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I wonder why drying clothes in Sunlight is avoided in western countries. Even in Summer, i don't see people hanging clothes outside in US. While this is the nor
by nmridul 8y ago
I wonder why drying clothes in Sunlight is avoided in western countries. Even in Summer, i don't see people hanging clothes outside in US. While this is the norm in Asia.
- askvictor 8y agoPossibly to do with sunlight causing fading? Hanging clothes outside is pretty common in Australia which is a so-called Western country (and inventor of the Hill's Hoist for this very purpose). Other than the US, the rest of the Western world is pretty much Europe, which gets enough rain and short days in winter that they have other systems (i.e. clothes driers) that are probably convenient to use in summer too. Also, electric driers cost money to buy and run, which developed countries have a lot more of.
- jklehm 8y agoIn addition to killing germs the UV is breaking down the fabric and fading the colors.
- mrpopo 8y agoUV breaking down the fabric, maybe? Certainly less fast than clothes driers. Random google search result comparing wear-and-tear of line-dried and tumbler-dried clothes : https://www.reviewed.com/science/how-dryers-destroy-your-clothes https://www.reviewed.com/science/how-dryers-destroy-your-clo...
- peterwwillis 8y agoWell it depends on what part of the "West" you mean. Lots of people still hang clothes out to dry in Italy, France, Germany, Spain, etc. In the USA, we don't hang clothes out because we changed our cultural norms with the introduction of convenience machines. Once air conditioning became affordable, we all bought it. Same for refrigerators, dish washers, garbage disposals, washing machines, and of course dryers. Having a machine to do your work for you was seen as a middle-class status symbol, in addition to relieving housework. Once line-drying became passé, people began to dislike the sight of line-dried clothes (it reminded them of being lower-class) and so was now "unsightly". Neighborhood association bylaws were passed to ban line-drying completely, and many apartment buildings also banned the practice. So now around 80% of homes in the USA have a washer and dryer, and people in apartments use laundromats or apartment facilities. This article from the BBC mentions the millions of U.S. homeowners who were banned from using clotheslines: https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-11417677 https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-11417677
- dashundchen 8y ago> Why would you line-dry your clothes if you have the convenience of a dryer? Some advantages: 1. Clothes last longer with less dryer agitation 2. Less agitation means less lint 3. Lower carbon emissions and gas/electric bills I have a gas clothes dryer at home but I hang dry my clothes year round. In the summer I have a line, more delicate and fade-senstitive items get hung in the shade while towels, sheets, undershirts, socks and underwear can go in the sun. If you hang them in the morning or evening when light is less intense, or bring them in as soon as they dry during sunnier hours, there's very little risk of fading in my experience. The most delicate items are hung inside on a drying rack. In the winter or rainy periods I have a folding indoor drying rack that I hang clothes on. It takes longer but still works. During furnace weather I can leave them in front of a vent and the dry furnace air gets some humidity as well. Some tips if you haven't hang dried before: You may notice your clothes are stiff after air drying. Depending on your water hardness you may be using too much soap (most detergents recommend too much). Try using less, or add plain white vinegar in the fabric softener dispenser (no commercial softener) Vinegar will soften the water, remove soap buildup from the washer and clothes, and leaves fabric soft without any other artificial softeners.
- BoorishBears 8y agoThe sun will ruin clothes much faster than a properly configured dryer
- dashundchen 8y agoYMMV - it may be different closer to the equator, but in the great lakes I don't have an issue. The brightest colors and most delicate fabrics are hung inside or in shade. With a medium washer spin speed there's very little wear on the clothes. In contrast, my experience with the dryer is clothes and up looking threadbare and worn from a high heat dryer. Just look at how quickly the lint trap fills up.
- BoorishBears 8y ago
- nicholas73 8y agoAlso hang dried clothing is stiffer, and the lint isn't removed.
- icebraining 8y agoWashing machines have lint trap for that. That and a vigorous shake when picking from the line works fine, in my experience.
- clumsysmurf 8y agoOne of the reason: many places prohibit it because its considered an eyesore https://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/17/world/americas/17clothesline.html https://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/17/world/americas/17clothesl...
- freddie_mercury 8y agoHaving lived places where hanging clothes outside is the norm... If you don't have a stay at home spouse then it can be problematic. You have to put them out during the day, which means you'll be at work. If there's a change in weather, then there's no one at home to bring in the clothes. So you come home from work and your clothes are still wet. If you live someplace where it rains frequently (even if they are just light drizzles) then it can be hard to get clothes dry on any kind of predictable basis. Which means that people end up setting up clothes drying racks inside of their house, in a living room or bedroom. In Asia, it is very common to have a wife, mother, or mother-in-law at home during the day which solves all these problems. Got a sudden two hours of sun? Put out the clothes to dry.
- TheSpiceIsLife 8y agoNot only that, if you leave your clothes out in here in Tasmania during summer the sun will well and truly fuck them.
- Rapzid 8y agoLived in Auckland for a bit. Still remember the time I had an international trip coming up and spent 4 days trying to get my clothes dry during a non-stop rainy spell. Had to resort to a dehumidifier and space heater in the middle of the clothes horse. No thanks; ain't got time for that. Energy production needs to move away from fossil fuels anyway, if anything me using more energy just makes that more economical...
- Cthulhu_ 8y agoHow about weekends though?
- veidr 8y agoIn Japan, the clothes hanging conditions are part of the morning weather report. They show different t-shirt icons on the map, X for don’t hang, bulls eye for hang it, triangle for “not such a good day to line dry”. (I myself, though, sure as fuck have a dryer machine, although it’s an anemic little 100V electric job, not a gas-fired behemoth like I’d have back home in California...)
- ip26 8y agoI love the feeling of sun dried jeans, but it fades things prematurely. It's also more work than just throwing it all in the dryer. We love our convenience.
- silversmith 8y agoTurn them inside out when drying?
- Cthulhu_ 8y agoI turn them inside out when washing too, it really makes a huge difference.
- raquo 8y agoBecause people there are richer, and can afford dryer machines?
- coldtea 8y agoNope, that isn't it. US aside, most rich west countries do use line drying.
- joecool1029 8y ago>I wonder why drying clothes in Sunlight is avoided in western countries. Surprised nobody else mentioned a big reason: Pollen. I can get away with drying most of my clothes outside, but if I do bed sheets outside, especially during the spring, I get terrible allergies from them.
- scruple 8y agoAlso humidity. I air dry clothing (indoors and outdoors) regularly in SoCal. When I lived in Georgia, however, it was a crap shoot wether or not the clothes would be dry at the end of a work day
- skrebbel 8y agoTo each their own. I, for one, can't afford putting all clothes in the dryer. They break so fast that I keep having to buy new ones. In our household, only socks and underpants and pyjamas and stuff like that go in the dryer, the rest dries outside (or, in a room with the window open when it's cold). (very western: we're a Dutch and Danish couple)
- tralarpa 8y agoSame in a couple of other West European countries I know. Where I lived, middle class apartment blocks explicitly advertised the fact that there is a large room (cellar or attic) to hang clothes (and I am talking about the 1990s and 2000s here, not about 1960).
- rconti 8y agoWhat kind of clothes are these that break? The only thing I can think of developing holes are my (very expensive) icebreaker merino wool t-shirts, and even those took YEARS to develop any holes. My average cotton/poly/whatever t-shirts, sweatshirts, jeans, last.. I don't know. A decade?
- coldtea 8y agoDepends on the western country. Italy, Greece, France, Spain are all for it...
- gameswithgo 8y agowe have enough money to do it in the dryer. its significantly more time consuming to do it outside, that's all.
- cylinder 8y agoIt's definitely the norm in Australia.
- tdb7893 8y agoMy grandparents hung clothes up often but honestly it took longer and was more work than a dryer. It takes like 30 seconds to load clothes into a dryer and it gets them dry in about an hour regardless of weather.
- pbhjpbhj 8y agoEveryone without outdoor space that I know in UK hangs out washing. Except in winter when it's too wet.
- nness 8y agoPlenty of fabrics; like natural cottons and wool, don't fare well or are completely destroyed by tumble-driers. Air-drying is both economical and better for longevity.
- jameskegel 8y agoIn my community it is against the rules and deemed unsightly
- rconti 8y agoThis doesn't seem remotely hard to understand: * I use a washing machine * The dryer is directly on top of it * Moving clothes between the two takes roughly 10 seconds * I don't have a clothesline(s) in my yard * Land might be utilized for other things, requiring more complexity than just hanging (eg, pulley systems and the like, which of course you see in many places) * Energy is cheap * Time is precious * I tend to prefer fluffy clothes out of the dryer to stiff hang-dry clothes But to me, the number one indication that your expectation is unreasonable is that you specifically mention "even in summer". With that comment, you're indicating an awareness that hang-drying may be inconvenient or impractical during part of the year. If that is the case, and now you need a machine to do the work, why not use the machine year round? You already paid for the convenience, so at this point, the only reason NOT to use the machine is to save energy. On a personal level (I live in California, so the weather is almost always nice), the number one reason I don't hang dry clothes is because it takes way too much time. I can rarely be bothered to even put my clothes away after doing laundry. I find it extremely tedious to deal with every garment individually.
- wambotron 8y agoI can't speak for all Western countries, but I live in an extremely humid area with high pollen from around March until November. High humidity means your clothes take forever to dry and they're going to be covered in insects. High pollen means your clothes are going to be death-coated for anyone with even mild allergies. It's really not feasible here. Some people hang their clothes to dry inside in sun rooms, but it's not very common. It's easier to throw them in the dryer.
- devwastaken 8y agoBecause the dryer makes my clothes all soft and comfortable and smell nice.
- carc1n0gen 8y agoGrew up in southern Ontario, Canada and hanging clothes outside to try was definitely not avoided in the summer.