Even if you don’t have solar panels, one way to make the sun work for you if you have a yard or porch is to hang your laundry on a clothesline. It saves a little money on your electric or gas bill and helps reduce your carbon footprint.

Beyond that, hanging clothes leaves them smelling fresh and the sun naturally disinfects clothes by helping remove dust and bacteria. The sun can help remove stains and naturally reduces dust mites.

And getting outdoors to hang laundry can just feel good. On a breezy summer day clothes will dry faster on the line than the dryer.

During the winter, consider hanging some laundry indoors. It can help add humidity to dry air.

Also, the sun can help air out and disinfect a variety of things — everything from Tupperware to pillows, quilts and stuffed animals — when left outside for 30 to 60 minutes.