Search Smart Spending:

Clothespin brigade: Fight for the right to hang your wash

Posted Dec 27 2007, 06:46 PM by Karen Datko
Rating:

We'd file this under the tag "good grief" if we had one. Did you know that some people aren't allowed to hang their wash outside on a clothesline? That's right. Many condo associations and other property value-preoccupied folks have banned this energy-saving practice. Apparently some people think it's a little "too Beverly Hillbillyish," says Betsy Teutsch at Money Changes Things. She lets us know that Project Laundry List is there to help.

This advocacy group for the common clothesline and other energy-saving, green practices says most households can save $100 a year by hanging wash rather than using an electric dryer. Plus, "clothes last longer. Where do you think lint comes from?" the Web site asks. Good point. The group maintains a list of communities that ban clotheslines and works with local advocates to let the sun shine in -- or on the laundry.

Back to Smart Spending Digg this | Email this | Link to this
Comments

 

I don't understand this, why can't people do what they want on their own property.  I mean they paid for it right!!!  Whats the harm in hanging your clothes up.

Johnny (Posted 01.23.08 1:35 PM ) Report Abuse

i hang my clothes on the clothesline all the time.  except in the rain of course.  everyone at my job laughs at me but i figure if it was good enough for my mom it is good enough for me.

laverne ruppert (Posted 01.23.08 8:47 PM ) Report Abuse

My husband and I recently resurfaced our side yard and had the landscaper put in four holes for clothes lines.  We live in a HOA, and the clotheslines are not to be visible from the street.  The lines are behind our 6 foot fence, and I've been line drying now for about 6 months.  The clothes are fresher, and of course, I have the smug feeling of not using fossil fuels to dry my clothes.  The HOAs need to rethink all their nitpicky rules about what looks good versus what is good for the Earth.

Emily Velasco (Posted 01.24.08 12:04 PM ) Report Abuse

It just goes to show that these housing assocaiations are not concerned about the environment but more concerned about how thing "look"....

Nancy (Posted 03.24.08 7:10 PM ) Report Abuse

A few years ago, the FCC declared antenna-banning restrictions (regardless of its visibility fromt he street) to be null & void, since doing so allowed cable television to be an illegal monopoly.  Some restrictions are still on the books, but they're just as enforceable as the old race-based restrictions still on the books in many HOAs.  If the DOE bans clothesline-banning restrictions, this should be no different.  OTOH, I never figured out why folks pay more money in order to have fewer options for their own property.

Ken Dupuy (Posted 03.24.08 9:32 PM ) Report Abuse

In a community where I lived for 15 years, someone or some nosey people decided to organize  property owners association. If you didn;t belong you would be sued      ,  taken to court &  make you pay association fees. How do  some people get away with such  activity? I find this to be as much a crime as going out hurting somebody. Those practices should be  examined very closely buy the Judges who hear such dirty cases. Also they are discriminating   &  against  our freeeedom  to live a  peaceful  life in our own property. that we paid for with hard earned money, & pay Taxes on.  

angy (Posted 03.24.08 11:48 PM ) Report Abuse

There seems to be a rise in our area (near Milwaukee) on not allowing the posts to hang the lines from.  We solved this by having a retractable clothesline and a post that can go in and out of the cemented in posthole.  

There's much I cannot dry outside now due to my younger daughter's allergies.  However, I put up a tension shower rod in my laundry room and hang many t-shirts, pants, etc., from it on hangers.  I also have a drying rack.  I have cut my dryer usage to about 1/3 of what it was (can't dry towels as the hubby complains if they are rough)...  I also, on heavy laundry days, flip two of my counter stools upside down on the kitchen chairs, set the mop, broom or "webster" rod across them making sure they are in sunlight whenever possible.  I can make two extra hanging rods out of this.  If I get up early enough in the morning, I can three loads drying while at work.  Finally, I've been known to move the drying rack over the floor vent when I've needed to speed things up a bit.  When I'm not home, I don't notice the missing heat in that area.

I figure there's more than one way to skin a fish so if someone cannot dry outside, inside is an option!

Lisa (Posted 04.08.08 11:43 AM ) Report Abuse

I always loved to hang clothes out  but my children suffer from allergies and the Allergist said to NOT hang out to use the dryer.

Ester (Posted 11.06.08 9:01 PM ) Report Abuse

Send a Comment

Comments must be directly related to the blog entry. Comments with offensive language will be deleted. Your e-mail address won't be displayed.

(please, no HTML tags. Web addresses will be hyperlinked):