Sort of funny how millions of people dried their clothes for a couple of hundred years in NYC before dryers were ever invented.... I doubt there's a roof on any apartment building built before WWII that doesn't have the remnants of laundry lines on it (and in many cases crossing alleys to the adjacent buildings). That asphalt would be terrific radiant heater to dry clothing, the only worry would be the pigeons. lol
I can't imagine walking blocks to do my laundry then have to sit there while to wait for it to wash and then dry. I am surprised more apartments there do not have a hook up for a washer inside. As much laundry as I do that would be an extreme inconvenience. As I mentioned before dryers are almost unheard of so you dry clothes on a line on balcony. What is the reason apartments in NYC don't have washer hookups inside?
Depends upon the size of the building and there are variations depending upon the age of the building. Some buildings have laundry rooms, as mine does. It's a 200-unit building and has three rooms. I like that setup because you can do multiple loads at once. I've seen a few buildings that have a single washer and dryer on each floor, to be shared by everyone on the floor. And buildings with larger apartments sometimes have a laundry room within each apartment. Some smaller older buildings either don't have enough of a water supply or enough electricity to support washers and dryers in each apartment or they simply don't have the physical room. When I lived in a brownstone, the half-floor apartment we had had the kitchen built into a former closet. The refrigerator was actually in the dining area next to the entrance door. There was no way any washer/dryer was fitting in there and the owner didn't supply any in the basement either, so that was a case where we used the local laundromat. There's also plenty of private homes, especially in the other boroughs of NYC and most people do have their own washer/dryer.
If you go to some working-class neighborhoods, you still occasionally see people drying clothes in the open air, but it's relatively rare because the air is too dirty, someone might steal the clothes and because it's simply unnecessary - a laundromat is a much better option and most let you leave the clothes and they'll clean/dry them for you.
When I was a kid living in the Bronx, NY, there were these large metal and rope trees in back of the building that were used for drying laundry. If you see old photos or movies of NYC, you'll see a lot of tenement buildings with laundry lines in the back between buildings.
Since most apartment buildings in New York are now either co-ops or condos, most Boards have rules against drying laundry on the terrace.
If most Americans would just do 2 very simple things it would save them a ton on energy bills and also help the environment. One is simply air dry your clothes instead of using a dryer. Not only is it better on your wallet and the environment, it is also far better on your clothes. I have clothing decades old that still practically look brand new because they have never been inside a dryer. Every once in a while I will put them in dryer for just a few minutes to remove lint or pet hair but it is really noticeable how much damage dryers can do to clothes over time.
The second is to use a window fan at night or even better an attic fan. Even in Georgia where temperatures routinely reach well over 100 for many months, the nighttime temperature often drops to the low 70's outside. I positioned my bed next to a window and with the fan sucking out all the hot air and all other windows closed the window behind my bed pulls in a very strong and cool breeze all night long which is far better for my sleep and also health. On nights where it never drops below low 80's I also will use my central air but that is really not all that common. If you have a decent attic or window fan the breeze that it can pull in from one window over your bed is extremely strong to the point that I usually need a thick blanket not to freeze.
Good advice. I only use a dryer for towels to keep them fluffy.
If most Americans would just do 2 very simple things it would save them a ton on energy bills and also help the environment. One is simply air dry your clothes instead of using a dryer. Not only is it better on your wallet and the environment, it is also far better on your clothes. I have clothing decades old that still practically look brand new because they have never been inside a dryer. Every once in a while I will put them in dryer for just a few minutes to remove lint or pet hair but it is really noticeable how much damage dryers can do to clothes over time.
The second is to use a window fan at night or even better an attic fan. Even in Georgia where temperatures routinely reach well over 100 for many months, the nighttime temperature often drops to the low 70's outside. I positioned my bed next to a window and with the fan sucking out all the hot air and all other windows closed the window behind my bed pulls in a very strong and cool breeze all night long which is far better for my sleep and also health. On nights where it never drops below low 80's I also will use my central air but that is really not all that common. If you have a decent attic or window fan the breeze that it can pull in from one window over your bed is extremely strong to the point that I usually need a thick blanket not to freeze.
There are many ways to save energy and no one specific right way. What counts is what a person's total carbon footprint is, not whether they use a dryer or not. If I didn't use a dryer, clothes would take at least two days to dry and that assumes I would have a place to dry them, which I don't. But on the other hand, I have a small carbon footprint because I live in a relatively small apartment and don't drive very often and I absolutely never have the AC on when I'm not home and not all that often when I am home, because I can't stand the noise.
And I don't know why you're addressing this to "Americans" when it applies to virtually everyone in the western world.
I realize that you're referring to web b.s., but for years, I watched GEICO ads on TV where they claimed to save you "up to 15% or more" and figured they wouldn't save me much of anything. But after my last insurance increase (which should have been a decrease, since I have no claims and the car is worth less each year), I called GEICO and it cut my insurance bill in half for slightly more coverage! So you never know. On the other hand, when I then priced home insurance with GEICO, it was basically the same as what I was already paying.
There are many ways to save energy and no one specific right way. What counts is what a person's total carbon footprint is, not whether they use a dryer or not. If I didn't use a dryer, clothes would take at least two days to dry and that assumes I would have a place to dry them, which I don't. But on the other hand, I have a small carbon footprint because I live in a relatively small apartment and don't drive very often and I absolutely never have the AC on when I'm not home and not all that often when I am home, because I can't stand the noise.
Agreed. By planning a city such that just about everything is within walking distance, you eliminate a huge part of the carbon footprint. Plus it has heath benefits too. Also, by having a smaller living space, you require a fraction of the heating/cooling that a large house would. No yard maintenance either. I'd be willing to bet that the carbon footprint of the average New Yorker is far smaller than most places in the developed world.
Agreed. By planning a city such that just about everything is within walking distance, you eliminate a huge part of the carbon footprint. Plus it has heath benefits too. Also, by having a smaller living space, you require a fraction of the heating/cooling that a large house would. No yard maintenance either. I'd be willing to bet that the carbon footprint of the average New Yorker is far smaller than most places in the developed world.
The planning happened more than a century ago. People didn't have many transportation options. The living spaces are smaller because people were smaller, as was furniture.
Comments
Grassy fields?
Sort of funny how millions of people dried their clothes for a couple of hundred years in NYC before dryers were ever invented.... I doubt there's a roof on any apartment building built before WWII that doesn't have the remnants of laundry lines on it (and in many cases crossing alleys to the adjacent buildings). That asphalt would be terrific radiant heater to dry clothing, the only worry would be the pigeons. lol
yeah, was thinking along the same lines.... TANSTAAFL...
I can't imagine walking blocks to do my laundry then have to sit there while to wait for it to wash and then dry. I am surprised more apartments there do not have a hook up for a washer inside. As much laundry as I do that would be an extreme inconvenience. As I mentioned before dryers are almost unheard of so you dry clothes on a line on balcony. What is the reason apartments in NYC don't have washer hookups inside?
Depends upon the size of the building and there are variations depending upon the age of the building. Some buildings have laundry rooms, as mine does. It's a 200-unit building and has three rooms. I like that setup because you can do multiple loads at once. I've seen a few buildings that have a single washer and dryer on each floor, to be shared by everyone on the floor. And buildings with larger apartments sometimes have a laundry room within each apartment. Some smaller older buildings either don't have enough of a water supply or enough electricity to support washers and dryers in each apartment or they simply don't have the physical room. When I lived in a brownstone, the half-floor apartment we had had the kitchen built into a former closet. The refrigerator was actually in the dining area next to the entrance door. There was no way any washer/dryer was fitting in there and the owner didn't supply any in the basement either, so that was a case where we used the local laundromat. There's also plenty of private homes, especially in the other boroughs of NYC and most people do have their own washer/dryer.
If you go to some working-class neighborhoods, you still occasionally see people drying clothes in the open air, but it's relatively rare because the air is too dirty, someone might steal the clothes and because it's simply unnecessary - a laundromat is a much better option and most let you leave the clothes and they'll clean/dry them for you.
When I was a kid living in the Bronx, NY, there were these large metal and rope trees in back of the building that were used for drying laundry. If you see old photos or movies of NYC, you'll see a lot of tenement buildings with laundry lines in the back between buildings.
Since most apartment buildings in New York are now either co-ops or condos, most Boards have rules against drying laundry on the terrace.
Good advice. I only use a dryer for towels to keep them fluffy.
If most Americans would just do 2 very simple things it would save them a ton on energy bills and also help the environment. One is simply air dry your clothes instead of using a dryer. Not only is it better on your wallet and the environment, it is also far better on your clothes. I have clothing decades old that still practically look brand new because they have never been inside a dryer. Every once in a while I will put them in dryer for just a few minutes to remove lint or pet hair but it is really noticeable how much damage dryers can do to clothes over time.
The second is to use a window fan at night or even better an attic fan. Even in Georgia where temperatures routinely reach well over 100 for many months, the nighttime temperature often drops to the low 70's outside. I positioned my bed next to a window and with the fan sucking out all the hot air and all other windows closed the window behind my bed pulls in a very strong and cool breeze all night long which is far better for my sleep and also health. On nights where it never drops below low 80's I also will use my central air but that is really not all that common. If you have a decent attic or window fan the breeze that it can pull in from one window over your bed is extremely strong to the point that I usually need a thick blanket not to freeze.
There are many ways to save energy and no one specific right way. What counts is what a person's total carbon footprint is, not whether they use a dryer or not. If I didn't use a dryer, clothes would take at least two days to dry and that assumes I would have a place to dry them, which I don't. But on the other hand, I have a small carbon footprint because I live in a relatively small apartment and don't drive very often and I absolutely never have the AC on when I'm not home and not all that often when I am home, because I can't stand the noise.
And I don't know why you're addressing this to "Americans" when it applies to virtually everyone in the western world.
If most Americans would just do 2 very simple things it would save them a ton on energy bills
But how can I save a bundle on auto insurance?
Let me guess... by using this "one weird trick"...
I realize that you're referring to web b.s., but for years, I watched GEICO ads on TV where they claimed to save you "up to 15% or more" and figured they wouldn't save me much of anything. But after my last insurance increase (which should have been a decrease, since I have no claims and the car is worth less each year), I called GEICO and it cut my insurance bill in half for slightly more coverage! So you never know. On the other hand, when I then priced home insurance with GEICO, it was basically the same as what I was already paying.
There are many ways to save energy and no one specific right way. What counts is what a person's total carbon footprint is, not whether they use a dryer or not. If I didn't use a dryer, clothes would take at least two days to dry and that assumes I would have a place to dry them, which I don't. But on the other hand, I have a small carbon footprint because I live in a relatively small apartment and don't drive very often and I absolutely never have the AC on when I'm not home and not all that often when I am home, because I can't stand the noise.
Agreed. By planning a city such that just about everything is within walking distance, you eliminate a huge part of the carbon footprint. Plus it has heath benefits too. Also, by having a smaller living space, you require a fraction of the heating/cooling that a large house would. No yard maintenance either. I'd be willing to bet that the carbon footprint of the average New Yorker is far smaller than most places in the developed world.
The planning happened more than a century ago. People didn't have many transportation options. The living spaces are smaller because people were smaller, as was furniture.