Clothes Drying Racks - Build It Into Your Life

Clear and cold, but that darn brown haze on the horizon just hangs there.


So with my mind wondering back to Italy, I still have some thoughts to share. And besides, I don't want my laundry art photos to go to waste. I was so impressed with small yet important lifestyle differences in Italy, that it bares my continued blogging.

Washing clothes is one of those necessities in life, like eating and taxes. It's a daily, or at least weekly, chore that's been around as long as humans have worn clothing. And so a household has to some how accommodate washing laundry and therefore clothes drying. It was clear in Italy that clothes drying in the form of hanging it outside is the first choice for most homes.

Clothes drying lines or clothes drying racks are built into the frame work of homes, balconies and/or windows. Look closely at the above photo and you can see that the balcony railings extend and hold several lines for clothes drying. This is a real commitment to hanging your clothes out to dry, it's just what is done. Laundry isn't shamefully hung out the back of the home, it's hung right out front for the world to see. And I love it.

And if there isn't a balcony, the rigs are built into the side of the building with easy window access.

While admiring this lifestyle and the beautiful colors it adds, I can't help but be amused by the idea that some are offended by hanging clothes. You know those covenants that restrict outside clothes drying. I just don't get that. Is it the underwear? Doesn't everyone wear underwear? I think if you walk through any mall in the U.S. you're likely to walk by several stores with displays that could pass for soft porn. I find that more objectionable than the real world of undies hanging out to dry.Others must find it amusing that we even have these restrictions. I find it ridiculous. I'm all for civil disobedience in this case.

Hanging your clothes on a line or clothes drying rack really doesn't take that much time. The time is little enough to easily build it into your day, into your life. It's a commitment, a lifestyle, a pledge that will make a difference - an environmental difference for us all. Ciao!