My Solar-Heated, Wind-Powered Clothes Drier

By G. E. Shuman

Okay. Here is the column I’ve been anxious to write. Hopefully, you’re anxious to read it, too. If not, read it anyway. It has the potential to save you a lot of energy dollars. No, I’m not kidding. It really does.

I want to tell you about a great invention that will save you all of those dollars, but first I want to tell you about one which won’t save you as much. Last spring our family purchased a new washer and drier. We had to. The ones we were using were so old they were almost embarrassing to look at, even though we kept them down in the basement. They were rusted and had been repaired, by yours truly, more times than I want to think about. They, by now, have been melted down and made into car bumpers or something. Well, not car bumpers. Those are plastic.

Anyway, we got this new ‘laundry pair,’ as they are called by the appliance dealers. I have to say, they really are pretty energy efficient things. They’re just not as energy efficient as the appliance I will eventually get around to telling you about before the end of this column. (Please refer to title.) You know, it used to be that you could tell how much an appliance cost by the number of knobs on it. The more basically useless features, the more knobs. Later, most of the knobs disappeared and were replaced by nearly countless buttons. Remember when they were actually called ‘push buttons?’ I do. Well, these new appliances each still have one big knob, but the buttons have been replaced by touch pads. I can understand, to a point, why a washer has cycles, temperatures, and so on, for different loads and types of fabrics. But that drier is just way over done, and I want to talk about that. The thing has enough touch pads, timers, lights and indicators to run a space shuttle. It has buzzers, a digital display, and even a button to turn the signal which tells you the clothes are dry, louder and softer, or on and off. I always figured that the clothes were dry when the drier shuts off. All of these things are there to make our new drier more energy efficient, and earth-friendly. Hopefully the advertising is correct, and we will save the planet by using this machine instead of the old one, but I don’t think so. As fancy as the drier looks, it still has the same basic heritage as the one now in the appliance bone yard. It has a massive spinning drum which tumbles and beats the heck out of your clothes. It also has a large heating element, just like the old one, and a two hundred twenty volt, electricity-sucking supply cord, which is still aptly named a ‘pigtail.’ The new drier, just like the old one, has a big lint filter which you need to clean before each load, and, like the old model again, relies on an exhaust hose to pump all that expensively heated air out into the cold space under my carport. This machine is a bit more exotic looking than the old one, but since it cost more than my first car, maybe it should be. And it is not a car. It just dries clothes.

Now I want to tell you about a drying invention that is, in many ways, way ahead of my new clothes drier. (Please refer to title, again.) This device is unusual in the world of big promises from appliance manufacturers. It actually does exactly, precisely, all that it claims to do. The compact device it also totally energy efficient. It has no big drum to spin, as it, believe it or not, has no moving parts at all. It will also not spin your electric meter around even once, in all the time you own it. In fact, it cannot, as it is not even connected to the grid. The machine uses wind power, believe this or not, to efficiently dry your clothes, and is freely assisted by solar energy. When you buy one of these driers there is no professional installation required, and the device is perfect for use both in our over-developed nation, and in under-developed ones as well. It works anywhere, any time the sun is out. The drier is totally non polluting and does not produce speck of lint, so it doesn’t require a lint screen or any exhaust ductwork at all. It has absolutely no bells and whistles, and will not chime when your clothes are dry. To some of us that is a blessing. If this isn’t enough good news, consider the fact that the wind-powered solar-heated clothes drier will also not empty your wallet when you purchase one. It is so simple to repair when broken that even a child could do it, but so inexpensive to buy that most people would just throw it out and get another one. And yes, you can throw it away with a clear conscience, as most models are completely biodegradable.

About a month ago my brother in law Art and I were sitting in his living room, and decided it was about time someone promoted this marvelous, timeless device. Although neither he nor I can take the credit for the invention, we have both witnessed various versions of it in use since childhood. It is true that my wife has rarely used one, and would likely never purchase one, but a clothesline is still the best clothes drier of all.

Footnote: My wife likes her ould like my answer to the new washing maching less. Maybe someday I will tell you about a manual, washer which provides an excellent aerobic workout for the user. Saving time at the gym, while saving energy. Wash board and wash tub.