 1) early in the morning while the air is still cool, 2) DAMN THE TORPEDOES! MIDDLE OF THE DAY!, 3) in the early evening so you're hopefully not adding too much extra heat to the house, or 4) late night while the temperature is still falling.

And does it make more sense to have the door open or closed for any of these scenarios, especially given that opening the door will not make it cooler, but will make it less humid?

(Yes, I know we should line dry things, but I am lazy and I know it won't get done in a timely manner.)

(Also, this exact scenario with the laundry is why we have an oven on the back porch like a bunch of hillbillies.)

[sharp_stick]

1. Can't you run

a flexible dryer vent from the dryer exhaust to a window or out the door? That would really cut the heat/humidity in the room.

[XemaSab]

2. I've thought about that

but it would have to go across the middle of the floor and the door would have to be open anyways. :P

[sharp_stick]

4. I'd do it anyway

I'd be more worried about the humidity than the heat. If it had to be more of a long term solution you could cut sort of a doggy door in the bottom of the door going outside and seal it when you're done with the dryer.

Mold and mildew just loves it nice and wet and after running a few loads of wet laundry that room must be dripping.

on edit: I'm assuming it's an electric dryer? If it's gas you really need it vented to prevent CO buildup.

[XemaSab]

6. The PG&E man said it wasn't a problem as far as CO

:shrug:

[MineralMan]

3. The dryer is the culprit in the warming. Move it, but leave

the washer on the plumbing wall. Move the dryer to the outside wall and vent it. The vent kit is cheap. You can run the dryer with an extension cord or install surface wiring for it.

Here's the thing. An unvented gas dryer is a serious carbon monoxide danger. Even with the garage door closed, it could be putting CO into your house. If it's an electric dryer, wire a new 220 outlet on the other wall.

[XemaSab]

8. Good call

:)

[leveymg]

5. In the summer you could just hang it on a line and let the sun and wind dry your clothes

Save energy, and your sheets will smell great! Good luck trying to find wooden clothes pins these days, though.

[XemaSab]

7. You want to come over and do that?

:D

[Monique1]

9. When I lived in a house with washer and dryer in the garage

I just kept the garage door open and there was also a door to the backyard from the garage. I never had a problem. I lived in Phx Az at the time.

[Monique1]

11. Forgot to mention

I did my laundry in the am to be completed by 9 am because I was on the APS budget plan. I really think doing laundry after 9pm would be the best time. It may not be cooler outside but the sun is not beating down. I am a early to bed and early to rise type of person.

[XemaSab]

13. ok

Thanks. :)

[leveymg]

12. Used to do it as a kid. We had no dishwasher or airconditioning, too. B&W TV.

Guess I've had some practice at that sort of thing. Sure. Only takes a couple minutes to hang a wash load.

Will work for a nice hopsy microbrew or Australian Shiraz. :beer:

[XemaSab]

14. I used to hang laundry as a kid too

There are some things that we should totally line dry, like sheets and towels, and there are other things that the dryer is much handier for.

Seriesly, the prospect of doing anything physical outside in the middle of the summer makes me :scared:

[leveymg]

17. First thing in the morning, then. Listen to some tunes while you have coffee.

You won't even notice how damn hot it gets so early. :grr: Bet you'll have a better day than going into that sweatbox garage.

[kestrel91316]

15. Hang laundry to dry after the sun goes down and it's cooler. Take it in,

nice and dry, early in the AM.

I live in the San Fernando Valley. Ask me how I learned this is the ONLY way to do it here.

[Ian David]

10. Wait until Eight.

Wait Till Eight! From Elk River Municipal Utilities
http://www.elkriverutilities.com/cipeight.php

[XemaSab]

16. Works for me

:D

[damntexdem]

18. When the dirty laundry piles up too high.

[leveymg]

19. Ding, ding! Give that man a ceegar!

[XemaSab]

20. Our garage already looks like a Very Special Episode of Hoarders

:scared:

[XemaSab]

21. Haha, actually

it looks more like Arachnophobia II: Revenge of the Black Widows. :scared::scared::scared:

[phantom power]

22. Clearly a trick question -- there is no good time to do laundry.

[XemaSab]

23. Not even 2 hours before you realize you have nothing clean to wear?

:P

[phantom power]

24. well... some times are less-bad than others

[XemaSab]

26. Which reminds me

I need to take plastic bags back to Safeway. :P

/not good about bringing cloth bags to the grocery store either

/failure as an environmentalist

[KT2000]

25. dryers use lots of energy

comparable to your water heater. Try line drying and see what a difference it makes in your bill. If things do not dry completely, use the dryer for about 5 minutes. That 5 minutes will also soften up things like towels that tend to be crunchy when line dried (though I like them like that). Even line drying to get things half dry will save you lots of money,

Also - definitely vent the dryer to the outside - the moisture will get into crevices of the garage and your stuff and contribute to mold growth.

Line Dry! The sun is an antiseptic and you save money to boot!

[bhikkhu]

32. - and are the largest carbon producers in many households

http://www.carbonfootprint.com/energyconsumption.html

About 2 pounds per dryer load.

[Nihil]

27. We tend to do it from mid-morning onwards ...

... as the solar h/w means that no water heating power is required! :-)

MineralMan has the answer for you though (moving the dryer only and
adding a vent) as the humidity will cause more problems than the
temperature causes discomfort.

> (Yes, I know we should line dry things, but I am lazy and I know
> it won't get done in a timely manner.)

As KT2000 said, even line drying to get things partly dry will save you
lots of money (once you remember to adjust the timer on the dryer rather
than doing the usual settings!). In your location, it's probably enough
to put the stuff out late afternoon/early evening (depending on your
schedule) and get it in before going to bed. It will be a bit of hassle
to get into the habit but you'll just have to comfort yourself by spending
some of your savings on the bottle of wine to drink in between times!

:toast:

(We also do the "tumble dry towels for 5 minutes" trick to keep them
softer but most of the other stuff tends to come off the line just about
right ... for adding to the heap that's awaiting ironing ... :P)

[XemaSab]

29. What is this ironing you speak of?

:shrug:

[diane in sf]

28. We do laundry at night here when the weather is hot and there is a lot of power demand from

the central valley to run their air conditioners. It helps prevent brownouts and it keeps the house more comfortable.

[bhikkhu]

30. I can't even conceive of running a dryer in summer

...its like running nails across a blackboard to even think about it.

We live in a low-humidity area, even the winters, so we line-dry all summer of course. Our washer is in the basement, and in winter we do a morning load of laundry and hang it on lines inside before work, or lay it out if its blankets or bigger things. Its all dry by evening.

[pscot]

31. 4:00 am.

Not only is it the coolest part of the day, it builds character. And you'll be up for the dawn chorus.