An easy way to save electricity is to hang-dry your clothes. I use folding racks I got at Ikea.

The only hassle is that I occasionally need to move them before the clothes have fully dried; sometimes they're on the back porch and it starts to rain, other times I have them inside but they're getting in the way (our house is pretty space-tight). There's no easy way to move the thing, particularly through a doorway, when they're laden with clothes.

The Twist 140 laundry rack, by German home goods brand Juwel, was designed specifically to address this issue.

"It starts to rain and the laundry is still outside? No problem for the TWIST 140 – just fold it and the rack fits easily through the doors. No need to take down the laundry."

Additionally, "The fold-up legs are ideal to arrange the clothes dryer into the bathtub – the non-skidding feet prevent it from sliding."

You can stow it on the included wall bracket when it's not in use.

These are all small, humble design touches, but I value them more than the latest smartphone innovation.