I’m sitting here reading today’s local newspaper and I am appalled about a story out of Oregon / AP News. It’s an article about the “controversy” over people hanging their clothes out to dry instead of using their electric/gas dryers.
Apparently, Joan Grundeman from Awbrey Butte in Oregon feels that clothes hanging on a line to dry “bombards the senses” and that “It can’t possibly increase property values and make people think this is a nice neighborhood.”
Um, excuse me, Joan? Are you fracking serious?? You really consider people hanging their clothes out to dry on a beautiful, sunny fall (spring, summer, winter) day as blight?! Clothes dryers are the third largest user of total household electricity used. Is it really that horrible to see some sheets swaying in the breeze for a couple of hours? And is it really ok for neighborhood associations to say whether or not people can hang their clothes to dry instead of using their dryer?
Not in my opinion. If my neighborhood association tried something like that I would totally ignore fight it. Honestly, I don’t mind most of the rules of the association, but I would have to draw the line at telling me how to do my laundry. I hang stuff on my deck all the time – those dumb waterproof mattress pads cannot go in the dryer! And if I had an actual clothesline up, I would use it whenever I could. My dryer takes forever to dry – why wouldn’t I use fresh air and sun if it were feasible? Of course, I live in Michigan, so my days of outdoor drying are extremely limited, but would that I could, friends. Would that I could.
What do you think? Is this really worthy of controversy (especially with SO many other things going on in our country / world)? And if (big if) Joan is right about it not increasing property values, doesn’t that speak volumes about what we value as a society – that property values are more important than personal (and global) values?
Edited to add link to WSJ story.Â
Wife. Mom. Cancer Fighter. Friend. Business Owner. I believe life is short, some things just are what they are, and that there are very few problems that laughter won't solve or at least make better. 
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Funny that you should mention this. My MIL backs up to farmland so it\'s open and rather windy. She had commented just today on how nice it would have been to hang her laundry out to dry and how quickly it would dry if not for her association regulations!
Hello, we\'re saving energy people!! Why not? It\'s not like we\'re hanging our Thongs out to dry!!
Funny that you should mention this. My MIL backs up to farmland so it’s open and rather windy. She had commented just today on how nice it would have been to hang her laundry out to dry and how quickly it would dry if not for her association regulations!
Hello, we’re saving energy people!! Why not? It’s not like we’re hanging our Thongs out to dry!!
Because, you know, anyone with an education and a job knows that the best thing to do is use modern conveniences with no thought to tomorrow. I love seeing clothes out on the line. Love it!
Because, you know, anyone with an education and a job knows that the best thing to do is use modern conveniences with no thought to tomorrow. I love seeing clothes out on the line. Love it!
In all honesty, it\'s mainly that I don\'t like how clothes smell when dried on a line. Don\'t know why. It\'s some funky, out doors-y thing I can\'t stand.
In all honesty, it’s mainly that I don’t like how clothes smell when dried on a line. Don’t know why. It’s some funky, out doors-y thing I can’t stand.
I love the smell of line dried clothes. It\'s so fresh and clean! Much better than the artificially perfumed, musty smell from dryer sheets. I will never buy a house in an area with an HOA. I don\'t agree with other people determining what I can or cannot do on property that I bloody well own and pay for, not them!
I love the smell of line dried clothes. It’s so fresh and clean! Much better than the artificially perfumed, musty smell from dryer sheets. I will never buy a house in an area with an HOA. I don’t agree with other people determining what I can or cannot do on property that I bloody well own and pay for, not them!