We're not talking slaving over a washboard and bucket in the backyard, but there is one huge energy hog that an author for the New York Times thinks could use some banishing.

Kathleen A. Hughes tells a story about how hanging her laundry out to dry helped her family slash the electric bill by roughly half. Mothballing the dryer can't account for all those savings, but it's pretty impressive nonetheless.

The story isn't all visions of billowing bed sheets and happy endings, though. She also looks into the dangers of running a clothesline across your property as many homeowner associations are loathe to allow the neighbors' unmentionables to mar their vistas. And then there's the matter of those that live in areas that don't get sunny, rain-free days 360+ days a year.