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U.S. residents fight for the right to hang laundry (2009)

reuters.com

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Re: U.S. residents fight for the right to hang laundry (2009)

#81

Post by copenseethe »

nemo44x wrote: post #55
mijamo wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are those things that are not possible to do in the US? That just seems so absurd. I'd be pissed if I couldn't put a sofa or a car where I want on my own property! Can your neighbors also prevent you from putting your children sculpture or garden gnome in your garden because it's not up to their grand standards?

In some lower class places or college town neighborhoods I’m sure people wouldn’t care but in most middle and upper middle class places, people take pride in their homes and communities and something like that would be considered outrageous.

No post body was provided.

Re: U.S. residents fight for the right to hang laundry (2009)

#82

Post by Retric »

sbradford26 wrote: post #50
mellavora wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A lot of EU heats by steam/water radiators. These don't dry the air the same way forced air heating does. You are right about absolute/relative humidity, but our basement feels damper in winter than summer.

Forced air and radiators dry the air equally. Steam radiators sometimes can add humidity to the air it is limited and only when they are initially heating up before the valve closes. What causes dry air in the winter is the act of heating air up. Relative humidity is based on the temperature of the air, so if there is a fixed amount of water in the air, as you heat it the relative humidity goes down. So in the winter…

Forced Air generally increase the exchange of new air from outside. Individual rooms will tend to be above or below ambient pressure which causes an exchange of air with the outside. Carefully balanced systems can minimize the effect, but homes are rarely built with this in mind.

You can get a related effect with thermostats which raise and lower the house’s temperature over the day as air expands with increased temperature.

Re: U.S. residents fight for the right to hang laundry (2009)

#83

Post by gpderetta »

micromacrofoot wrote: post #19
anecdotal1 wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Quoted post unavailable.

everyone needs dry clothes no one needs bitcoin

Tsk. If you mine bitcoins you can throw away your used clothes every day and always buy new ones with the profits. No need to wash them.

Re: U.S. residents fight for the right to hang laundry (2009)

#84

Post by kergonath »

nemo44x wrote: post #43
kergonath wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Although I get her point I think she’s antisocial and being a bad neighbor. Especially by insisting to hang it in the front yard. That’s a very restrictive view of what a good neighbour should be. Those who are offended by the view of drying clothes and insist on dictating other people’s lifestyle are much worse neighbours than she is. > To live peacefully in a society you have to compromise and you can’t just do a…

The town has a standard where you don’t hang laundry though. She’s the odd person out here and should appeal to the people of the town. Otherwise she’s just doing as she pleases and that’s antisocial behavior. As to who it “would hurt” - it could very well hurt everyone’s property values and certainly hurts everyone’s eyes to have to see a car parked on the front lawn. Again, it’s antisocial behavior and inconsiderat…

> The town has a standard where you don’t hang laundry though.

Indeed. And that is oppressive.

> Otherwise she’s just doing as she pleases and that’s antisocial behavior.

Doing as we please as long as it does not hurt others is the definition of freedom and liberty.

> As to who it “would hurt” - it could very well hurt everyone’s property values and certainly hurts everyone’s eyes to have to see a car parked on the front lawn.

That is entirely unreasonable, besides the fact that it is completely stupid that drying clothes can decrease property prices. It is not more dirty than anything else you can put on your lawn, and it is not a sign that the house is poorly maintained or anything.

Also, if that is your standard, why are political posters and flags acceptable? In which way does a drying shirt “hurt your eyes” (really?) more than a MAGA banner? Does your argument apply to what people wear as well, or is there anything magical about lawns?

> Again, it’s antisocial behavior and inconsiderate of the vast majority of people in the area. It’s selfish.

Not at all, this should not be any more controversial than the clothes we wear. The selfish ones are those who impose a way of life on others for no good reason.

Re: U.S. residents fight for the right to hang laundry (2009)

#85

Post by mattmanser »

morsch wrote: post #4

For the entirety of my life, we've hung or clothes to dry inside. No dryer. No, they don't smell bad. Yes, even with small kids in the household. No, there is no problem with mold. No, it doesn't take forever, I'd estimate twelve hours most of the year, depending on how fast you spun them (typically 1200+ rpm). Yes, the evaporating cools down the room, though I can't say I ever noticed it. In terms of energy efficien…

Have you only lived in one climate? One type of house?

There are a lot of different buildings and climates where you will have problems hanging laundry indoors. It definitely can cause mould, it definitely is a health risk without paying extra for dehumidifiers. And dehumidifiers are not great for the environment either as well as costing extra.

So two good reasons to hang out rather than in.

Plus hanging laundry outdoors dries them much, much quicker too. They can be dry in 2 hours most of the time, compared to up to 2 days inside.

Re: U.S. residents fight for the right to hang laundry (2009)

#86

Post by Karellen »

nemo44x wrote: post #60
Karellen wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What if they do? It's their lawn. What if they put a lawn chair on the front lawn, and sat out to read or play on their tablet or whatever, and fell asleep? Is that so bad? Or are lawn chairs somehow better than couches, and that's what makes it OK? (Are they more expensive? Better upholstered? Comfier? If yes to any of the above - where do you buy your lawn chairs?)

Quoted post unavailable.

I guess I'm a twit then.

Could you please humor me and explain why? If the answer is so obvious and straightforward, it shouldn't be that hard to do, or take very long.

If it helps, feel free to use long words. If I struggle with any (being such a twit and all) I promise to look them up, instead of pestering you further for a definition.

Re: U.S. residents fight for the right to hang laundry (2009)

#87

Post by tiahura »

lloydatkinson wrote: post #59

I can’t imagine such a freedom limiting law in any European country or here in the UK. Utterly absurd a country that prioritises freedom so much also dictates how people are allowed to dry their laundry. I’m sure if the wind could be taxed they’d not restrict it though…

These aren’t national laws. They are passed by local communities. Local communities have always been given wide latitude to implement housing regulations.

Re: U.S. residents fight for the right to hang laundry (2009)

#88

Post by ghaff »

JoeAltmaier wrote: post #56
nemo44x wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The town has a standard where you don’t hang laundry though. She’s the odd person out here and should appeal to the people of the town. Otherwise she’s just doing as she pleases and that’s antisocial behavior. As to who it “would hurt” - it could very well hurt everyone’s property values and certainly hurts everyone’s eyes to have to see a car parked on the front lawn. Again, it’s antisocial behavior and inconsiderat…

Exactly why I live in the country. No neighbors, who almost by definition exist to constrain my life. By making up laughable things like "hurts everyone's eyes to have to see a car parked on the front lawn".

Separation does go a long way to preventing disputes about whether a property line is exactly here or 3 feet west. Or whether the garden and lawn upkeep are sufficiently in keeping with the neighborhood standard.

I'm guessing my garden might be considered substandard in many suburban settings.

I'm mostly pretty sympathetic with people doing whatever is "reasonable" with their properties including drying clothes on a line. But there's clearly some point in a suburban neighborhood where broken down cars and decaying furniture will among other things depress nearby property values which is an understandable issue for the owners.

Re: U.S. residents fight for the right to hang laundry (2009)

#89

Post by alistairSH »

mijamo wrote: post #42
nemo44x wrote: post #17

Although I get her point I think she’s antisocial and being a bad neighbor. Especially by insisting to hang it in the front yard. To live peacefully in a society you have to compromise and you can’t just do as you please. Communities have certain standards and by-laws that should be respected. If you’re compelled then bring it up at the next town meeting and rally support for your cause. What if someone decides they…

Are those things that are not possible to do in the US? That just seems so absurd. I'd be pissed if I couldn't put a sofa or a car where I want on my own property! Can your neighbors also prevent you from putting your children sculpture or garden gnome in your garden because it's not up to their grand standards?

The US doesn’t have national rules on these things. Being a federal system, the rules are mostly decentralized at the state, county, town, and neighborhood level.

Neighborhood are often managed by a Home Owners Association (HOA). So, not codified laws, just a contract/rules you sign when you buy/rent in that area.

Outside an HOA (typically older or rural homes), you can often do what you want.

Inside an HOA (most suburban development since the 70s), you get rules that span from reasonable to crazy, but as a resident you know the rules up front.

Towns can have some of these rules too, but the detailed “don’t do X” that make the news are almost always HOA things.

In the primary example in the article, it sounds like there isn’t a rule, just neighbors complaining. The women correctly told them to piss off.

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