Sunday, August 2, 2009

The Right To Dry: Let It All Hang Out!

Net-surfing recently, I discovered moves in America to BAN the hanging outside of washing!
In an age when the answer to many of our problems is to "go green", some American communities have made it illegal to dry laundry outside! Not sure why some people think seeing laundry on the line is unsightly enough to make it criminal...hang-ups perhaps?
In the Boston Globe: "Imagine driving into a community where the yards have clothes hanging all over the place. I think the aesthetics, the curb appeal, and probably the home values would be affected by that," says (up-tight wowser) Frank Rathbun, spokesman for the Community Associations Institute, a national group representing thousands of homeowner and condominium associations, many of which restrict clotheslines.
Sure, there's a time and place for using the dryer, but more often drying outdoors is the perfect solution. Clothing lasts longer... and sunlight disinfects too. There're electricity savings and zero environmental impact: letting the sun and wind dry your clothes doesn't cost a thing.
Any idea of the savings by drying outdoors? Most US households would save over $100 a year on electricity. It's been estimated that if just 20,000 US homes reduced tumble-drying by half, spending for oil would shrink by $1.7 million a year.
And who in their right minds would want to deprive themselves of the awesome smell of air-fresh crisp linen sheets? Or the ionisation fragrance when they've been left out during an electrical storm? Those who think it's unsightly and decreases property values need to get a better night's sleep and could probably do so on sheets that were dried on the line.
Legislate against outdoors drying? They'd have to tear the sheets from my cold dead hand!!
(many thanx for the heads-up from Salacious at barepause...)

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