Washing lines

To me it’s one of the small pleasures in life to be able to put a line of washing out on a bright day. Sad, I know but I always look forward to coming back from holiday and doing the washing, especially if it was sunny!

My mum was a funny one. Whatever she bought new be it sheets , towels or tea towels it all had to be washed first before being used ?

I've always done it, mum did it, my grandma did it.

Common through and through.

EllanVannin She wasn't that daft. Things were often made of fabric that was full of "dressing" which makes them look good on the shelf but makes the sheets scratchy and stops the towels from absorbing water. Washing removed this so that the articles were soft and absorbent again. If they'd spent some time on a shelf without the plastic wrap that seems to shroud everyhing these days, they could be pretty dusty too!

It is so long since I bought any bedding that I don't know whether there is still a lot of dressing in those - but new towels are often far better after a wash.

I always wash new bedding and towels. I thought everyone did

There is still a lot of stuff put in the finishing of fabrics. I know someone who used to work in M & S., folding clothes all day gave her terrible eczema on her hands. She needed to wear cotton gloves or couldn’t work. New towels should be laundered before you first use them as until they’re washed they are not very absorbent and also can shed. I recall using some new dark blue towels as a house guest. When I looked in the mirror to do my face and hair after a shower.......I looked like a Smurf !

I can remember when I was a child that the sheets would freeze on the line. If there was any wind or sun during the day then they would dry but otherwise had to go on an airing rack by the range.
I hang washing out if possible but always give the towels a 10 minute bash around in the tumble dryer first.

I must be as common as muck then, and couldn’t care less, I have a big garden , my washing line goes from top to bottom, all my washing goes out, smalls which aren’t quite as small as they were, the lot, love to see towels bed linen blowing in the breeze,

I don't care if it's 'common', I love hanging my washing out and getting it dried naturally - and for free - on the line (it smells wonderful too). Don't even own a tumble-drier and I don't want one!

Yes,love a good line of washing out.Nobody can see into my garden,I might be a bit more careful about hanging my knickers out if they could!

I used to own a holiday bungalow in Cornwall,when I bought it there were several for sale,a friend came with me when I viewed them,he said I know which one you will choose,it was one with a washing line in the garden,it was the one I bought!

There’s a local house which has a washing line near to the road. The washing is always hung out with mathematician precision. Similar garments are always laundered together, so one day it will have lots of pairs of jeans, another it will be t-shirts, pants and socks. Sometimes it’s towels, two of each colour, or duvet covers. Maybe it’s sheets and sometimes it’s orange boiler suits!

Everything is exactly the same distance apart, the pegs are placed exactly the same distance from the end of the garment. It’s a wonder to behold and apparently, because it’s on a school bus route, it’s a morning talking point for the school kids. ?

I have a whirligig. No one can see it except us. My mother always hung her washing out. Her line wasn't really visible either.

I wish I still had a nice washing line., though. The outside lines of the whirly thing are just too short for our duvet covers.

Like most I love to see washing on the line. I alway hang t shirts together followed by joggers and trousers, undies and socks last of all. Cant bear an untidy washing line. When it bedding day it's hung out in sets, duvet covers, pillow cases, then sheet. Towels hung in order of size and colour. My mum did it this way so it's the only way for me

A lot of new fabric has been handled in factories outside of the Uk where hygeine levels are far less superior to what we would hope for. Having visited some third world countries I was often shocked at the amount of vermin and lack of sanitation around the huts where locals would work sewing goods for the more wealthy nations around the world. I for one would not consider using such goods without giving them a good wash first. Just not worth the risk.

I hang my pants (mainly black) on the line with just one peg so you can’t see how big they are! It reminds me of how gamekeepers used to shoot crows and hang them on fences!!

Although I usually tumble dry towels I quite like to dry them outside occasionally. Admittedly they feel rough but you can exfoliate and dry yourself at the same time!

It's not an option for me- I relied on the laundromat because I've no washer or dryer- I had to purchase a washboard- I had the line and pegs- My arms feel a bit stronger! But my hands are wrecked-

Last week was snow, this week warmer but rainy- So it's been a challenge to keep up-

Juliet27, I’m afraid my towels could probably stand up!!
We met be well exfoliated!

I far prefer a crispy towel, my daughters are soft and beautiful, fabric conditioned and tumbled, trouble is they don’t dry properly.

I hang all my washing out whenever I can

@GabriellaG54 - you can't just label most of us common without expanation!!!

Missfoodlove: Having to hang out your OWN washing is the common part. Do you not have staff?

It's snobbish to look down on people who hang their washing outside. I knew someone who hung her washing in the garage as she felt her neighbours judging her - how sad.

It's more environmentally friendly to dry washing outside. My whirligig was wrecked in Storm Keira so I replaced it with an ordinary line which is much better - then I had to splash out on a prop. It's actually easier to use and can take sheets much better. Each to their own.

Shortlegs

I think having a tumble dryer is common.

try to hang as much as possible out in summer to save on electric and it smells so nice.

It's common practice to hang washing out weather permitting. Environmentally too.