Hi! I grew up in the 30's and 40's. As a teenager, it was my job to do the laundry and we always hung it up either on clothesracks or outdoors in summer. I, too, still appreciate the smell of clothes dried outdoors, only "fly" in the ointment is the gnats some years.
Concerning engineering skills and appliances, I wish someone would invent some appliances, especially a refrigerator without so many cracks and cranies and fold for stuff to get into . Cleaning these things is a pain! Cheers, Ruth S.
From Ruth Strackbein
From: "Mike Monett" <[email protected]>
Reply-To: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: CS>Re: Dirty Dryers
Date: Fri, 07 Jul 2006 02:45:47 -0400
> Tad Winiecki <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > Mike, I'm glad to see you posting again. I wish there were more
> > engineers like you designing things. Frankly, all the design
> > problems in the average home and appliances have made me want to
> > design my own house someday. But I grew up in the 50's when we
> > didn't own a dryer; those of us who have some outdoor space could
> > solve the dryer problem, at least in good weather, by hanging
> > clothes on a line and letting the sun dry and probably disinfect
> > them at the same time. Someone living in an apartment or with
> > fussy neighbors probably can't do this. But I also used to dry
> > clothes indoors on one of those folding racks. I must confess I
> > used to hang clothes out, but have got too many other things to do
> > to take the time anymore. Plus some colored clothes will fade in
> > the sun. But towels come out so nice and fresh. Sigh.
>
> > You have me thinking paranoid thoughts about how stuffed our dryer
> > exhaust pipes must be with lint. We had some nightmares trying to
> > empty it before because it came apart at an elbow in the wall. We
> > may be in for another hard time.
>
> > How about sunshine and UV radiation for killing spores? Do they
> > work?
>
> > Infrared?
>
> > Nancy
>
> Hi Nancy,
>
> Thanks for the warm welcome! I'm afraid as an engineer, I'd put the
> companies I worked for out of business pretty quick. I'd be
> searching for ways to make things last for 50 years, cost 1/10 of
> the competition, have no moving parts and never fail:)
>
> (Come to think of it, Zero has a good reputation for making long
> life appliances. Maybe I could work there.)
>
> I also grew up in the 50's, and we didn't have a dryer either. I
> remember trying to bring clothes in during winter, and they would be
> frozen solid. But they sure would smell good!
>
> One problem with drying clothes inside is it raises the indoor
> humidity. This can trigger growth of mold anywhere they can find
> something to eat. Since they eat just about everything, it can raise
> the spore concentrations, which can trigger allergies and other
> problems.
>
> If you haven't cleaned your dryer recently, you might want to look
> at getting someone to clean it and the exhaust pipes. I posted links
> earlier on how to find the disassembly instructions for your make
> and model. If you missed them, I'd be happy to repost.
>
> The exhaust elbow is a pain, isn't it? I have two of them to
> assemble daily. They come apart easily, so I drilled a small hole in
> a convenient place and used a small sheet metal screw to hold them
> together. A #10 or #12 will work fine. Then I tightened a 4"
> diameter clamp around the pipe next to the screw. This fixed the
> problem.
>
> You need to keep the dryer away from the wall for proper ventilation
> and air flow. A short 4" galvanized extension pipe will provide the
> needed space, plus it will make it easier to get at the elbow.
>
> I tried using sunshine to kill the spores. Unfortunately, only the
> very short wavelengths have a chance to kill the spore, and this is
> blocked by the cloth fibres. So, unfortunately, I must report it
> doesn't work.
>
> I also tried to heat the cloth with infrared bulbs, like the ones
> you see heating French fries at McDonalds. But fabric is different
> than potatoes. It is very hard to heat more than a small spot at a
> time, and cloth is a natural insulator so it keeps the heat from
> spreading. Another good idea down the drain:)
>
> Anyway, I don't want to add to your nightmares, Nancy, but please do
> have someone look at your dryer. It will eliminate a potential fire
> hazard, and reducing the indoor spore level should help in other
> ways as well.
>
>Best Wishes,
>
>Mike M
>
>
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