Californian Woman Living Abroad Sparks Debate Over How She Does Laundry

After moving to New Zealand, one Californian woman has had to acclimatize to many cultural differences, but she didn’t expect one of the biggest changes to center around how she dries her laundry.

Three years ago, Carrie Rad relocated to New Zealand, and regularly documents her new way of life on social media. She often shares videos on TikTok and Instagram (@carrierad) showing her slower way of living in the countryside. One particular clip about her laundry habits has captured the attention of millions.

In January, Rad posted a video showing the simple act of hanging her laundry outside to air dry in the sunshine. After it became a feverish topic for debate, she told Newsweek that she “didn’t realize what a hot topic” laundry could be.

Rad said that in the U.S., the preferred method is “not to hang dry clothing,” but to throw it in the dryer instead. She never considered the difference previously, stating that she used to hang laundry outside “at times” in California, but certainly not as often. Since moving to New Zealand, she said “it’s much more common to hang dry” clothes in the sunshine. She even believes there are benefits to this method.

The video bewildered many people—it’s already been viewed more than 1.2 million times and gained over 42,800 likes on TikTok. “It’s been super fascinating to see how people are responding,” Rad told Newsweek.

Drying clothes outside may not be the first choice for many Americans, as the Government’s Energy Star website highlights that around 80 percent of U.S homes have a dryer instead. So, why hang the clothes outside on wash day when they can be dried in no time?

Project Laundry List campaigns to encourage more people to air dry their laundry and consider washing at colder temperatures, as they estimate that just 8 percent of households dry laundry on a washing line. The group also estimates that 80 percent of Americans use the dryer 2-9 times each week, showing just how vital they can be.

However, as Rad references in her video, many housing associations across the U.S. have banned clotheslines in the past, which led to the creation of the Right-to-Dry movement. Through their campaigning, the movement has helped several states overturn their bans and make them unenforceable, including Florida, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine and Maryland. Residents in those states can now sun dry their laundry.

After Rad’s video went viral on social media, she got many people talking about their laundry habits. The post has already amassed over 4,800 comments from TikTok users around the world, who were keen to share their thoughts on the debate.

One comment reads: “Too much variable weather for us in the Midwest, either tons of wind, too cold, too humid, rain, etc. I just like the consistency of a dryer.”

Another person responded: “I’m really surprised how many people love to hang dry their clothes, I absolutely hate the feeling of hung dry clothes. My sensory issues cannot do it.”

“I’m from Durban South Africa. We have mostly hot, sunny days. I stand to be corrected but 99% of the population hang our laundry out to dry. Dryers are mostly used when we have lots of rain,” a third TikTok user commented.

One observer noted: “In the UK half the time it’s too cold to hang stuff out, it’s wild that people don’t do it in the warm parts of the US!”

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