The simple, nostalgic act of hanging clothes outside to dry, regaining popularity as an eco-friendly act, has become a full-blown political flap. On one side of the line, proponents of the right-to-dry movement say clotheslines are a green alternative to dryers, which are second only to refrigerators and air conditioners as the top energy consumers in most homes.

When we recently proposed exterior changes to our house—which is in a historic district—to Richmond’s Commission of Architectural Review, the last thing we expected to hear was, “No, you can’t do that. The changes appear too authentic. People will mistake them for the original and think they’ve always been there.“