Hanging your laundry to dry - what will it do to Manhattan Property Values?
Started by locher
about 16 years ago
Posts: 12
Member since: Nov 2009
Discussion about
NYC residents fight for the right to hang laundry Buzz up!2285 votes SendSharePrint Reuters – Carin Froehlich has help from her granddaughter Ava as they hang some laundry in the front of her … By Jon Hurdle – Wed Nov 18, 11:32 am ET Upper West Side (Reuters) – Carin Froehlich pegs her laundry to three clotheslines strung between columns inside her 18th-century loft, knowing that her actions annoy... [more]
NYC residents fight for the right to hang laundry
Buzz up!2285 votes
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Reuters – Carin Froehlich has help from her granddaughter Ava as they hang some laundry in the front of her …
By Jon Hurdle – Wed Nov 18, 11:32 am ET
Upper West Side (Reuters) – Carin Froehlich pegs her laundry to three clotheslines strung between columns inside her 18th-century loft, knowing that her actions annoy the condo board who have asked her to stop.
Froehlich is among the growing number of people across all of New York fighting for the right to dry their laundry inside or outside against a rising tide of condo and co-op associations who oppose the practice despite its energy-saving green appeal.
Although there are no formal laws in New York against drying laundry outside, a DEP official called Froehlich to ask her to stop drying clothes in the window. And she received two anonymous notes from neighbors saying they did not want to see her underwear flapping about.
"They said it made the place look like trailer trash," she said. "They said they didn't want to look at my 'unmentionables.'"
Froehlich says she hangs her underwear inside her bedroom. The effervescent 54-year-old is one of a growing number of Americans demanding the right to dry laundry on clotheslines despite a culture that frowns on it.
Their interests are represented by Project Laundry List, a group that argues people can save money and reduce carbon emissions by not using their electric or gas dryers, according to the group's executive director, Alexander Lee.
Widespread adoption of clotheslines could significantly reduce U.S. energy consumption, argued Lee, who said dryer use accounts for about 6 percent of U.S. residential electricity use.
Florida, Utah, Maine, Vermont, Colorado, and Hawaii have passed laws restricting the rights of local authorities to stop residents using clotheslines. Another five states are considering similar measures, said Lee, 35, a former lawyer who quit to run the non-profit group.
'RIGHT TO HANG'
His principal opponents are condominiums and community boards. About half of those organizations have 'no hanging' rules, Lee said, and enforce them with fines.
Carl Weiner, a lawyer for about 50 co-op boards in Queens, said the no-hanging rules are usually included by the sponsors along with other regulations.
The no-hanging rules are an aesthetic issue, Weiner said.
"The consensus in most communities is that people don't want to see everybody else's laundry."
He said opposition to clotheslines may ease as more people understand it can save energy and reduce greenhouse gases.
"There is more awareness of impact on the environment," he said. "I would not be surprised to see people questioning these restrictions."
For Froehlich, the "right to hang" is the embodiment of the American tradition of freedom and New Yorkers' changing tastes.
"If my husband has a right to have guns, I have a right to hang laundry," said Froehlich, who is writing a book on the subject.
Besides, it saves money. Line-drying laundry for a family of five saves $83 a month in electric bills, she said.
Kevin Firth, who owns a two-bedroom condominium the Inwood section of Manhattan, said he was fined $100 by the association for putting up a clothesline in a common area.
"It made me angry and upset," said Firth, a 27-year-old carpenter. "I like having the laundry drying in the sun. It's something I have always done since I was a little kid."
(Editing by Mark Egan and Paul Simao)
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Response by alanhart
about 16 years ago
Posts: 12397
Member since: Feb 2007
I'm by no means a libertarian, but restricting the aesthetics within someone's apartment? No way. People can choose not to glance at their windows. Same thing if they choose gold lame curtains as window treatments.
And I would support laws giving the unfettered right to dry clothes in backyards of suburban SFRs. In dense urban (3 stories or higher) areas, I'm not sure whether (or not) I'd want a return to the crisscrossing outdoor clotheslines that predated tumble dryers.
I thought that would be about dirty laundry holding up the Atlantic Yards project.
BTW, prewar buildings had metal scaffolds (many still there) on their rooftops for the hanging of laundry.
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Response by NYCMatt
about 16 years ago
Posts: 7523
Member since: May 2009
I agree that laundry lines scream "GHETTO!!!" in the city.
In upscale suburbs, I have no problem with stringing clothes up in the BACKYARD, out of view of the neighbors. But if the neighbors can see it -- sorry -- it's an eyesore.
If you insist on not using a dryer, hang your clothes up INSIDE your home (I do this for my dress shirts, so they won't shrink).
Frankly, with all the pigeons and other birds flying around this city, as well as the soot and grime, I have no idea why anyone would want to hang their clean clothes outside in the first place.
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Response by lizyank
about 16 years ago
Posts: 907
Member since: Oct 2006
Ah schlepping up to the roof with laundy...what fun. For "unmentionables" my mother had this rope and pulley contraption installed in the bathroom (I think they put them in the projects as well). I never could talk her into taking it down. When I was showing the apartment to my friends and for sale, I had a hellueva time convincing people it was not some old school bondage device.
I'm all for green but hanging laundry, especially in NYC, reeks of REM's song "Nothing But Flowers". Some progress is exactly that, progess... And in a country meadow sheets may smell fresh (assuming it doesn't rain or they don't smell like cow shit) but give me a break Manhattan... Wish I had my own washer dryer but given they are verboten, I'll settle for the building laundry room.
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Response by evnyc
about 16 years ago
Posts: 1844
Member since: Aug 2008
When I lived in Europe, it was common to see this fabulous contraption that was mounted on the wall over the shower, opposite the shower head. It collapsed against the wall when not in use, and it extended over the tub when you wanted to hang up damp laundry. Now I have a floor version that collapses and hides behind the dresser when not in use. Hanging things outdoors does seem to invite problems in cities, but in the suburbs? Get over it. Liz, that's hilarious - I never would have thought to use the drying rack in such a manner. How imaginative of your buyers!
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Response by jsfitz22
about 16 years ago
Posts: 24
Member since: Jan 2007
A friend of mine runs this organization: http://www.laundrylist.org/ It's highly relevant to this topic. I am not involved in the org., though the energy conservation of not using dryers makes a whole lot of sense to me. As for Europe, in general, they are way more "green" than we are in the U.S. and clothes lines are one way they set themselves apart in the "green" category...
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Response by nyc10023
about 16 years ago
Posts: 7614
Member since: Nov 2008
When I had a sunny south-facing balcony, I hung things out to dry regularly in the summer. Didn't smell bad (but didn't face the street either).
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Response by orwellian
about 16 years ago
Posts: 1
Member since: Feb 2009
seriously? hanging ur clothes on a line is not a big deal. and its urban. clothes lines dont scream ghetto. we cant all have mexicans taking cleaning up after us and doing our laundry. christ. spoiled white ppl.
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Response by Briquette
about 16 years ago
Posts: 4
Member since: Nov 2009
THIS NEWS ITEM HAS BEEN DOCTORED. This Reuters item is datelined "Perkasie, Pennsylvania." (See link below). The dateline was changed to "Upper West Side" and things like "farmhouse" were changed to "loft" SHAME ON WHOEVER DOCTORED THIS ITEM.
orwellian - So, what race are you to be angry at people who do not like the slum-days-of-old look of cloths lines strung out throughout the backyards of homes? Let me guess, you're going to say you're white, right?
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Response by AnonMan2002
about 16 years ago
Posts: 165
Member since: Feb 2009
lol
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Response by AnonMan2002
about 16 years ago
Posts: 165
Member since: Feb 2009
i love this forum
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Response by falcogold1
about 16 years ago
Posts: 4159
Member since: Sep 2008
I totally got this whole thing backwards...
I've been hanging out my dirty laundry....
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Response by NYCMatt
about 16 years ago
Posts: 7523
Member since: May 2009
"we cant all have mexicans taking cleaning up after us and doing our laundry."
You're right.
Do your own laundry.
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Response by aboutready
about 16 years ago
Posts: 16354
Member since: Oct 2007
falco, same here. but the air does freshen things up a bit.
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Response by uwsmom
about 16 years ago
Posts: 1945
Member since: Dec 2008
actually, we could (did i type that out loud). But if we All had mexicans doing our laundry, then would the mexicans end up doing their own, or would mexicans find other mexicans to do it for them? that's a really tough one, huh?
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Response by Briquette
about 16 years ago
Posts: 4
Member since: Nov 2009
OK, so nobody's bothered by the fact that this is a doctored news item and that this issue is not taking place in NYC? People are already so willing to believe what's posted on the 'net that doctoring a news item with the "Reuters" tag still on it is serious business. Clearly, the first few commenters here took it in hook, line and sinker.
Once this was exposed as a false item -- not an obviously satirical item, but a deliberate attempt at hoodwinking the readers -- StreetEasy should have taken down this post.
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Response by manhattanfox
about 16 years ago
Posts: 1275
Member since: Sep 2007
It is better than people who stink -- literally have terrible body odor and bad breath... People are so selfish. the majic secret recipe folks. Soap/shower/clean clothes!!
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Response by aboutready
about 16 years ago
Posts: 16354
Member since: Oct 2007
this is for uswmom. laughter is important for the about to pop pregnant woman.
'/%3e%3c/g%3e%3c/svg%3e)
I'm by no means a libertarian, but restricting the aesthetics within someone's apartment? No way. People can choose not to glance at their windows. Same thing if they choose gold lame curtains as window treatments.
And I would support laws giving the unfettered right to dry clothes in backyards of suburban SFRs. In dense urban (3 stories or higher) areas, I'm not sure whether (or not) I'd want a return to the crisscrossing outdoor clotheslines that predated tumble dryers.
http://curbed.com/archives/2009/11/18/30_orchards_dirty_laundry_another_atlantic_yards_lawsuit.php
I thought that would be about dirty laundry holding up the Atlantic Yards project.
BTW, prewar buildings had metal scaffolds (many still there) on their rooftops for the hanging of laundry.
I agree that laundry lines scream "GHETTO!!!" in the city.
In upscale suburbs, I have no problem with stringing clothes up in the BACKYARD, out of view of the neighbors. But if the neighbors can see it -- sorry -- it's an eyesore.
If you insist on not using a dryer, hang your clothes up INSIDE your home (I do this for my dress shirts, so they won't shrink).
Frankly, with all the pigeons and other birds flying around this city, as well as the soot and grime, I have no idea why anyone would want to hang their clean clothes outside in the first place.
Ah schlepping up to the roof with laundy...what fun. For "unmentionables" my mother had this rope and pulley contraption installed in the bathroom (I think they put them in the projects as well). I never could talk her into taking it down. When I was showing the apartment to my friends and for sale, I had a hellueva time convincing people it was not some old school bondage device.
I'm all for green but hanging laundry, especially in NYC, reeks of REM's song "Nothing But Flowers". Some progress is exactly that, progess... And in a country meadow sheets may smell fresh (assuming it doesn't rain or they don't smell like cow shit) but give me a break Manhattan... Wish I had my own washer dryer but given they are verboten, I'll settle for the building laundry room.
When I lived in Europe, it was common to see this fabulous contraption that was mounted on the wall over the shower, opposite the shower head. It collapsed against the wall when not in use, and it extended over the tub when you wanted to hang up damp laundry. Now I have a floor version that collapses and hides behind the dresser when not in use. Hanging things outdoors does seem to invite problems in cities, but in the suburbs? Get over it. Liz, that's hilarious - I never would have thought to use the drying rack in such a manner. How imaginative of your buyers!
A friend of mine runs this organization: http://www.laundrylist.org/ It's highly relevant to this topic. I am not involved in the org., though the energy conservation of not using dryers makes a whole lot of sense to me. As for Europe, in general, they are way more "green" than we are in the U.S. and clothes lines are one way they set themselves apart in the "green" category...
When I had a sunny south-facing balcony, I hung things out to dry regularly in the summer. Didn't smell bad (but didn't face the street either).
seriously? hanging ur clothes on a line is not a big deal. and its urban. clothes lines dont scream ghetto. we cant all have mexicans taking cleaning up after us and doing our laundry. christ. spoiled white ppl.
THIS NEWS ITEM HAS BEEN DOCTORED. This Reuters item is datelined "Perkasie, Pennsylvania." (See link below). The dateline was changed to "Upper West Side" and things like "farmhouse" were changed to "loft" SHAME ON WHOEVER DOCTORED THIS ITEM.
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wamc/news.newsmain/article/0/0/1579479/US.News/U.S..residents.fight.for.the.right.to.hang.laundry
Here are quotes from the ACTUAL story with the REAL locations. Locher should be banned for tampering with a news item to FALSIFY it:
Carl Weiner, a lawyer for about 50 homeowners associations in suburban Philadelphia...
Kevin Firth, who owns a two-bedroom condominium in a Dublin, Pennsylvania housing association...
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wamc/news.newsmain/article/0/0/1579479/US.News/U.S..residents.fight.for.the.right.to.hang.laundry
orwellian - So, what race are you to be angry at people who do not like the slum-days-of-old look of cloths lines strung out throughout the backyards of homes? Let me guess, you're going to say you're white, right?
lol
i love this forum
I totally got this whole thing backwards...
I've been hanging out my dirty laundry....
"we cant all have mexicans taking cleaning up after us and doing our laundry."
You're right.
Do your own laundry.
falco, same here. but the air does freshen things up a bit.
actually, we could (did i type that out loud). But if we All had mexicans doing our laundry, then would the mexicans end up doing their own, or would mexicans find other mexicans to do it for them? that's a really tough one, huh?
OK, so nobody's bothered by the fact that this is a doctored news item and that this issue is not taking place in NYC? People are already so willing to believe what's posted on the 'net that doctoring a news item with the "Reuters" tag still on it is serious business. Clearly, the first few commenters here took it in hook, line and sinker.
Once this was exposed as a false item -- not an obviously satirical item, but a deliberate attempt at hoodwinking the readers -- StreetEasy should have taken down this post.
It is better than people who stink -- literally have terrible body odor and bad breath... People are so selfish. the majic secret recipe folks. Soap/shower/clean clothes!!
this is for uswmom. laughter is important for the about to pop pregnant woman.
http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2009/11/the-world-according-to-americans/
tee hee hee