Clothes lines

[Brisvegasgal]

Last night I was watching an American TV show and they were talking about needing a clothes dryer.  As this isn't the first time I've seen this sort of thing it got me wondering because everyone I know has a line (some also have dryers) that they almost always use.  Is this an Aussie thing or do most people have clothes lines?

[BC12]

American here. Nobody I know has a clothes line. Not sure why, really. I live in a dry enough climate that clothes would dry very quickly. I would worry about the powerful desert sun bleaching the colors out of my clothes, though.

Does it have to do with higher energy costs in other countries, maybe? When I visited Ireland, nobody had (or used) a clothes dryer because it was just too expensive to run.

[ydpubs]

I am from Chicago originally. My mom always had a clothes line. An outdoor one for the summer and an indoor hanging rack in the winter.

I live in CA now and I use a clothes rack and line to dry my clothes.

[MariaE]

I have experience with Denmark and New Zealand. In both countries many people tend to have both clothes lines and a dryer and use clothes lines as much as possible as it's better for the environment and the wallet both

Dryers tend to be used in bad weather or when there's a deadline for when the clothes have to be dry.

I haven't used our dryer in years.

[MummyPumpkin83]

I wonder if it has to do with the climate. I know not all of the USA has snow in winter, but its winter here in Sydney and last night was our coldest night for ages. I had washing I left on the line all night and it was fine this morning (just needed a quick spin in the dryer cause of the dew). I imagine in most of the more northern parts of the world you'd wake up to clothes that were frozen solid.

[Ferrets]

UK here, and almost everyone I know/live near has a clothes-line in the back garden/back yard. Parents had a tumble dryer for a while when I was younger, but I've never owned one myself (expensive to buy, expensive to run, and no space for one!). I put as many wet clothes as possible on the clothes-line, and the rest are draped over radiators/clothes-horse/doors/occasionally the cat to dry.

Although with the weather as it is currently*, being ambushed by rainstorms left right and centre, things are taking A Long Time to dry both indoors and out. If I ever get absolutely desperate, there's a laundrette five minutes' walk away with tumble dryers there.

_{*Someone commented recently: "No surprise that we [Team GB] won those Olympic medals in canoeing. It's how we've all been commuting to work for weeks."}

[kherbert05]

Houston, Texas Clothes dryiers are the norm here. I do hang clothes but inside. Hanging clothes outside has multiple problems

1. Clothes will mildew before they dry on some days due to humidity.
2. Pollution
3. Pollen (Mom liked the idea of drying clothes outside - but stopped because the clothes could dry yellow from pollen especially during ragweed season)

My family on PEI have driers and clothes lines. They use the driers when they need something dry quickly, and when the clothes will freeze instead of dry.

[Venus193]

My mother had a clothes line in the backyard of her house and one in the basement for winter use and didn't own a dryer.  Since she lived alone after my brother died she didn't do laundry on rainy days.

There are clothes lines on the building behind me, but as good as they are for the environment I hate looking at other people's laundry drying.

ETA:  USA; New York City

[Irishkitty]

American here. Nobody I know has a clothes line. Not sure why, really. I live in a dry enough climate that clothes would dry very quickly. I would worry about the powerful desert sun bleaching the colors out of my clothes, though.

Does it have to do with higher energy costs in other countries, maybe? When I visited Ireland, nobody had (or used) a clothes dryer because it was just too expensive to run.

They can be expensive yes. But most people have a back garden where they can hang them out. Weather is a problem though, but people usually have clothes horses for indoor drying. Space is also an issue. Our houses are small and usually the washing machine is in the kitchen. It's not common to have a separate laundry room.

[Wench]

I'm from the UK and a bit odd that I primarily use my dryer which is part of a washer dryer combo.  I live in a flat that does have communal space outside but no where to put a permanent washing line.  I have a horrible little close horse that I try to use when it nice outside but generally stuck using the dryer.  Unfortunately I can't really dry my clothes inside as my flat is prone to damp and I don't want to make the problem worse or have horrible smelling clothes!

Hopefully when we can afford to buy our own place we will try and get somewhere with a garden so we have more opportunity to dry our clothes outside.

[EmmaJ.]

My HOA has banned backyard clothes lines, so I've installed some rods in my garage.  I take the clothes out of the washer, put them on hangers, and leave them to dry for a day or so.  I do put towels and sheets in the electric dryer though.  Fortunately I have a small car so there is room for everything.

Some of my neighbors are trying to get the ban lifted due to the reasons above - it's better for the environment, saves money, etc.

[Jones]

American. We primarily use the dryer, though we have a line in the house we use at times. Hanging clothes outside would result in pollen problems (DH and I both have terrible allergies), intense and sudden winds would result in lost clothing, and I just know that if I hung up my underpants the neighbors would be saying "Hey Bertha! Look at those panties! Bet we could fit two of you in there!"

Oh yeah. And dogs. My dogs have the run of the yard, and if I had the linens hanging where they could reach they probably would need washed again.

[CLE_Girl]

American here

I have both a dryer and inside lines.  I pretty much only use the lines for drying clothes that can't go in the dryer because of the material type or shrinkage concerns.  Where I live (north eastern midwest) the weather is really unpredictable.  People joke that you can have all 4 seasons happen in one day (wake up to snow, turns to cold and rainy, sun comes out and it warms up, then warm and rainy by bed).  And for the most part natural gas and electricity are pretty cheap here.  If I could find a place for outdoor drying lines I would use them during the summer.

[Style_and_Grace]

I have a dryer, my mother had a dryer, all the grands had dryers.  That isn't to say that there aren't things that do not go in the dryer, but I have an adorable little drying rack for them. 

[HermioneGranger]

American here.  We have a dryer, and a sweater rack for what can't be put in the dryer.  Our HOA doesn't allow clotheslines, but a few people have them anyway.  I personally don't have a problem with them, but our yards are small and I really don't want be able to see my neighbor's undies flapping in the breeze while I'm trying to sit outside.