I recently heard a fact that just flat-out astounds me: it's becoming increasingly illegal to line dry your clothes. Apparently 19% of Americans live in areas governed by a Home Owners Association (HOA) most of these believe that line drying clothes is unsightly and even threaten to foreclose an owner's home if they attempt the age-old practice. WHAT!!???!??!Luckily I don't live, and never will live, in an HOA. And even if I did I'd probably line dry my clothes anyway just to be provocative, 'cause that's the kind of thing I love to do. Plus, my kid's cloth diapers take three hours to dry in the dryer, so they're on the line in nice weather, or on my drying rack next to the furnace, no exceptions.
But for those of you who do live in an HOA there is hope! I could go on and on but these sites say it better, visit one now to see how you can help:
Right 2 Dry : sign the petition and add a cool voting widget to your blog site (just put mine up!) Do it!
Project Laundry List: A great site with the top ten reasons to air dry clothes, the biggest one being that it can save about $25 per household per month and 15% of electricity costs. YES! $25 and 15%!! The site also has some great line-drying tips. One thing they don't say, however, is to give your clothes a good snap before you hang them up so they dry with fewer wrinkles.
Freedom to Dry: just for fun. A bit of legislation put up in Connecticut this past January that will ban any governing body (such as an HOA, or town zoning laws) from banning drying by "direct solar energy", otherwise a clothesline. Good for you Connecticut!
For a good laugh click on this cartoon to see six hilarious Doonesbury clothesline comics:
Happy weekend! I hope the weather is nice where you are and your clothes are smelling fresh!
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