Skipping the dryer in your laundry routine for even 6 months out of the year can prevent the emission of 700 pounds of carbon dioxide. If that weren't enough of a reason to line-dry, your clothes smell better when you do, and you reduce the risk of dryer fires.
This collapsible wooden drying rack from Abundant Earth is made from rescued mill ends that would otherwise be chipped and burned, the wood harvested sustainably from second growth forests in the first place.
Available for $79.95 here.
posted originally from: AT:San Francisco
Also, for an eco-friendly double-punch, Maggie's Soap Nuts are the dried fruit of the Chinese Soapberry tree containing saponin, a natural cleaner. These can be used in place of conventional laundry detergent by putting the Soap Nuts in a cotton sack, and dropping the sack in with your laundry. Harvesting the berries of the Soapberry tree provides a disincentive for cutting the trees down for firewood. 
Two questions:
1) How do you fold/unfold that drying rack without becoming entangled in it yourself?
2) How do the soapberry's know to stop soaping when you're trying to rinse the clothes after the soaping part?
view kate's profile
I'll definitely try that vinegar tip... thanks!
And... how often do you need to replace the soapberries?
view shani-o's profile
The drying rack looks like the same one I use. I just make sure to keep my head out of it when I close it up. Sometimes I forget and I can only laugh at myself.
Apparently the soap nuts don't know the difference between washing and rinsing because they clean as they rinse. One thing is for sure, my clothes have never been softer since I have been using soap nuts.
view Lucky Lady's profile
I have cheapo drying racks from bed, bath & beyond. They're not the best, but they work. Since we have a little apartment, and tend to generate a lot of dirty clothes, I try to dry just one load for every two loads washed. I don't mind air drying towels and sheets, it's just that they take up a huge amount of space on the racks.
view vera in dc's profile
Other benefits of using drying racks: your clothes will last longer, you can sometimes skip ironing on cottons and cotton-blend fabrics if you drape them right to dry.
The soapberries look interesting - are they OK for high E washers? The manual that came with my high E dryer was really particular that I use only high E detergent. Not sure how much I want to believe that as the high E detergents are just as chemical laden as the regular ones.
view Kuri's profile
Even if someone cannot completely give up their dryer, you can at least use a drying rack until the clothes are dry, and then give them a 5 or 10 minute fluff in the dryer. That's way better than 50 minutes in the dryer and your clothes will feel the same!
Its about reducing, not just eliminating!
view supapfunk's profile
I'm a student at Pomona College in Claremont, California and recently spent a good amount of time looking into the various clothesline and drying rack options since Pomona is going to purchase some for student use and I wanted to get the best available racks for us.
In my research, I was shocked to find that there is NO good website explaining all the different clotheslines and drying rack options, so I made my own! It's a wiki page on the Tip the Planet sustainable living wiki that ANYONE CAN EDIT. You can check it out here: http://www.tiptheplanet.com/index.php?title=Air_dry_washing I'm trying to spread the word so that the site becomes a clearing house for drying rack information, and people have to spend less time scouring the web for the best products. Have a look, share it with your friends, and by all means add your wisdom!
Take care,
Chelsea
view ChelseaH's profile