Many folks have questions about our laundry line, and we hold regular discussions with our neighbors about how and why we dry our clothes outside. Our laundry line was one of the reasons we were reported to the city, as well as why our grouchy neighbors gave so much pushback on our zero waste story in the newspaper.
Since it’s one of the key features of our property, we thought it would be fun to answer these 10 questions people ask us about our laundry line.
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1. Don’t you have a dryer?
We do! But why should we use electricity to run a machine to make hot air when the air outside is…..hot?
2. Doesn’t it take a lot of time?
Kind of? Depending on what we wash, it might take a bit to clip everything up. I’m talking maybe 10 minutes. In the hot summer months, it dries faster outside than in a dryer, though. Generally, if you’re making the decision based on time alone, it’s about the same as tossing it into the machine.
3. But you have to be outside in the heat! Doesn’t Nebraska get really hot?
It sure does! But being outside isn’t bad for us. No one loves being hot and sweaty, but honestly, you get pretty used to it. With all the other stuff we have to do outside, clipping clothes is just no big deal. We drink lots of water and wear sunscreen every day. We don’t melt.
4. Does it bother you that your neighbors hate it so much?
Nope. Not even a little. That’s a reflection on them, not us.
We believe that folks can do what they wish with their properties, as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else. We’re not hurting anyone, or breaking any laws. We’re simply trying to be good to our planet by normalizing sustainable alternatives to suburban norms.
The only argument aside from “I don’t like it,” that has been presented to us is that it could hurt property values. This has been proven false, as property values are still sky-high since we’ve gotten here. The house next door to us sold for more than we bought ours. The laundry line hasn’t hurt a thing.
This was originally posted in 2021. It is now 2023 and property values are **drumroll please** still increasing. So…that argument has proven itself invalid.
5. Do line-dried clothes aggravate allergies?
Not in our experience, no.
Every member of our household, including the dogs, has terrible seasonal allergies. Our clothes don’t seem to make a difference in that no matter how they’re dried. That may not be the case for everyone depending on what your specific allergies are, but our baseline is sneezy enough that we really don’t notice.
6. Do you like to dry clothes outside, or just do it to be Zero Waste?
Yes! We love it. Line-dried clothes smell SO wonderful.
Plus, it’s a nice little workout, hefting the heavy baskets out to the lawn and clipping everything up with your arms above your head (plus chasing the kid so he doesn’t get into trouble.) We listen to podcasts or crank out our yard chores as a family, and it’s a right good ol’ time!
7. How do you build one?
You can buy “laundry poles” but they’re more expensive and can be challenging to find. Ours are simple 8-foot aluminum fence posts set into the ground with ready-mix concrete and a laundry line strung two layers across. That’s it. The materials cost about $25-$30 at the hardware store.
8. Does the cost of the setup cover the cost of energy savings?
Yes. We save at least $20-$30 per month on utilities by washing on cold cycles and drying outside. It pays for itself almost immediately. Drying laundry outside was a huge part of our savings plan in moving to this home, actually. A zero waste saving plan relies on many small changes saving just a few dollars here and there – and it works!
9. What do you do on rainy days or during the winter?
We try to stay on top of laundry enough that if it rains for a day or two, we just skip laundry those days. If it’s rainy for an extended number of days, we will use the clothes dryer. In the winter we do freeze dry fairly often because Nebraska is so dang dry during the winter. The clothes will freeze initially, but they do get dry as long as it’s not precipitating. It takes longer than drying in the hot summer breeze, of course, but we still are able to dry well over half of our clothes outside all winter long.
10. What if people take your stuff?
Honestly, if people feel the need to steal our stuff, we assume they probably need it more than we do. We’ve had folks ask for clothing, and we have no issue with that. We truly hope that our property is inviting enough that folks would feel safe enough to ask before taking it, but if they don’t, they don’t. We’re home most of the time we have stuff out, but it’s not the end of the world if someone takes something, for whatever reason.
Do YOU have questions?
It’s okay to have questions about things that are unusual or you haven’t tried before! If you do have questions, feel free to shoot us a message, or drop a comment. We’ll do our best to help guide you in deciding if line-drying your laundry could be a good sustainability step in your household.
And if you decide line-drying your clothes is not a good step for you, check out our resources pages for other ideas on sustainability steps that do suit your lifestyle and abilities!