Hmmm.. "Right to hang laundry"..

[C.Ann]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20091118/...us_usa_laundry

What do you think?

U.S. residents fight for the right to hang laundry


PERKASIE, Pennsylvania (Reuters) – Carin Froehlich pegs her laundry to three clotheslines strung between trees outside her 18th-century farmhouse, knowing that her actions annoy local officials who have asked her to stop.

Froehlich is among the growing number of people across America fighting for the right to dry their laundry outside against a rising tide of housing associations who oppose the practice despite its energy-saving green appeal.

Although there are no formal laws in this southeast Pennsylvania town against drying laundry outside, a town official called Froehlich to ask her to stop drying clothes in the sun. And she received two anonymous notes from neighbors saying they did not want to see her underwear flapping about.

"They said it made the place look like trailer trash," she said, in her yard across the street from a row of neat, suburban houses. "They said they didn't want to look at my 'unmentionables.'"

Froehlich says she hangs her underwear inside. The effervescent 54-year-old is one of a growing number of Americans demanding the right to dry laundry on clotheslines despite local rules and a culture that frowns on it.

Their interests are represented by Project Laundry List, a group that argues people can save money and reduce carbon emissions by not using their electric or gas dryers, according to the group's executive director, Alexander Lee.

Widespread adoption of clotheslines could significantly reduce U.S. energy consumption, argued Lee, who said dryer use accounts for about 6 percent of U.S. residential electricity use.

Florida, Utah, Maine, Vermont, Colorado, and Hawaii have passed laws restricting the rights of local authorities to stop residents using clotheslines. Another five states are considering similar measures, said Lee, 35, a former lawyer who quit to run the non-profit group.

'RIGHT TO HANG'

His principal opponents are the housing associations such as condominiums and townhouse communities that are home to an estimated 60 million Americans, or about 20 percent of the population. About half of those organizations have 'no hanging' rules, Lee said, and enforce them with fines.

Carl Weiner, a lawyer for about 50 homeowners associations in suburban Philadelphia, said the no-hanging rules are usually included by the communities' developers along with regulations such as a ban on sheds or commercial vehicles.

The no-hanging rules are an aesthetic issue, Weiner said.

"The consensus in most communities is that people don't want to see everybody else's laundry."

He said opposition to clotheslines may ease as more people understand it can save energy and reduce greenhouse gases.

"There is more awareness of impact on the environment," he said. "I would not be surprised to see people questioning these restrictions."

For Froehlich, the "right to hang" is the embodiment of the American tradition of freedom.

"If my husband has a right to have guns in the house, I have a right to hang laundry," said Froehlich, who is writing a book on the subject.

Besides, it saves money. Line-drying laundry for a family of five saves $83 a month in electric bills, she said.

Kevin Firth, who owns a two-bedroom condominium in a Dublin, Pennsylvania housing association, said he was fined $100 by the association for putting up a clothesline in a common area.

"It made me angry and upset," said Firth, a 27-year-old carpenter. "I like having the laundry drying in the sun. It's something I have always done since I was a little kid."

(Editing by Mark Egan and Paul Simao)

[Sgt Mickey]

I say why shouldn't they be able to.
How much money and energy would be conserved

[Kim&Chris]

Originally Posted by Sgt Mickey

I say why shouldn't they be able to.
How much money and energy would be conserved

Exactly. I am lucky in that I have a large yard, with plenty of room for a clothesline. It saves money and time, and energy. I mean, we're supposed to be 'going green', right???

I can understand having a "no hanging" rule when it comes to condos (I've seen some nice condo complexes look tacky because someone insists on hanging laundry over the balcony rail). But if someone can discreetly hang their laundry, then they should be able to do so.

[JerseyJanice]

A lot of towns around here have ordinances that prohibit residents from hanging laundry outdoors. While I see the reasoning behind it, I do not agree with it personally. I think it’s silly because laundry hanging outdoors is not a permanent fixture. You hang it, it dries, and you bring it back inside; it’s hardly the same thing as painting your house hot pink (for example). I think it really infringes on someone’s rights to tell them that they can’t hang laundry on their own property.

And a side note on this topic—while I was working for Unilever’s North American research unit, they discontinued their research program on dryer sheets because the U.S.A. was the only country where the majority of the population actually even owned dryers. While I’m not positive if this is still true now, at the time (late ‘90s), the vast majority of people living outside the U.S. hung their laundry out to dry as they did not have the resources to own and operate electric or gas dryers.

[FireDancer]

I think it is her right to hang the laundry in her own yard. I feel people should be free to do with their property what they want (with proper permits of course if required). This includes installing photo cells, planting trees, building a shed, and yes, hang drying clothes. Let people do what they want and stop trying to nanny everyone.

If there was a homeowner's association that had rules against it there might be a problem but the article says that she isn't in a community like that. I would personally never move into a place with such rules but there are some pretty restrictive neighborhoods out there.

[pyrxtc]

I see nothing wrong wiht hanging up laundry outside. My neighbor does it and I would too if my DH would let me. Most people are gone to work all day and wouldn't see it anyways.

[EthansMom]

DH put up a clothesline for me this summer. I couldn't believe how much money we saved on electricity. And the clothes last so much longer because the dryer is rough on them.

Unfortunately, it's too cold to be line drying right now, but I'll be back to it in late spring.

[puffkin]

You should definitely be allowed to hang laundry out on your own property. I think it is ridiculous to not be allowed!

Exceptions would be if you bought a home in a HA community that has such restrictions. If you didn't like the rules then you shouldn't have bought a house there. That doesn't seem to be the case in this instance.

[agnes!]

What's funny is that the woman in question lives in an 18th Century farmhouse! That house has been there for about 200 years! I would suggest it's the people in the suburban-style houses across the street who have their knickers in a twist over this. Shoot, if I lived in Perkasie, I'd be putting UP a clothesline and putting laundry out on it all the time, hey, maybe even some big pink bloomers . !

These people....they move to a small town that's kind of country-ish and then act all surprised and upset when long-standing activities of the neighborhood somehow upset them, like moving near a farm and complaining about the roosters, or moving to the country and complaining about the smells or noise.

Sheesh.

And the Township (selectman?) person who visited the home-owner and asked her to stop hanging up laundry outside?!? Don't they have something more important to do, like keep the roads paved and attend to public safety?!? I'd just LIKE for the Township to TRY and make it illegal...hoo-BOY, you'd get all SORTS of people on the side of the Freedom to Hang Laundry.

agnes!
PS - Sounds like a bunch of snobs...and I kind of hate to say it, but it is in "Bucks County" after all...

[tazdev3225]

I used to hang my laundry outside because I couldn't afford a dryer. I had small children and lots of laundry. My mom has a dryer that she almost never uses. She lines dries winter and summer and will only use her dryer if we have a few days of rain. I do my laundry at my DD's because I am there all day watching the kids and I will hang my clothes out the minute I can convince her to put up a line. These petty rules are one of the reasons I will NEVER live where their is a homeowners association dictating to me what I can do on my property.

[Darsa]

MTE, Agnes! Sad that people think that their house loses "something" because someone decides to save money and the environment by hanging clothes outside. How very selfish, this is.

Personally, I love the smell of my laundry after i bring it in from hanging out. I always hang out my bedsheets, what a wonderful fresh smell to fall asleep to!

[jen0610]

Originally Posted by JerseyJanice

A lot of towns around here have ordinances that prohibit residents from hanging laundry outdoors. While I see the reasoning behind it, I do not agree with it personally. I think it’s silly because laundry hanging outdoors is not a permanent fixture. You hang it, it dries, and you bring it back inside; it’s hardly the same thing as painting your house hot pink (for example). I think it really infringes on someone’s rights to tell them that they can’t hang laundry on their own property.

And a side note on this topic—while I was working for Unilever’s North American research unit, they discontinued their research program on dryer sheets because the U.S.A. was the only country where the majority of the population actually even owned dryers. While I’m not positive if this is still true now, at the time (late ‘90s), the vast majority of people living outside the U.S. hung their laundry out to dry as they did not have the resources to own and operate electric or gas dryers.

When we were stationed in Panama, none of the off post houses we and our friends lived in had dryer, a washer only. The house that we lived in and the house across the street, not only had a clothes line outside, but also a retractable unit in the lani area, for use during the rainy season. Our friends in an apartment, also had the retractable type out on their balacony.

[shrubber]

Our HA does not allow clotheslines.
I have learned not to be suprised anymore by people when told they cannot have a clothesline, park a motorhome in the driveway, or ( most common ) must pay their dues, get all upset and bothered.
Again, this a HA and when you buy a house, you agree to the rules.
I do, however, point out to them the procedure for changing a rule ( bylaws, quorums and the like ) and they usually walk away aghast.

[Belle2667]

Hanging clothes to dry outside is one of the reasons we bought into the neighborhood we did. They had no restrictions on it and I could never move to a place that would restrict it.

I think it's ridiculous that people have issues with clothes hanging on a line.
For those who argue "we don't want to see your underwear", most people I know who do hang wash outside either don't hang their whites outside at all (like me) or they hang them to the inside of their clothestree.

I love the smell of clothes dried on the line. I love the money in my pocket because I hang our clothes out. This would definitely be a plus to me ever moving southward. More outside drying time throughout the year!

[Mermaid02]

I think if you own the property, a clothesline should be up to you. I hang out when I can- which is not often enough!

Clotheslines are smart in these times.... save money and energy. It's win win.