Lowtech Graph lists low-tech options for every need of a home. Here you can compare them, find tutorials to build them, and link them together into a circular system. Why low-tech?
Line or rack drying for clothes
Passive
One of 4 ways to meet this need. Cost, carbon, footprint and rankings are relative to other solutions for the same need, not absolute.
Drying washing on a line, a rotary airer or an indoor rack instead of in a tumble dryer. The air and sun do the drying for free, removing one of the biggest electricity uses in the house. It is slower, and indoors in winter it needs a ventilated room, or the water ends up as condensation.
Decades for a rack; a line is a consumable and costs almost nothing to replace
Embodied carbon
Low
Space / material use
Low
Output timing
Weather/time-dependent
Skill to repair
Basic
Regulation (FR example)
Some co-ownership rules and local planning restrict visible outdoor drying; the indoor version is never restricted.
Inputs
none
Outputs
none
Compare the 4 ways to meet this need
Levels are relative to the other options for this need, not absolute. Fewer dots is lighter.
Line or rack drying for clothes (This page) Can I use it? Works in a flat · No rebuilding needed What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Low · Skill to build: Basic · Upkeep: None · Change to daily life: Occasional · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if you want to cut one of the biggest electricity uses in the house, for free.
Pedal-powered washing machine Can I use it? Works in a flat · No rebuilding needed What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Low · Skill to build: Basic · Upkeep: Light · Change to daily life: Daily · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if you want to wash full loads with no electricity at all.
Electric washing machine Can I use it? Works in a flat · No rebuilding needed What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Medium · Skill to build: Basic · Upkeep: Light · Change to daily life: None · Works without the grid: No Choose it if you want to save time and effort on every wash.
Hand-agitated bucket washing machine (manual plunger type) Can I use it? Works in a flat · No rebuilding needed What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Low · Skill to build: Basic · Upkeep: Light · Change to daily life: Daily · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if you want the cheapest, simplest washer for small loads.
We don’t list sizing or quantities, as the yield of each technique depends on the quality of its build. The catalogue compares options but doesn’t dimension them. Regulatory notes are indicative, with a French example, and need to be confirmed locally.