dpb wrote:
The Reverend Natural Light wrote:
...
I wonder why we bother using heated air to dry clothes. Instead, seal
the dryer and evacuate all the air. ...

Because the cost of building/maintaing a high-volume vacuum pump would
exceed that of a conventional drier by far more than the energy
savings...

But what if you have like a whole house vacuum cleaner, with a big pump
already downstairs? It could even be beefed up for higher performance.
As somebody who's always stocked his house with stuff from Lab
Supplies, I've always thought lab-type things like vacuum and
compressed air taps would be almost as handy around the house as around
the lab. For us nerds, anyway.

You haven't lived until you've got a roll of real tin foil instead of
the aluminum crap.