Stop yelling at your appliances. Build your own alternative-energy dryer.
There is nothing more terrifying or infuriating than an appliance that won’t work. Appliance breakdowns are nothing new in my house. This year alone, I’ve had to deal with a microwave door that wouldn’t stay closed, a dishwasher that wouldn’t draining properly, and a dryer that just refused to turn on. Each incident elicited a barrage of prayers and obscenities from my lips before I resigned to the reality that I would be spending the rest of my day playing repairman. And yes, I fixed each of those appliances myself (with the help of YouTube.) But what if you never had to worry about your appliances malfunctioning ever again? What if you had a backup appliance, conveniently powered by alternative energy, so not even a blackout could prevent you from accomplishing your chores? In a recent video, YouTuber colinfurze demonstrates how to build a wind/solar-powered clothes dryer.
About the Author
Alexis GajewskiAlexis Gajewski
Senior Content Strategist
Alexis Gajewski is a manufacturing writer and editor with nearly 20 years of experience covering the people, practices, and technologies that keep industrial facilities running. For more than a decade, she served as Senior Content Strategist for Plant Services, creating content for plant managers, engineers, and maintenance professionals on a variety of industrial topics.
During her tenure, Alexis worked to develop the brand’s digital strategy and helped launch and produce Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast. She also created The Lighter Side of Manufacturing, a weekly blog that explored the inventive and sometimes humorous side of the industry.
Alexis co-founded Influential Women in Manufacturing, a recognition program that honored 49 women in its first two years, earned an industry award for Best Product Launch, and received a proclamation from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and a commendation from U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth.
She also led newsroom operations and development at a large media company where she set editorial standards, developed training curriculum, and helped support AI adoption for more than 150 editors across 80+ brands spanning manufacturing, industrial processing, automation, and more.
Additionally, Alexis works as a freelance writer and editor, and her areas of interest include continuous improvement, the skilled workforce, and the role of emerging technology on the plant floor.
Connect with Alexis on LinkedIn