I have to be frank here. I don't like clotheslines, there I said it. That's why everyone has a dryer. Unless you are Amish, you should NOT be using a clothesline. (I am not trying to offend any Amish people that post on the site here. My cousin is Amish, I love the Amish).
Using Clotheslines
- Thread starter AIT
- Start date
Do you guys also skateboard to work and cook your food over an open fire while it's turning on a spit?
You're lucky my wife doesn't post on here...jeesh...I apologize for saving my family substantial $ during the summer months.
No but my wife does the dishes by hand. For some reason she doesn't care to use the dishwasher.
I guess its all about personal choice and not having someone else dictate how you live your life.
I just put one up in our yard last month. We love it. We also live in an association. When you live in an association, the most important thing you can do is show up for the meetings. In ours, there are only about 8 people who actually ever show up, so it's pretty easy to get enough support to stop stupid things from happening.
The association helped us get speed humps put on all the streets in the area, so associations are not all bad.
The association helped us get speed humps put on all the streets in the area, so associations are not all bad.
Yikes. Look, I was just joking in my previous post and not trying to offend those great people. I said I love the Amish. As for saving money, I'm not sure you are really saving that much. Today's dryers are HIGHLY efficient machines. You probably waste just as much money in air conditioning opening and closing your door numerous times a day to go and check on your clothes outside. I know I would.
Actually I drive 70 miles roundtrip everyday to work, it used to be 92 miles until March. Talk about "uppity"...:notworthy:
While this statement is frankly just stupid, I do have to admit, I'm not a big fan of clotheslines. The concept is wonderful..saving money, using less energy, but I do not enjoy how stiff and rough air dried clothes feel on my skin.
And this highly efficient dryer is free?
Unfortunately, all these "hyper-efficient modern machines" cost money.
But thanks for posting. In my work as a technology historian, I am always intrigued/humored to find a person who is obviously completely divorced from the analog world around them through subconcious overdependence on technology.
Thanks for making my day.:smile:
Perhaps your dryer is highly efficient, mine might be, but comparing energy bills from 2006 (mild summer) to 2007 (blazing summer with the AC running alot) we probably saved $200.
Also, my wife likes to do it and my 2 year old son enjoys helping Mom hang the laundry by handing her the clothes pin. Me personally, I wouldn't do it, but some people like the smell (my wife) and just the simple pleasure of the experience.
I enjoy how in a post about clotheslines, you HAD to inject your profession to make you seem more "important". LOL. Keep up the great work. Do you have any published articles or books out there? I'd love to read your views on the history of technology.
Actually, I was trying to be humorous.
And I'm published; but mostly in .gov publications, and I try not to give out my "real" identity to just anyone. And the Tech History part is my avocation, not my vocation.
In summary, my view is that while technology has a fundamentally cultural basis, and is often more cultural than functional, technology has risen to the point where it drives culture. (Which can be a bad thing.)
While technology is neutral, (and boy, do I like MY technology) we as individuals and as a culture often make some pretty stupid decisions based on a lack of thinking through the real purpose of the tech we use.
In particular, the statement you made about clotheslines both hinted at unintended consequences (opening the door to check the clothes leads to MORE electricity consumption due to the airconditioning) as well as possibly invalid assumptions (what if you don't USE airconditioning, or what if you looked at the total cost of the dryer, such as purchase cost, and did you consider how much heat an in-home dryer puts off, which puts an additional load on your airconditioning?)
Little did I know that one could distill a life philosophy in an internet post about clotheslines....
You (general you) could just get an indoor clothesline and put it in your basement. If you live in an area with rules about not having them outdoors. Then you could use it year round and not have to worry about a bird leaving a little present on your clean clothes. Also you wouldn't have to worry about your clothing getting all kinds of pollen all over it. That is why I don't dry clothes outside.