Pegs on the up as laundry goes green
THE arrival of one of the must-have household mod cons changed the face of that great British institution wash day.
The electric tumble drier meant the end of gardens full of laundry hung out to dry.
But running a tumble drier can prove a costly luxury with rocketing electricity prices and it now seems that the traditional method is making a comeback – because of a desire to save the planet.
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"I WON'T BE GIVING TO FOREIGN BEGGARS SCROUNGING ON BRITISH STREETS"
CLICK HERE TO READ PATRICK O'FLYNN'S DAMNING VERDICT ON MASS IMMIGRATION
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Sales of clothes pegs and old fashioned washing lines are soaring for the first time in almost 50 years and, experts believe, it’s because households are becoming environmentally aware.
Asda has seen demand for pegs alone leap by more than 1,400 per cent in the first four months of this year.
Sales of washing lines – both traditional and rotary – have soared by almost 150 per cent. There has also been a big rise in demand for indoor airing lines.
Long clothes lines crammed full of billowing sheets, shirts and more intimate garments were common until the 1950s.
It was said that you could tell what day of the week it was simply by looking out of the window – Monday was wash day.
Then the launch of labour-saving tumble driers and the growing number of women going out to work brought about a change in habits.
However, many families have had to think again as they try to trim their household bills and do their bit for the environment.
All the tumble driers in Britain use 4,250 gigawatt hours of electricity a year – one gigawatt is enough to power 240 homes for a year. The electricity bill for running all these driers is £440million, according to the Energy Saving Trust.
Asda’s laundry buyer, Chris Burns, said: “After decades of decline, the sight of a washing line full of drying clothes is becoming a familiar sight again.
“Thousands of people have decided that the potential embarrassment of having their smalls on display on a washing line is far less important than saving energy.”
The Energy Saving Trust said: “The trend that householders are choosing to dry their washing outdoors to save energy is encouraging.
“Where possible, and particularly while the weather is fine, drying clothes outdoors is a great way to cut down on the energy you use.
“If you can’t dry your clothes outside, however, and do need to use a tumble drier, look for the Energy Saving Recommended logo when you buy your appliance."
