If you want to air your washing in public then my attitude is live and let dry 1. It’s no secret that tumble-driers are very energy intensive. The best course of action for the planet and your bank account is to dry your washing outside. Tumble-driers can also be dangerous and start fires.
However, some backwards residents association rules (particularly in blocks of flats) forbid you from drying outdoors. It’s my view that these restrictions on citizens’ freedoms should be declared illegal by a higher jurisdiction and I’m not the only one.
You can get heat-exchange or heat-pump driers that are more efficient and in the winter when your heating is on anyway they may not be so bad. However, in the summer the best way to dry is by using the power of nature. Sunlight is also effective at sterilisation and so good for hygiene.
Where I live it is common to line dry on long lines in the garden but previously I’ve lived in places that could be fairly fascist if you choose to show your colours, or whites. Thankfully, superficial attitudes like this are dying off.
It may be winter now but we need to think ahead and imagine what the future will look like when it’s warmer. There should be legislation enacted to protect people’s freedom and outlaw bans of line drying, especially in blocks of flats. Other more progressive (at least in this area) nations have led the way for a while now.
- Alternative titles included I Want To Dry Away and I Believe I Can Dry. ↩