One of the worst energy consumers in your house is the dryer. In fact 58 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity are used in clothes dryers annually. But if you are washing cloth diapers at home it is a given that you must also dry them right? Well, in the summer months it may be an obvious choice to rely on "solar" power and hang your diapers (and other clothing) on the line outside.

But what about those cloudy, rainy, or snowy days when hanging diapers outside is not practical? The answer may be an indoor clothes drying rack. These are very similar to outdoor racks but they are designed specifically for indoor use. Often times they are placed in a garage, laundry room or bathroom and while some can be attached permanently to your home many portable options are available. You might even take a more frugal leap and make one yourself. Mother Earth News magazine has directions online for making one here.

Perhaps you could put the diapers on an indoor rack until they are almost dry and then use the dryer (on hottest setting) to finish drying and to sanitize the diapers. This

Other Diaper Laundering, Energy Saving Tips:

Clothes the door to your laundry room in the summer to keep the heat from entering the rest of the house. In the winter, do the opposite and keep the door open.

Don't overload the dryer. Overloading doesn't allow ample space for the clothes to tumble and they will take longer to dry.

Purchase a front-load washer. Front-loading washers leave less water in your clothes than top-load washers meaning your dryer doesn't have to work as hard.

Clear lint from the lint tray before you use the dryer each time. Proper air flow will cut down the drying time, as well as wear and tear on the dryer and your clothes.

Tiffany Washko is president of Jelly Bean Diapers - a cloth diaper manufacturing company, The Diaper Jungle, http://www.diaperjungle.com and Nature Moms, http://www.naturemoms.com.

After working several years in corporate healthcare marketing and public relations, she took time away to be a mother. This new pursuit lead her to a new passion, helping new moms make the decision to return to the basics and use cloth diapers.

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