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?
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Of course it's not unacceptable 
. If anything, using dryers is unacceptable as it uses power that could be saved. I use both, as well as an indoor heated airer, decision based on the weather and how likely it is to get things dry fairly quickly.
What is unacceptable, IMO is for a stranger to comment on your habits, particularly those you display in your own home, and even more so when she is a newcomer.
Oh, and the idea that hanging out washing is unhygienic is just ridiculous. Just ignore her.
No. Dry your washing outside!
It is softened and fragranced by the cool spring breezes and bleached by the rays of the sun.
🌞
How behind-the times your neighbour is. Has she never heard if climate change?
I dry my laundry outside as do my three adult daughters. Only the boys use a tumble dryer!
BTW I do put our underwear out. Usually on a twirly peg thing so I can bring it in easily.
I dry mine on a pulley rail in the utility room as our garden isn't huge but please do hang your washing out.
In our last house, our lovely next door neighbour asked if I would ming not hanging underwear out as 'it upset' her husband.
I'm originally from the NW and as soon as its dry enough washing lines are still used there- well they were last year during the visits I made.
Now I live in the East of England and as soon as it suitable outside, I peg out my washing, as do my neighbours.
I put my smalls ( or should that be bigs 
) on the inner most lines of the dryer, so they are 'hidden' by the larger items which are placed in size order on the other lines so that eventually the largest or thicker items are on the longer, outer lines.
No complaints here up to date- and as for your neighbour saying its unhygienic...she seems not to understand the point of washing doesn't she?
I love to put my washing out to dry...what a rude person that neighbour is...also use a twirly peg drier for knickers and socks they are so useful and only a Pound to buy...tumble driers are expensive and often shrink items I've found
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