Washing lines

I disapprove of dryers. Such a waste of electricity.

My neighbour hates me hanging washing out. No idea why. It doesn't impinge on him. He made a comment one day as I was hanging it out. 'Another load?'

He puts a wash out about once every 3 weeks. Yuck!

Absolutely love washing when it has been dried outside especially the bed linen!

Growing up neighbours would get each other’s washing in if it rained. Had forgotten that.

I must be so common that I didn’t even realise that I am common. I have three large bags hanging in the side passage - for light, medium and dark washing (a concept that my OH still struggles with). When a bag is full enough I put the contents into the washing machine then out on to the line whenever possible.

I’ve got two Ikea fold down racks above the radiator in the passage if it rains. OH has taken over the ironing in recent years and tends to do it whilst watching sports on tv.

I was doing the family wash (for 2 adults, 4 children) using a twin tub when I was only 7/8 years old and even started ironing it all whilst my mum was at work trying to please her. It didn’t work!

I love hanging my washing outside, give me a sunny day with a warm breeze and I'm searching the house for things to wash, even ordering DH to strip if I think his clothes need washing. However, one of the great mysteries of life is where do the pegs go? during lockdown I've had to order some online, are they the same place as the missing socks?

Hanging out washing when you can is great! The men in my house never used to notice rain and rush to get the clothes in like I would! Years ago apparently neighbours used to get each other’s washing in because of problems drying inside.

I’m common too. Ex (step) mil thought so anyway, was I bothered. Where we live now, our original neighbour told me to get a tumble drier. I use a retractable vileda line as the garden is a bit small to have the line up all the time.

Is your garden very small, then, Hetty58 that you have no room for a clothes line without ruining the view?

All our garden birds are very well trained.

However, I can understand your concerns about the pollen.

I never hang washing out:

It ruins the look of my garden.

I have allergies so don't want clothes covered in pollen.

I don't want birds to contaminate it with their droppings either.

I don't want things fading in the sun.

It all goes on an airer in the laundry room with a dehumidifier drying it thoroughly in a couple of hours - whatever the weather - much more convenient.

I hang everything on the line, weather permitting or on a clothes horse in the laundry room. I always tumble dry for 20 minutes when dry to soften them all.

I remember once an elderly neighbour wanted me to take my washing in as she was having visitors and didn't want them to see it over the gardens ! :-) I did not oblige, the washing wasn't offensive, mostly children's at the time and it was a lovely sunny day. I never hang smalls outside though, just my personal preference.

Who cares what people think. If it is legal then do it.

I have a square thing with 16 pegs on it, I think it's probably supposed to be used in caravans and I put the hooked handle on to a door handle with a clothes peg at the side to stop it slipping off and just peg the smalls up on that; they're always dry the next morning.
I had to recently start hanging it on a radiator as a crow or rook or raven got into my flat and now I have to keep the internal doors shut and I couldn't shut the kitchen door with the dryer on it.

I’ve never owned a drier and never will. It’s a terrible waste of energy and every time you use it you are contributing to Climate Breakdown ?

Greciangirl, in my opinion no question is a silly question when it stimulates thought in others.

Certainly is common practice to hang out the washing, ecologically better and certainly pleasant.
Common used as looking down on others is another matter.
Perhaps if we looked on it as lack of consideration for others instead of being common we'd see it differently.
For example a suburban road with well kept gardens might look down on a neighbour with long grass growing through rusty bicycles and an old stained mattress and call them common.
In the same way a row of neat well kept terraced houses with small front gardens given over to pretty flower pots but the one in the middle with a whirligig of washing might offend the sensibilities of the others, might be deemed common in that sense.
Just a thought

What a silly question.

Of course, it’s not common.

I always hang my washing out weather permitting I love the smell of washing dried outside

I hang out all my washing if the weather allows. A friend's daughter started giggling because there were some knickers on my line, so I said "Doesn't your Mum wash yours- or maybe you don't wear any!" She stopped giggling.

No it’s normal to hang washing outside to dry but I must admit I put my underwear on the inside lines but that’s just my personal shyness. The only things I don’t put out are nighties bed linen and towels just because my husband and I are hay fever suffers.

Common!! What rubbish. I find it very soothing to watch washing blowing on the line. Methinks some people are beyond parody.

Since we moved abroad we havent owned a tumble dryer. If the weather is fine then we wash and if it's wet we don't. We have a long line on the roof terrace plus one of those fold out airers for the smaller items like underwear, socks etc. My DH now does the washing and hangs it out as I cant manage anymore. Although Portugal isnt a particularly religious country generally I have never seen our neighbours washing out on the line or on the airers you generally see on Sundays.

When living in Australia in the 60s they had really strong rotary airers which you could wind up higher once you had hung the washing on it. When we returned to England we bought a house where the back gardens were lower than the back of the house so you could see into all the neighbouring gardens. One couple had a daughter a year or so younger than my daughter and I used to pass on my daughters better clothes which hadnt had much wear to her. Unfortunately she washed everything in the same wash so delicates and whites were washed in with jeans etc. One Saturday Mum was looking out of the window then turned to me and said "well whatever X (a teacher) got her degree in it certainly wasnt in washing". I was most surprised as Mum rarely made comments about other people.

It's one of my favourite jobs. I love seeing a line of washing.

Just read it.
It seems like a double entendre!

I have no option at the moment as my tumble dryer died and delivery can only be made to my front door during the Covid problem : kitchen is upstairs (upside down house). However, I prefer to hang washing outside when I can. I do miss being able to ‘refresh‘ towels in the tumble dryer though, so they are not as scratchy.

As for not hanging out on a Sunday, neither my mother nor grandmother would do it. Some local authorities and landlords did not allow it unless there was someone sick in the house or a baby (only baby things in that case).

I think there is nothing nicer than a lovely line full of fresh clean linen blowing out in the wind. My naughty mum used to comment on whites which were not as white as they should be, especially nappies.

It's a pity that those castigating GabriellaG did not read more than the first page as they would have known that her first remark was very tongue in cheek and typical. I have enjoyed reading everyones replies.