from Hacker News

U.S. residents fight for the right to hang laundry (2009)

by tarakat on 10/7/22, 11:44 AM with 307 comments

• by stormdennis on 10/7/22, 2:22 PM

  Years back we rented a flat in a building that housed a lot of retired people. A regulation we weren't aware of was that you weren't allowed to hang anything on the railings of your balcony. On a day off we were cleaning and left a mat we'd washed to dry, hanging over the railing. It wasn't there an hour before we had a delegation at our door of angry elderly residents. They weren't one bit nice about it even after we immediately apologised, took down the offending item and explained that we were unaware of the regulation. Later we got an apologetic call from our landlord who said he was ringing because he'd received a complaint about us.

• by giantg2 on 10/7/22, 1:24 PM

  I think this might be a poor article and there could be more to the story.

  I don't see them fighting for the right to hang laundry. No action has been taken against the woman, and the man was fined by an association (I don't like associations, but they have tons of restrictions that he voluntarily entered into).

  If you look at that picture, it seems the woman is hanging her laundry in the front yard. It seems the article is all her side of the story without talking to others. There's a very real possibility the neighbors leaving notes may just want her to dry the laundry in the back yard, which is the normal thing to do.

  You have every right to do things that are atypical or even antisocial so long as it's not illegal. That doesn't mean other people can't ask you to stop or ridicule you.

  Flagging this because it's a click bait headline with substandard content that seems to be misrepresenting the situation.

• by morsch on 10/7/22, 12:10 PM

  For the entirety of my life, we've hung or clothes to dry inside. No dryer. No, they don't smell bad. Yes, even with small kids in the household. No, there is no problem with mold. No, it doesn't take forever, I'd estimate twelve hours most of the year, depending on how fast you spun them (typically 1200+ rpm).

  Yes, the evaporating cools down the room, though I can't say I ever noticed it. In terms of energy efficiency compared to a dryer, it's much better in summer, and not much better in winter, though you get a humidifier as a freeby.

  Yes, it's a chore, a full load takes about ten minutes to hang, and it's real boring work.

• by Wowfunhappy on 10/7/22, 12:07 PM

  > dryer use accounts for about 6 percent of U.S. residential electricity use

  That's a huge amount! I didn't realize it was so much!

• by themodelplumber on 10/7/22, 1:33 PM

  Some aspects that seem kind of strange to me:

  - The article is from 2009. Surely there's some more recent update to the situation described, which also offers context?

  - The laundry was being hung in the front yard. This is really rare. While probably not entirely without precedent, it's certainly a significant and rational weighing factor.

  - The owner of the laundry said she hung her underclothes/unmentionables inside the house, so essentially the neighbors complained about a feared outcome, rather than making a 100% evidentiary complaint. This is often a bad idea, no matter how good one's laundry prediction skills may be.

  - The condominium resident thought other residents would be OK with their personal laundry hanging in a "common area"...this seems pretty cringe. Did he ask beforehand? Maybe we'll never know. After all, 2009.

• by bm3719 on 10/7/22, 12:14 PM

  For those thinking about going no-dryer: You can also get small, indoor, foldable clothes drying racks for around $20. I used one of these my entire adult life and pretty much never needed a dryer. Later on I got a house that came with a dryer, but only use it for large items like bed sheets.

• by seydor on 10/7/22, 1:00 PM

  I'm more interested in the rationale given about being offended by underwear (aka 'unmentionables'). American puritanism is so pure that someone will find a way to weaponize it

• by lloydatkinson on 10/7/22, 12:49 PM

  I can’t imagine such a freedom limiting law in any European country or here in the UK. Utterly absurd a country that prioritises freedom so much also dictates how people are allowed to dry their laundry. I’m sure if the wind could be taxed they’d not restrict it though…

• by ce4 on 10/7/22, 12:19 PM

  UV / sunlight exposure also helps with sanitizing the laundry.

• by tristor on 10/7/22, 4:31 PM

  I hang my laundry sometimes, I've never been bothered about this in a string of rentals, owning houses in HOAs, owning houses outside of HOAs. Mostly you just don't do it in the front yard, which seems like basic common sense? Also, in the US nearly everyone has a washer and dryer, so the only time you need to hang laundry is for delicate clothing that is drip-dry only.

  I lived in Europe for a time where it was common to have a washer and no dryer, because the electrical grid couldn't support it (old buildings retrofitted with power with only 60A service were commonplace in two of the European countries I lived in). But even in this case, mostly people had brackets on a window that pushed out to make a clothesline towards a center common courtyard for a blockhouse/flats, not out into the street (or if it was street-facing it was well above street level). This is different than in this article where someone is hanging clothes out at street level in their front yard, rather than the back, which is considered a private space.

  If you don't want an HOA, don't buy a house in an HOA area. I certainly got tired of HOA bullshit, which is why I bought a non-HOA house.

• by cphoover on 10/7/22, 1:45 PM

  Why is this article from *2009* being posted some 13 years later? I would want to know how things have changed (or haven't) since that time.

• by j-bos on 10/7/22, 11:58 AM

  An advantage beyond the climate and household finances is that clothes hung out in the sun often smell better than those from a dryer.

• by clamprecht on 10/7/22, 1:32 PM

  I was visiting Monaco once and noticed that no one had laundry hanging on the balcony. In Beausoleil, France, literally on the other side of the street from Monaco, they had hanging laundry. I'll bet there was a law against it in Monaco. Maybe someone on HN who lives there can confirm.

• by s1artibartfast on 10/7/22, 1:43 PM

  I love hanging my laundry, but wouldn't appreciate it it my neighbors front yard. It is a jerk move if they have another option.

  I guess it falls in the free speech category. I don't like what you say but I support your right to do it.

  HOA residents also have the right to make binging agreements, for better or worse.

• by cinntaile on 10/7/22, 12:55 PM

  The land of the free sure has a lot of strange rules.

• by kwhitefoot on 10/7/22, 12:27 PM

  Good grief! So much for the land of the free.

• by henvic on 10/7/22, 12:45 PM

  It must be a property owner prerogative to decide whether or not hang laundry to dry outside their houses.

  That said, I also feel like that's a poor choice considering you can now get a A+++ heat pump dryer that's very economical and works quite fast (slightly more time than with a convention dryer, but your clothes will last much longer) anytime (as long as it's not stuck in a icy cold basement) regardless the weather.

  Another mistake some people make is using an all-in-one washer/dryer: they are the worst option ever. Terrible at everything by design.

• by rajnathani on 10/10/22, 6:20 AM

  I feel that a good middle ground would be to allow for outdoor / balcony clothes drying, as long as they’re covered by a tinted glass enclosure (those types used in office buildings where you can see one way, but not the other (the reason is so that some sunlight/UV can come in to heat to dry the clothes, without making them visible to surrounding people)).

• by blisterpeanuts on 10/7/22, 4:15 PM

  Interestingly, hang-drying laundry is widely used in Japan, where people prefer it to using a machine when weather conditions permit; the sunlight kills germs and dries fabrics more gently. Saves energy, too.

  The main problem is creepy older men stealing ladies’ undergarments. It’s become such a problem that you can buy gadgets that secure your clothes to the line such that they can’t be pulled off by thieves using “grabbers” on long sticks.

• by refurb on 10/7/22, 12:47 PM

  Drying without a dryer sucks big time. They call appliances "modern conveniences" for a reason.

  Sure, if you're a hip cool 20-something who does a load of laundry per week air-drying is fine.

  Try being a household with a couple kids and a baby under 2 and hanging your laundry everyday. It's a waste of time and frankly sucks. I've done it.

• by hk1337 on 10/7/22, 1:13 PM

  Does she not have a backyard, preferably with a privacy fence? Is the front yard her only choice?

• by mlindner on 10/7/22, 1:41 PM

  I'm in this thread as an American confused about why everyone cares about this.

  Everyone has a dryer here, either in their place of residence or in the location they do their laundry. Washer and dryer are a set pair. They're either stacked on top of each for compactness (some apartments) or they're next to each other in the same room. I've never even heard of a place in the US that doesn't have dryers where they have washing machines. Even homeless people can use dryers, assuming they can afford to use the laundry in the first place. (And no the hot humid air doesn't dump into the house/apartment, it dumps to the outside.)

  Yes I occasionally hang up laundry, but the dryers are always there. It's not an access issue.

  This isn't something people complain about or even mention here. It's usually only recent immigrants to the country who hang up laundry like this however.

• by robbywashere_ on 10/7/22, 12:38 PM

  I've sat in at a couple anti-dryer meet ups in my locality (big city, east coast) out of curiosity. Most of the points are valid some are a little outrageous; (dryers sheets disrupt sea turtle populations?) But after reading Sally Heathers book 'The Doomed Dryer Nation'; I decided to give line drying a try. I will say that my sleep improved and some of the daily fatigue I struggled with when I lived with a dryer mostly dissipated. BUT hanging line drying is such a chore it just wasn't sustainable; a big load could take upwards of 3-4hrs a day. So I went back to the dryer. The book is good, looking forward to the doc this fall.

• by villgax on 10/7/22, 12:36 PM

  HOA is the problem, taking away our unmentionable freedoms

• by ejb999 on 10/7/22, 12:54 PM

  Stupid people who don't read the HOA agreement they signed, and then whine after the fact that some things aren't allowed - I have no sympathy for them (and for the record, would never live anyplace that had an HOA).

  That said, if its not in the agreement you signed, or you live someplace without an HOA, I support peoples right do hang their laundry out to dry - shouldn't even be a question of being allowed or not.

• by nemo44x on 10/7/22, 12:28 PM

  Although I get her point I think she’s antisocial and being a bad neighbor. Especially by insisting to hang it in the front yard.

  To live peacefully in a society you have to compromise and you can’t just do as you please. Communities have certain standards and by-laws that should be respected. If you’re compelled then bring it up at the next town meeting and rally support for your cause.

  What if someone decides they should park their car on the front lawn since the boat and camper take up the driveway? Or just set a couch up on the front lawn because I like to have a nap there?