Just letting it all hang out

So tell me.  What's your take on clotheslines?  A quaint but obsolete technology your grandma favored over her electric clothes dryer?  Or something you can't live without?

The "back-to-line-drying" movement is alive and well.  The folks at Project Laundry List consider themselves advocates (with a great sense of humor) in helping to educate consumers on the energy conservation benefits of line-drying clothes. They also seek to fight the covenants of many planned communities and condo associations that ban clotheslines and consider them "unsightly."

I've been line-drying my clothes for years. Nothing compares to the fresh, clean smell of line-dried clothes.

Posted by Dawn

Jeff comments: Gee, with the questionable air quality of the northeast and who knows what blowing around, do your clothes really stay clean outside?

Dawn responds: Actually, Jeff, the Environmental Protection Agency has said that indoor air quality is anywheres from 2 to 10 times more hazardous than outdoors, thanks to today's super-insulated houses, mold, radon, second-hand smoke and the outgassing of various chemicals from rugs, furniture and other manufactured products. But that's a story for another post.

Besides reducing energy use, clothesline drying also saves you money, helps your clothes last longer and eliminates the chance of a clothes dryer fire.

Jeff: Well, that may be so, but have you ever run your finger accross the top of your car or patio furniture? Also, in the Northeast it is Tick Central and these little buggers get carried by the wind as well as the four-legged creatures. Again, I long for the past and my family's clothesline, but the reality is with two working people, three kids and multiple sports, laundry is perpetual. Once again, practicality versus the environment - practicality wins. The one good thing is that our laundry is done at "off-peak" hours for energy consumption.

Dawn: If you line-dry, it might require some planning ahead, like becoming more conscious of weather conditions conducive to doing a load of wash, or planning ahead if you need clean clothes for a specific function. 

But you brought up some valid points concerning convenience.  Does "going green" necessarily mean sacrificing all the conveniences and comforts of the modern world and returning to the era in which our grandparents lived?  Or can we combine the wisdom gained from a generation ago with contemporary products and know-how to come up with better ways to run our household and protect the environment?