It’s overcast here in N Cheshire this morning but I have risked putting my washing out on the line. Fingers crossed it will dry as I am fed up with damp stuff hanging around in my spare bedroom. These days my neighbour, also in her early 70s, and I are the only people who do actually hang washing outside. I assume others use tumble driers but I am wary of the costs of running these.
Last summer, one of my new neighbours who had just moved into a new build semi next-door-but-one said, ‘Oh yes, you’re the lady who puts her washing outside. My gran used to do that, but it doesn’t look very nice does it? No one wants to look at someone else’s washing. And it’s unhygienic.’ I was rendered speechless. Perhaps that was my first experience of passive aggression. She has ignored me ever since. For the record I do not ever put underwear on the line and my garden is relatively private. It upset me at the time as it was so unfriendly. I dried everything indoors for the rest of the year. I am wondering if I am doing the right thing by starting to dry my washing outside once more. It is just unacceptable these days?
I hang out my washing whenever I can. The neighbour is rude, how dare she tell you the clean washing on the line is not pleasant to look at! Clean washing blowing on the line is a wonderful sight in my opinion. It comes in dry and smelling lovely. And in addition, much more germ free and hygienic than if it had been dried in a dryer.
Well, what a cheeky, ignorant beggar is that neighbour?!!! None of her business what you hang on your own washing line; and as for worrying about people being offended by hanging out underwear - ye God's, we are not living in Victorian times! If my neighbour had complained to me about my washing line habits, it would just make me more determined to do it - knickers, bras and underpants too 🙄 I hate confrontation and am anything for an easy life, but even I would be happy to completely ignore this rude woman's comments (I certainly wouldn't have dried my washing inside for a year!).
Lol
I like hanging washing outside. I use the tumble dryer in the winter and for towels but the smell of newly dried laundry that has been on the line is wonderful - l am another laundry sniffer. I don’t worry about people seeing underwear. Our garden is quite enclosed and even if someone else did see it, well surely everyone wears pants.
My oldest son is autistic and one summer, when he was a teenager, he erected a special high line on which he hung my underwear. He thought it was the height of hilarity and l expect the neighbours had a giggle the first time and ignored it every other time he did it.
Pegging out is green, it’s also your garden to do with as u please. Plenty of support for your situation on here. She sounds like a bully. Your washing, your choice.
Both my daughters put their washing on the line to dry outside and there from a different generation. Silly comment in my eyes.
I'm just continually astonished at the presumptuousness of some people with no more rights than anyone else, who for some strange reason take it upon themselves to try to dictate what their neighbours can or can't do.
This is not the first time we've heard such a story on GN is it!
If there are no estate rules about washing, grass-cutting, parking, or whatever else some housing estates make rules about - I'd be very tempted to put a note through the woman's door, telling her that as you have absolutely no intention of changing your habit of hanging out your washing, you're informing her in advance - as a newcomer, so she can either get used to the idea, or find a way of dealing with it. The observation about hygiene is so ridiculous it's not even worth mentioning again... but it gives you a little insight into her mentality.
Whatever I thought about the 'habits' of my new neighbours - if I was a new resident, it wouldn't cross my mind to even mention such things, it seems so appallingly arrogant. She sounds like she might be 'trouble' in the future - so I'd want to make it clear right from the start where her territorial rights stopped!
I don't have a dryer and love being able to dry washing outside. It smells lovely when you take it in. I sometimes smell mine as I take it off the line. Goodness knows what your neighbour would think if she saw me sniffing my fresh clean washing ... including underwear.
We are blessed with living in one of the driest counties so I always have washing hanging out. I laughed so much I nearly wet myself reading that it could offend some people. 🤣
Everything of mine goes out and it is a very rare occasion when I use the tumble dryer, mainly just to finish off towels.
It’s a sad state of affairs when you have to worry about people being upset or offended by your knickers. In my case animal print with pink bows …. i love them so I bought 7 pairs!!
Outside in the warmer months. As a microbiologist, I would say that outside drying is extremely hygienic as the UV light is bactericidal, and of course, uses both “sun and wind power” at no cost!
You should tell that lady to 'do a 180 and look in the opposite direction'.
Ah, what would we do without an airing cupboard!
I never put washing out October to April....just tumble dry or radiator....I do not mind in the least what my neighbours do..... knickers and bras drying on a line would not offend me at all
I must have spent a lot of time when the children were young getting pleased because it was “a good drying day”. It’s lovely to see my daughter now saying the same with her young baby!
Blow big bloomers, I d buy some of the raciest Ann Summers items and leave them out for days! 🤣
Grrrrr. Your new neighbour is both rude and PIG-IGNORANT. My washing dries outside whenever possible, but although I do have a tumble drier I hang damp clothes loosely around an air extractor which is on between 1:00 & 6:00 at night. Even without cheap night rate it’s very cheap to run & even dries a couple of pairs of jeans perfectly. Your neighbour has the (reputed) Edinburgh mentality - fur coat an’ nae knickers. Show her you’ve got both!
However have us 70 year olds survived so long with all the ‘unhygienic’ habits we have lived through according to some young wippersnappers. A weekly bath and change of under crackers, whether we needed it or not lol . Toast and dripping, sugar on bread, I don’t need to go on do I? I bet she’s one of these germ phobics who washes a towel after every use and changes the bed linen every other day. Hang out the bloomers!
Our pants are pegged out on the line with 2 pegs , stretched out like flags for all the world to see .
Bras , socks etc get a peg each.
I am absolutely NOT ashamed I take the time and effort to peg out all my laundry in my suntrap of a back yard.
It's lovely to get them dried ,smelling beautifully fresh AND it's free....both to my and the environment!!
Your neighbour needs some education!
I don’t own a tumble dryer, so always hang washing outside when possible, usually during summer months.
If weather is awful, it hangs over the banisters where the rising hear from radiators dries everything perfectly overnight.
The rest goes into the airing cupboard.
It’s all dry next day.
But I do love hanging out washing on a proper clothes line.
How incredibly rude and ignorant. You should buy extra washing lines and find something to wash every day, rain or shine. I don't have a tumble drier so love it when the weather is good enough to dry my washing outside, as do my neighbours.
Hanging washing out is best for your pocket, best for your clothes, best for the climate. Keep hanging out whatever YOU want is best for you.
So sad we have the lazy & educated who don’t appreciate the free drying. Bet she’ll be of the ‘damp in my house brigade’
How rude of her!!
Funnily enough we've just moved and I've now started hanging my washing out much more than I did before even undies too 😁... She's obviously got more money than sense
Caramme I also live in Cheshire and I wouldn't dream of not putting my washing out to dry if the weather permits. All of my neighbours in this smart area also hang their washing out. I have a tumble dryer that my grandmother gave me years ago but it never gets used. Goodness knows where your neighbour gets her ideas from but ignore her she is stupid.
I would hang out some really sexy underwear and see what response you get!!!🤣🤣
Georgesgran
I’d buy the biggest pair of bloomers and run them up a flag post!
Seriously though, very rude and uncalled for. I wonder if she’s rubbed other neighbours up the wrong way too.
Ditto and I might search a few charity shops for the most outrageous items I can find and add them to the line!
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