apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

i've heard this argument before and even to the point where neighborhoods (where they can control it) ban the use of clotheslines.

Unless your backyard truly is an eyesore, full of old cars, trash, piles of rubbish, then i don't think it's that other person's business what you put in your back yard. Can they even see it from yard level, or is it just from their 2nd floor? Either way it hits a nerve with me.

When i grew up we lived out in the country and the clothesline is a regular thing for us, it just works, simple as that.

If you have the ability, I say hang it out to dry.

Southern California is hypocritical. It boasts about being eco-conscious and "green", but some neighborhoods here actually have rules against hanging your clothes on a clothesline in your own backyard. Ridiculous.

I can understand if you were hanging your delicates off of a highrise balcony, but if you've got a yard, then you've got the right to dry your clothes the cheap and natural way.
I've got a gas dryer too and my recent bill was higher than I expected so I'm definitely installing a clothes line in my backyard. I never had one when I was a kid, but my grandma always dried her sheets and towels outside and they always smelled so fresh. Ahhh... I can't wait until it warms up!

Welcome to 1971! That's back when owning a dryer was a big investment, so everyone had a back yard clothesline.

Your neighbors should consider themselves lucky that you're taking care of a back yard, as there are plenty of newish developments in California where the vacant/foreclosed houses never got their yards put in, and it's just dirt.

I totally agree that CC&R's should apply to public spaces (front yards and apartment/condo balconies) but not to private spaces (back yards and totally enclosed condo courtyards).

Your neighbor is a turd. Keep doing what you are doing - its not like you leave it there for days

The only two upgrades I made in my condo were for 220 v. outlets. One for an oven and one for a dryer. I'd prefer not run any electricity off the grid but both appliances are more efficient than than gas alternatives. Especially a dryer.

Question: By what percentage did your gas bill go down? Last winter, one of our gas bills in Philadelphia (in an old drafty Victorian house) was $1200!!! We have been trying to cover all our bases in reducing our gas usage and not using the dryer is one thing we're looking at. Just trying to figure out what kind of impact it could make. Thanks!

Clancy - in Atlanta, the gas prices were so high that we didn't use the heat and just used a space heater in the room that we were in. That seemed to help with the bill.

You probably can't stand to do that in Phili but maybe at night, in the bedroom with the doors closed?

If you're interested in learning more about the clothesline issue, check out this Boston Globe article:

http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/green/articles/2008/03/13/clothesline_rule_creates_flap/

Why not using an dehumidifier?? The laundry will be dry only in a few hours!And you will not receive expensive bills!

I would love to be able to have a clotheline outside but my apartment complex doesn't allow clotheslilnes on balconies. We were able to put one at hip height so it is hidden by the guard wall but it doesn't hold a lot of clothes...

N.

http://badhuman.wordpress.com

Another option for apt dwellers is using a clothes rack. My mom had a couple of these and they were super useful when it rained and she couldn't hang things out to dry. I use it for all my dark laundry, which I usually don't put in the dryer anyway, and it works great. Cloths dry overnight. Ikea has one for $17.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50095091

Definitely stick with hanging clothes out to dry Grace. That's in all our best interest.

Also, if you don't have another option and must use a dryer, make sure the vent on the outside is cleaned regularly. Especially if you live in a multi-unit dwelling (that would of course have to be handled by a building engineer). These vents often become seriously clogged causing dryer efficiency to become seriously bogged down. Not to mention, it can cause a fire.

Since outside here in Chicago definitely doesn't smell sunshine fresh and the air is filled with black grime, I use the IKEA rack azure mentioned above. It's great- it holds way more and is stronger than the wooden ones I've had in the past.

Since when do your neighbors get to decide what is in your backyard, just because they have view of it? ridiculous.

MoxyThunder, I agree with you that it's ridiculous but, when the issue is understood in terms of property values, it really hits a nerve with a lot of homeowners. Take a look at restrictions placed by homeowners' associations to see the lengths through which communities go to protect property values. That's why it's encouraging to hear about people's alternatives, like hiding a clothesline on your balcony or various indoor alternatives.

I don't understand the american hang up about hanging laundry --especially when only one generation ago it was standard practice. My mother hung laundry out in New Engladn winters until she got a dryer (with 7 kids, it was obviously a time saver) -- but I still remember white sheets dried in sunlight reflected off snow -- nothing from a drier ever smells that fresh and clean!!!!!

Hanging stuff along the community/public balcony rail in an apartment building is definitely tacky, but a clothes line in your back yard? Your neighbor needs to chill out.

Also, don't forget to wipe down the line with a damp rag before you use it. Dust and grime can accumulate on it and you don't want it streaking your clothes. I learned that the hard way.

Is the dryer your only gas appliance? It's not likely that it alone would make such a large change in your bill. You can ask the gas company for the level payment plan.

My complex actually has a designated clothesline hidden behind our garages. The only thing is...everytime I hang laundry up to dry, it comes off smelling kinda like dirt. That dust and grime angelabaca was talking about appears to get on the drying clothing too. Ah, life in the city. Ewwww...

Laundry on a clothesline once a week ruins property values?! Ugh! That makes me sick to my stomach. Grace, good for you for saving money and being eco-conscious!

I can't believe they had the audacity to write you a note. Keyse hit it right on the the head - that person is a turd! The view from their second story window, it can't be much of a view if it is just you backyard. I find it annoying when my neighbor mows his lawn, the noise is once a week when I am home. I am not going to write him a note that he should be more quiet. That person should be happy he has tidy neighbors who was their clothes. What a dick.

I'm really curious, what neighborhood do you live in?