Tip of the Day - Observe National Hanging Out Day
Posted on April 18, 2008 by
Hanging your clothes out to dry is a simple and effective way to drastically cut your household energy use. But while hanging your laundry out doesn’t seem like a political act, it can be. In some areas, residents are banned from hanging clean laundry in their very own yard.
From the Orion Grassroots Network:
“April 19 is National Hanging Out Day, and rather than just sit around you should grab a friend or two and some clothespins, and fight for your right to dry. Founded in 1998, National Hanging Out Day advocates the use of clotheslines (or the “solar dryer”) as an alternative to the expensive and inefficient electric dryer.
In the past, college campuses and various activists have simply hung their clothing in a visible location or worn a t-shirt with a slogan on it. You could organize something similar in your own community. Just get involved and be creative!
Believe it or not, use of the solar dryer has actually been severely restricted or even outright banned in some areas. ‘Right to Dry’ legislation just went up for review in New Hampshire and failed to pass. Connecticut’s version of the bill will be voted on soon and in Ontario a rule-making process is underway to solicit public comment about how to change the laws.
I first heard about National Hanging Out Day on Crunchy Chicken’s site. Crunchy Chicken says dryers account for five to ten percent of household energy usage. That’s more than enough energy savings to make up for any kind of aesthetic inconvenience. No, I don’t love looking at my neighbor’s tighty-whiteys flapping in the breeze, but it doesn’t ruin my day. I have the option of looking away. I’d rather look at underwear on laundry day than smog everyday.
Assert your right to hang your laundry. Air your skivvies in protest! Hang your clothes out to dry tomorrow and keep it up after tomorrow too.
I first read that and thought, “Cool! I love hanging out! I can totally do this!” Then I saw the clothespins and thought, “Oh.” Still, cool idea!
Also, the name Crunchy Chicken invariably makes me want chicken fingers.
the weather here is PERFECT for line-drying clothes right now. sunny, warm but not humid (yet), light breeze…ahh. personally i love the way a drying rack or clothesline full of clothes looks on a sunny day, especially if it’s the “colors” load…know what i’m buying after the buy nothing challenge is over? a 50′ clothesline from lehman’s.
the only thing i don’t like about air-drying is that denim can get kind of stiff and scratchy. i’ve never used liquid fabric softener but i might have to look into one of those home recipes.
Project Laundry List has some great articles about communities which are working to lift clothes line bans. So far Colorado has a bill pending and Toronto has banned banning clotheslines.
You can sign up for the email list to get more info.
Maria: I have the same problem. I solved it by hanging the jeans then putting them into the dryer for five minutes. I tried all the other ways to eliminate the stiffness and found this is the only way which worked for me.
I second Michelle: finishing jeans off in the dryer softens them right up. Just wearing them does the trick too, though.
I’ve been telling my parents to hang-dry their clothes. They haven’t been legally allowed to since 1989, but they have a big screened-in porch that would work great and avoids the legal issue.
We just hang ours inside, for the most part.
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