Do you think that clotheslines will be more accepted and tolerated now that there is a move toward being more eco-friendly?

During the summer we use a clothes line most of the time. It is very nice to have your clothes dried that way seems like they are fresher. I think it would be a good idea for many to start using them and saving some energy.

I have been using only a clothes line for drying for the past 5 years. In Winter I dry them on an indoor line.

They have never gone away here in the south. But that’s just because we were too ignorant and backwards, right? It’s funny how the perspectives change….

It’s going to depend upon a couple of factors. As you mentioned, some people don’t have the place to hang clothes out to dry. I also doubt that many people would give up the luxury of a dryer for a time-consuming task.

As for energy consumption, I’m on the fence about that. Energy-efficient dryers are now available. My SO lives in a very rainy area, yet he doesn’t own a dryer. They are either hung outside or indoors on a clothes maiden. It can take forever due to the cold and humidity. He usually runs a dehumidifier to help and irons just about every article. I personally think he’d be better off with a dryer.

I’m willing to hang certain articles out like linens, jeans, undergarments and some sweaters. Anything that should turn out soft or wrinkle-free, like bath towels and shirts, I’d prefer to do in a dryer.

It depends where you live. It’s cold up here. We have a device which directs the hot, moist air from the dryer into the house. When our wood burning stove is running it get very dry inside and we can use the humidity. All the dryer heat goes into the house so no energy is wasted. Nice.
This doesn’t work for everyone but if you’ve got the right climate, it’s great.
Besides, what smells better than fresh laundry? Ok, maybe coffee, or chocolate…

I’ve started seeing a trend in the other direction. More people are aware of our need to conserve energy. As that awareness spreads something as easy as stringing a laundry line up becomes more acceptable and desirable.

@Pied_Pfeffer: Energy efficient dryers are now available, but they still use energy. Clothes lines use none (not denying there are climates where a clothes line is not feasible).

When we hang clothes outside in the summer, it makes us all itch. Really bad. @jca is right. There are energy efficient dryers out there.

Is it really not considered aesthetically pleasing? I never even considered that. I find laundry blowing in the breeze to be such a pretty sight. I love hanging my clothes, as well. Nothing beats the scent of line-dried laundry.

@jca My point is that my SO uses a clothes line for everything, but he also uses energy from a dehumidifier and an iron.

@TheOnlyNeffie there were some communities that I know of that banned clotheslines through the 90s. Ridiculous.

Wow. I never knew clothes lines were eyesores in some parts of the country. How awful. I was so happy to see a very large clothes line at the house we just moved into. We get quite a bit of wind here, so there are times when the clothes dry faster on the line than they do with our dryer, and we have an energy efficient dryer.

It’s usually sunny where I’m come from and we use clotheslines every time. But this is because we have space for it and we live away from the smoke of the city. There are even detergents specifically made to make clothes feel and smell better when it’s sun dried. I think it’s a good idea for people to try it out if they experience sunny weather. However, with the ease of living in condominiums in urban areas, many people have mitigated the use of them. They even remove the terrace part of some that faces the streets because it’s ”such an eyesore”.

Some people are providing solutions, too.

I hope so. I have started using a clothesline in the warmer months and found I love hanging up clothes. I hope that planned communities change their stance. Sometimes the older ways were better.

What an interesting question! I have no idea. It seems that the suburban American lives in the suburbs for a particularly mythic form of life, and for many, that myth includes pristine back yards. No clutters of toys. There’s a place to store toys and tools and whatever else people keep in back yards.

Clotheslines? If it weren’t against the code of the neighborhood, I bet most people would still think it was a terrible thing to do. And these are the suburbs. Home of gas guzzlers and fifty mile drives to work. Suburban people may say they care, but they only fool around with very minor things. If people truly cared about lowering their carbon footprint, they’d move to a city.

I think maybe people might use clotheslines, but only if there was a campaign for it, first. It would have to have social approval before they even start. But I’d be surprised if it ever became a sign of meritorious behavior.

I live in the ‘burbs, but love my clothesline. I have one that fits within code, and I have an indoor one for cooler months or rainy times. I don’t use it for everything, but more than70%. Our neighborhood updated it’s by-laws to allow for clotheslines and even a few other things that some city dwellers might be amazed by. Some of us ‘burn dwellers can’t afford the 800k on up lofts and townhouses that are for sale in our city. Also, our city isn’t laid out for a broadbase of work forces.

I don’t think generalizing things always helps. (and yes, we use our bus and light rail system and have been driving hybrids for quite some time)

Back to clotheslines. I grew up using one, haven’t ever found a reason not to use one. My parents were the same way, but they paid the fine in the neighborhoods and kept their clotheslines.

Yum, fresh linens in the sun!

@wundayatta I see. So all the farmers and small town folk that live and work out in the country don’t give a hoot. ;)

I am so glad to never ever have to peg up washing again, to never see hills foldalines everywhere, and to never have to hang washing indoors to dry by the woodstove. YAAAAY for urban usa where right here theyr’e not allowed

@worriedguy ....I’ve had it with your awesome house! :P (what is this device?)

As for the question, I haven’t seen alot of clothes lines in my life (only on tv). I think there might be a small temporary trend for it. But I also think the trend to more energy efficient clothes dryers is getting much bigger.

I love using my clothes line – I have a rotary one. I try to dry my clothes on the ratiators (when it’s cold my heating is on anyway!) or on an indoor maiden when the weather is too cold or as usual here in the UK rainy! I do have a tumble drye but I can’t remember the last time I used it!

ps it’s nice to see your friendly giraffe back @cak

Never around here! I wish.

Yes, clotheslines are making a comeback. They are readily available at home improvement stores. I have a retractable one in my laundry room.

They are still banned by some HOA’s and CC&R’s but are usually overturned in court.

In my small town they never left. I have an electric dryer, but I rarely use it in nice weather. In winter I still hang out bed linens and jeans. They freeze dry!

I can’t believe it, I guess they went the way of front porches when air conditioning arrived.

But here in Australia the HillsHoist in the back yard is an icon and most homes have one!

I grew up with a clothes line, and has been said before, the scent of the clothes that dried in the outsides cannot be matched. Now I live in the suburbs of in the midwest. My husband and I chose the suburbs because we could not afford to live in a safe part of the city itself. I grew up in the country, and although I made friends in school, I lived to far away to see them often except for in school until we could drive. I’m a social person and need people close.