Clotheslines are more energy efficient than dryers, but they have their own drawbacks.
Both clotheslines and dryers have the ability to dry laundry. However, there are benefits and drawbacks to each option. As environmentalists urge society to become "greener," clotheslines have resurged in popularity. Though dryers cost more to both the individual and society, they are a more convenient and faster way to dry clothes. Some state and local governments have even entered the debate by banning clotheslines for aesthetic reasons.
Benefits of Clotheslines
Clotheslines allow a consumer to dry his clothes without paying any energy fees. TerraPass estimates that an average family could save about $70 per year by air-drying half of their loads of laundry. Further, the family would conserve over 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide per year. Overall, clotheslines are cheaper to the individual consumer and better for the environment.
Drawbacks of Clotheslines
Despite the cost and energy savings, there are several key drawbacks to using clotheslines. It can be time-consuming to hang clothes on a line as opposed to simply tossing the whole load in a dryer. Also, clotheslines cannot be used in inclement weather; thus the method is not always a reliable way to dry clothes. Clotheslines also require space, so people living in small spaces-such as urban condos-may not have room for a clothesline. Finally, some citizens argue that clotheslines are not aesthetically pleasing and should be banned because they reduce the beauty--and property values--of the surrounding community.
Benefits of Dryers
Dryers primarily offer convenience, as many new appliances and technologies do. Dryers are typically placed right next to washers, so unloading a wet load of washed laundry into a dryer is very easy. Dryers also save time because they dry a load of laundry in under an hour whereas a clothesline could require several hours to dry the clothes. Because dryers can be used in any weather conditions, they are also more reliable than clotheslines.
Drawbacks of Dryers
Though the added energy costs and use are the biggest downsides, dryers do have other drawbacks. Because dryers toss clothes around throughout the drying cycle, clothes can take a beating. Dryers ultimately reduce the life of clothes as a result. Also, dryers are expensive to purchase compared to clotheslines, so the initial cost is also a downside.
Regulations Regarding Clotheslines
Despite the recent push from environmentalists urging consumers to use clotheslines, some areas make use of clotheslines difficult due to long-standing bans, usually as part of homeowners' association rules. Proponents of such bans argued that the sight of clotheslines reduces property values. Proponents of clothesline use in the province of Ontario, Canada, fought for years to lift an arcane law allowing municipal bans on clotheslines, finally overturning the bans in 2008. Some homeowners’ associations and towns still ban clotheslines. Typically, though, areas with bans do allow retractable clotheslines that can be stored when not in use.
