 |
| Isla laundry day |
Driving
around the Isla Mujeres on a sunny day you may notice many houses have a
clothesline strung across the front, festooned with brightly coloured clothing
snapping in the Caribbean breeze. It’s a custom that is acceptable in many European,
Mexican, and Latin American countries where clothes drying from rooftops and balconies is an art
form. Yet, in other countries it is considered to be vulgar, or low-class to
hang your laundry on the line.
 |
| Venice Italy |
How odd that standards have changed so dramatically since I was an elementary-aged kid, tasked with hanging the sheets, pillowcases, and garments on our backyard clothesline.
In the warmer months it was a pleasant task, but in the winter months, we also had below freezing temperatures that created havoc with wash day.
I remember laboriously hanging the laundry on the line and then a few hours later being directed by my mom to remove the stiff, frozen items as the temperature rapidly plummeted.
 |
| Isla - solar-drying |
Here in
Mexico, islanders who use a clothesline also learn to keep an experienced eye
on the weather. A sudden squall off of the ocean can ruin a day’s work in
a few minutes – soaking the clothes, delaying the drying time, or entirely shutting
down washday if the rain settles in for a few hours.
When we
first moved to Isla in 2007, I was entranced by the idea of line-drying our
sheets and towels. I asked our builder, Patricio Yam, to install a roof-top
line for me. Then for the next six months I trundled up to the roof,
carting my freshly washed linens, happily pinning them to the
line.
 |
| Venice Italy |
Ah, fresh sun-dried
sheets! An hour later I would return to remove the laundry … to find
everything wrapped like fat sausages around the line, over and over and over
again. Still wet. The Caribbean breezes had been playing games.
Eventually after fighting the wind and rusty clothes pegs that left non-removal marks on everything white or light coloured – I gave up. I now use our propane-fired dryer. It’s not the healthiest option for the environment, but on the windy side of the island it’s the one that works best for me.
Eventually after fighting the wind and rusty clothes pegs that left non-removal marks on everything white or light coloured – I gave up. I now use our propane-fired dryer. It’s not the healthiest option for the environment, but on the windy side of the island it’s the one that works best for me.
 |
| Environmentally friendly solar-drying |
Solar drying – yes,
that’s the new socially-acceptable name for airing your gonchies in public
– has many environmental and financial benefits. Of all common household appliances, electric
clothes dryers are second only to refrigerators in energy consumption.
 |
| France - not allowed in the snooty neighbourhoods. |
A
natural gas or propane dryer is cheaper to operate but electricity is still
required to rotate the drum.
So, why have some communities or individual strata-developments banned line-drying?
The most widely quoted reason is, “to ensure aesthetics and make sure that the common areas and look of the building is kept neat and clean at all times.”
The most widely quoted reason is, “to ensure aesthetics and make sure that the common areas and look of the building is kept neat and clean at all times.”
There’s no arguing
with tastes, but clotheslines can be beautiful. They are flags of freedom;
freedom from dirty energy and expensive power bills.
Hopefully the
colourful clotheslines on Isla Mujeres won’t disappear entirely. They are
so much a part of Isla’s character.
~
Murder and mayhem
Revenge and romance in paradise!
Grab you copy today, e-book or paperback
Please follow my author's page on Amazon
Revenge and romance in paradise!
Grab you copy today, e-book or paperback
Please follow my author's page on Amazon
