Actual power for the wash machine was reduced when we traded in the old one for a new front load low water using machine. The old one used about 30 gallons for a large load. The new one uses about 15 max. That means it saves water and power. In using less water - it needs less soap. Its all good.

Our biggest problem was in giving up the dryer and using a clothes line during winter months. Though I use a outdoor clothes line (actually we have 2), it can be a miserable thing to go out and hang clothes when anything wet freezes. I've had clothes freeze before hanging them on the line and mu fingers with them.

I think I finally have a solution - We got rolling clothes racks / laundry carts. Now we hang the clothes on them and if we want - roll the cart outside or let them dry inside. If they get rolled outside, they need to be secured to a pole so they can't blow over (get connected to the clothes line).

Clothes are hung on hangers and small items are clothes pinned to hangers as well. The rack can be rolled out of sight or near the wood stoves to dry faster. Its not a perfect system but it works better than dredging through snow and ice with a clothes basket of frozen clothes.

Large bulky items still get thrown on the big outside line to freeze-dry.

Now, I'll bet you were thinking we would be designing a wood fired dryer. Well, we won't disappoint you. Here's a description of a unit we thought about building before we went "simplicity" verses "fast drying".

The wood fired clothes dryer is made from a large 55 gallon drum with a chimeny through it and as the drum turns a baffle tosses clothes around. The drum sits on "X" supports and is turned via a belt connected to a small motor, which only needs to turn the barrel fast enough to keep the clothes from burning on the central chimney. Will we build one? Nope. The rolling clothes line / closet works pretty slick but if our clothes needed to be dried in a short period of time, then this would do the job.

The other clothes issue we have is wet outter wear like our boots, snow pants, outter jacket, mittens. Again, we turn to the wood stove. Make safe places to hang and dry clothes near a hot stove - we've lost a few valuable items from burning them on a hot stove. The most important items for outter wear are your dry mittens and boots. Fingers and toes are the most vulnerable in extreme weather. Prepare for the weather before you go out it in.