should we bring back hanging?

Clothes that are hung out are whiter and smell better it also saves on electricity. I see nothing wrong with it as long as it's in your backyard. I wouldn't want to hang my undergarments close to the road anyway. There are some items that come out better in a dryer. Towels for examply get really stiff if they are air dried. My mother dries very little in the dryer. She hangs most of her stuff out, or if the weather is bad on racks in her spare rooms.

Hello Dawn - nice opening! There's nothing better than the fresh smell of clean sheets dried in the open air. I'll leave our laundry for days until I can dry it outdoors. We had a tumble dryer at one time, but when it blew up I never replaced it. I don't see anything wrong with drying clothes outdoors, as long as it's on a proper line or rotary drier, rather than hung over balconies and fences.

It's not fun if there cannot be hanging going around. I love the sight of people hanging their laundry in the backyard, and here in Sg, we mostly live in apartments or what we call flats. And they would hang their clothes using a bamboo pole-like near the kitchen area. So whenever you stand on the ground looking up, all the kitchen areas would have clothes hanging at the back. It's like a flag of clothes or some sort; just awesome.

hi dawnald this is so stupid. the woman and her laundry are not hurting anyone as I can imagine she has her clotheslines in her backyard. so what is the fuss all about? If she wants to save some electricity and help the green process why I am all for it. i have read too that outdoors clotheslines are not allowed in some communities. yes is sad, supposedly we are a free country yet it starts to get less and less free this way. if people wish to hang their clothes outside, I am all for it my self. I wou ld not do it because I like to get my laundry done in a hurry but it does have its benefits.

It's true that many subdivisions prohibit outdoor clothes lines. We live in what might be termed the "old" part of our town. One street over is a new subdivision with large houses and landscaped yards, but I would not trade my 35 year old house for a brand new one in the new subdivision. You see, they have a homeowners organization that will not allow clotheslines. They also tell the homeowners what color they can paint their house, what kind of outbuilding they can have and where on their lot it can be placed. A couple that we know built a house in their back yard for their parrots and were told to demolish it because they had not gotten permission from the homeowners association. They were also told to get rid of the birds or keep them inside. They have more rules, but listing them would take up too much space.

In India we have no such problem. In summers it is okay to hang our washed clothes in the backyards. But in winters, since our house is facing sun, we get no sunshine in the backyard, so everyone in my lane hangs their clothes in the front side only.

Drying laundry in the sun does save energy and actually is healthy for you because you are using your "energy" by hanging the laundry. Personally, I find nothing offensive about this habit. I can remember when I was a child my mom would hang out all the laundry on the line. In fact, there was kind of a competition among the housewives as to who had the whitest laundry. Now, to the subject at hand. When you move into a community that has a homeowners association, you are presented with a set of rules on all sorts of things. If you buy or rent under these conditions, unfortunately you have to live with these rules. If you go to the committee and present your ideas and have the rules modified, that is wonderful. But if you accept the rules when you move in, you have to live with them until they are changed. When my husband and I bought our house, my hubby made sure that there was no neighborhood association to deal with.

As far as I am concern there is nothing that smells as nice as clean sheets which have hung outdoors in a breeze and the sun. I'm all for it.

We are "allowed" to hang our clothes on the line in our neighborhood..I think it's ridiculous that the government is trying to control what we do to our dirty laundry. LOL. Don't they have better things to be doing? Ugh. I will hang my laundry outside only if the weather is permitting. I especially love hanging sheets outside..They smell so fresh and earthly afterward!

Damn! I was looking forward to saying "hell yeah hang those SOBs!" you sure did fool me there.. But that's absurd.. beyond madness I tell you.. what I do in my backyard is nobody's business and thats like saying no more freedom in your own house! Seriously the world has bigger problems than laundry.. why don't sort that out first?

My aunt had mentioned a story like this to me about 3 months back I am not sure if it is the same story or not but even if it is or isn't I think it is so pathetic..honestly there are way more important things going on in this world that need more attention and yet they choose to fight over hanging clothes? I love hanging my clothes out in the summer and personally think they smell better when hung in the sun. It is just some prissy with way too much time on their hands in my opinion. I see nothing wrong with hanging clothes outside of your own home where you either pay a mortgage to live there or pay rent to a landlord to live their. I haven't gone in and read the article yet because I couldn't get it to open but I will go in and try to find another article so I can read more on it...

Hi dawn That is crazy. Not being able to hang your clothes out on a clothes line. I have some shirts that I don't put in the dryer. So they go outside on the line. I don't know about some people. Have a nice day and keep smiling.

Actually it would not be a bad idea to go back to hanging for some of these crimes... i mean the scream and cry about jail and prison overcrowding but they keep someone on deathrow there for years before actually putting the needle in..... Besides that medicine has to cost more money then a rope, tree and we can borrow a horse.... I live in a trailor park, but what i would not give to hang out my sheets and some of my clothes.... It always it gives them a natural scent and refreshing smell

I cannot believe people actually disagree with this. Though in the picture it looks like the ladies washing is in the front garden, not in her back garden. I would never hang mine in the front, because I wouldn't want people to see my unmentionables. Personally I think hanging your washing outside has many advantages, as well as being greener, it makes the clothes smell fresher, plus if you hang the clothes as soon as they are washed it stops the creases too, so saves on the ironing. So in answer to your question, yes we should bring back hanging.

I hang my washing on the line whenever the weather permits. Nothing man has made can match the fresh smell of clothes that have been dried outside. I used to use a tumble dryer occasionally but it took far too much electricity. Drying washing outside can cut electricity usage and help in a small way to prevent global warming. Apart from that, to me, nothing looks more 'homely' than a line of freshly washed clothes.

Don't they allow you to hang clothes in your own compound? at least on the terrace? I agreed clothes hung on balconies of apartments look awful I do wish people realise that and do something about it. I am sure all building provide a place for hanging on their terraces or at least behind the buildings.

Hi there my friend Dawnald. You fooled me when I read the title to your discussion. Then when I carried on reading I found out you are discussing laundry. I have a toddler son and a baby daughter. I put the majority of their clothing on my drying rack. I like to put nearly all my clothing in my tumble dry. It is winter at the moment so I don't wish to have a clothes line outside. I am allowed to hang washing in my garden where I live. Four years ago I lived in a cottage and I wasn't allowed to hang washing in my garden. My kitchen there was tiny and it was difficult to get all my clothes dry in those days. It was because my cottage was Grade II listed and it had many rules like keeping the window frames white.

i USE TO HANG MY CLOTHES OUT ALL THE TIMEuntil i wasn't able to do it anymore. I love the way they smell from hanging on the line. I do know some places in town have rules about it. Iwouldn't want to live where there are rules . My neighborhood is not like that.

I've never heard of anything like this, myself. I've always enjoyed hanging out my clothes but I only do it in the summer because I know for sure that they will get dry. Like this woman, I only hang my unmentionables in the house, too. I have hung a slip outside but I usually put it where it can't be seen. I don't have any really close neighbors, though. Kathy.

Well, when I was coming up we kids told everyone that we had a solar clothes dryer..15 foot of cord stretched between two trees.. I think its a marvelous idea and a great argument to throw at ecology folks who are concerned with more energy efficient appliances, to help save the planet. Mantra time..repeat after me, I AM THE APPLIANCE! I AM THE APPLIANCE! aaahhuuuummm... Imagine, a new activity for the activists! A valueable example of what's old becomes new again..Enjoy!