Delay clothes dryer use during extreme temperature events
Pro tip: get your laundry done before extreme temperatures set in. Why?
Clothes dryers exhaust around 225 CFM of indoor air to the outdoors while operating. That indoor air has to be replaced. We call that makeup air. Where does that air come from? Outdoors. It comes in through all the air leaks in your home: around doors, windows, plumbing and wiring penetrations, exterior wall outlets, and even from the fireplace chimney. Not only is that makeup air unfiltered, it can be incredibly cold during freezing events and hot during heat wave events.
So in winter, dry clothes during the warmest part of the day. In summer, save drying for the coolest part of the day. Better yet postpone laundry until outdoor temperatures improve.
Of course, going old school is also recommended. Hang clothes indoors to dry during winter. That could be particularly helpful if you heat with electricity and need a bit of an indoor humidity boost. During summer hang clothes outdoors to dry.


