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Chemical analysis and origin of the smell of line-dried laundry

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Re: Chemical analysis and origin of the smell of line-dried laundry

#81

Post by throw0101a »

hombre_fatal wrote: post #73
Al-Khwarizmi wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In Spain the attitude is similar, but for different reasons. Environmental consciousness is sadly low in general, but cult to fashion and looks is strong. Machine drying anything but towels and sheets would be considered shabby by most, as it damages clothes. When I was looking for housing, I visited some really luxury apartments (that I could never afford, but visiting is free and I'm a curious person, so why not) a…

> Machine drying anything but towels and sheets would be considered shabby by most, as it damages clothes. So does UV light.

Depending on the clothing item, turning it inside-out may help (e.g., reduce colour fade).

Re: Chemical analysis and origin of the smell of line-dried laundry

#82

Post by PaulDavisThe1st »

jiofih wrote: post #8
S_A_P wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have done line drying and it ended up smelling not so great. Like someone who went outside on a hot day. I wonder if you need a low humidity environment for line drying to “work”.

You need sun the most. In most of the northern hemisphere it will only be viable for a couple months in the summer.

The Amish and many Mennonite communities in the US dry clothes outside all year. It's quite amusing to see their frozen sheets on lines if you take the train between Philadelphia and Harrisburg and further west to Pittsburgh.

Re: Chemical analysis and origin of the smell of line-dried laundry

#83

Post by kaybe »

throw0101a wrote: post #49
kaybe wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Another reason is that if you do it inside your flat (which many people do in Germany) and then do not open your windows enough there will be mold. Especially in winter this can be a problem.

You'll probably get as much moisture in the air from a hot shower or boiling a bunch of pasta. Regardless of the source of moisture, this is a sign of poor construction via not using proper building science. The vapour barrier needs to be on the warm side of the insulation so there are no cold spots where condensation can occur.

I mean, sure, but many of the houses are old. The bathroom and kitchen usually have ways to deal with excess moisture, but no space to hang the laundry. The other rooms have space but no such provisions.

However, if you don't start to modify things you can basically carry on forever by law (currently). (E.g. the wiring in our flat precedes the second world war, which is legal if you don't make changes. No, I don't approve.)

Re: Chemical analysis and origin of the smell of line-dried laundry

#84

Post by JoshTriplett »

JoeAltmaier wrote: post #38
stormdennis wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We once rented a flat, in a nice building housing mainly retired people. One day we gave the place a good cleaning and hung out a mat to dry on the balcony. Within half an hour the residents association which we didn't know existed were knocking on our door and demanding we take in the offending item.

I will never until my dying day, live under the thumb of an association. Its a magnet for pedantic busybodies.

Sometimes your choice is between a shorter commute and an HOA. Avoiding an HOA may cost you 5-10 extra minutes twice a day, 5 days a week.

I completely agree with you, and at the same time, that criteria can turn an already difficult search into an impossible one.

Re: Chemical analysis and origin of the smell of line-dried laundry

#85

Post by fiblye »

hombre_fatal wrote: post #73
Al-Khwarizmi wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In Spain the attitude is similar, but for different reasons. Environmental consciousness is sadly low in general, but cult to fashion and looks is strong. Machine drying anything but towels and sheets would be considered shabby by most, as it damages clothes. When I was looking for housing, I visited some really luxury apartments (that I could never afford, but visiting is free and I'm a curious person, so why not) a…

> Machine drying anything but towels and sheets would be considered shabby by most, as it damages clothes. So does UV light.

Your clothes get faded in the sun. A dryer quickly wears down the fabric and makes holes.

Re: Chemical analysis and origin of the smell of line-dried laundry

#87

Post by Nursie »

WalterBright wrote: post #57

When I lived in Arizona, I'd take the clothes out of the washer, step outside, and put them on the line. When I finished pinning them up, I'd return to the beginning of the line and take them down, perfectly dry and fresh. Who needs a dryer :-)

Same in Perth, Western Australia. Gotta love the desert climate for that.

Re: Chemical analysis and origin of the smell of line-dried laundry

#88

Post by jxramos »

bonoboTP wrote: post #18
throw0101a wrote: post #14

In Ontario, Canada, some condo boards for town house developments (like home-owner associations) didn't like people putting up laundry lines and so prevented them since backyards were considered "common elements" and under group jurisdiction. So the provincial government had an existing law that prevented the use of "renewable energy" systems from being blocked by local by-laws and such. So they classified clothes li…

I have a similar clause in my rent contract in Germany, forbidding line drying, and first I didn't really understand why people care about this (I planned to use the communal dryer anyway). But to be explicit, it's because the optics of visible laundry makes people associate to poor people who have no other drying options. They don't want the neighborhood to look like poor neighborhoods. Maybe it will become one of t…

I wonder if these methods would be allowed if one put up a frosted glass greenhouse of sorts to obscure the view yet allow sufficient light and wind to pass to allow them to dry reasonably well.

Re: Chemical analysis and origin of the smell of line-dried laundry

#89

Post by pmiller2 »

throw0101a wrote: post #81
hombre_fatal wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Machine drying anything but towels and sheets would be considered shabby by most, as it damages clothes. So does UV light.

Depending on the clothing item, turning it inside-out may help (e.g., reduce colour fade).

Not only that, but it helps protect screen printed elements on graphic tees and such.

Re: Chemical analysis and origin of the smell of line-dried laundry

#90

Post by desert_boi »

morsch wrote: post #54
bonoboTP wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have a similar clause in my rent contract in Germany, forbidding line drying, and first I didn't really understand why people care about this (I planned to use the communal dryer anyway). But to be explicit, it's because the optics of visible laundry makes people associate to poor people who have no other drying options. They don't want the neighborhood to look like poor neighborhoods. Maybe it will become one of t…

Not that you claimed anything else but: A bit less than half of all households in Germany have a dryer[1], air drying is very common. Your landlord cannot prevent you from drying clothes within your flat, any terms to that end in your lease are void ([2], IANAL). [1] https://www.destatis.de/DE/Themen/Gesellschaft-Umwelt/Einkom... still more than I expected [2] https://www.mieterbund.de/index.php?id=597

Running a dryer in my Northern German apartment in the summer was miserably hot. I can see why they're rare in places without widespread AC.
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