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Hang or tumble

(54 Posts)
hespian Sat 25-May-13 08:30:48

I've just heard that clothes poles are being removed from an estate in London by the council. Do you still hang your washing or are the days of the washing line numbered? I find it theraputic - although a nuisance when the weather is so unpredictable!

Galen Sat 25-May-13 10:55:54

Depends on the weather. Outside today. But always tumble DGD's towels so that they are nice and softsmile

NannaB Sat 25-May-13 10:54:47

I really miss hanging out washing. As we live in an apartment it isn't allowed, so have to tumble dry.

tanith Sat 25-May-13 10:32:00

I got rid of my tumble dryer several years ago and all my washing is dried outside even in Winter unless its particularly wet when I hang on an airer in the spare bedroom with the windows open..
I love to see washing blowing on the line and how anyone can object to seeing a neighbours washing I really don't understand. Its a live and let live world surely? If everyone that could line dried washing it would certainly reduce the power bills.

mollie Sat 25-May-13 10:30:14

Shameful to have to admit that I tumble everything all year round - the few times I tried hanging washing outside the line either collapsed or the weather conspired against me so I've stuck with the tumbler. I like the feel of tumbled clothes, towels etc. although I can remember the lovely fresh smell of clothes dried outside. When my children were small I took great pleasure in hanging their things outside, when I got bored I'd hang them according to size, type, colour, whatever got my attention on the day...lol!

Aka Sat 25-May-13 10:28:11

JO when we lived 'up north' we had loads of elderberry bushes and a telephone line with ran above our drive. Purple poo was always deposited on the car from resting birds hmm]

Movedalot Sat 25-May-13 10:23:18

Hang outside whenever possible and inside when not. Washing is outside now and another lot nearly redy to join it.

We have lived here for nearly 4 years and I haven't used the tumble drier once. Don't even know if it still works.

When weather is not suitable to put washing outside we have room for an airer in a space between the utility and my study and it dries there.

When we lived a couple of miles inside the M25 I used to put up the rotary line in the spring and clean all the muck off before use. Now we live here I have tried to clean it in the spring but no dirt comes off. Just think what I was breathing in when living in Surrey!

Charleygirl Sat 25-May-13 10:17:22

I do not have the space for a tumble drier and in the days when I lived in a house where there was space, I could not afford to run it. I have a rotary drier and for winter I put clothes on an airer in a spare bedroom.

I do not mind looking at my clothes from the lounge or kitchen window but I do agree, I would not like to be viewing somebody else's.

I only wear any item once and then it is washed so I appear to be washing for the county as I have so much, summer and winter.

Tegan Sat 25-May-13 10:11:49

I'll always remember being told by someone that they tumble dried everything in Canada and never put things out to dry. Hard to believe that, years later I'd be doing the same [although I don't tumble dry things totally but put them next to a dehumidifier for a while and then the airing cupboard].

ninathenana Sat 25-May-13 10:04:09

I tumble everything that's suitable in winter if not it goes on radiator airers.

Summer everything is hung out on rotary airer. I try to save washing for a dry day if not I will do the same as in winter.

j08 Sat 25-May-13 09:47:59

Actually I can understand this in some circumstances. Think maisonettes where the piece of lawn that you look out on from your front window actually belongs to the people upstairs.

Housing is so different these days. No longer all houses with own back gardens.

gillybob Sat 25-May-13 09:45:09

I got rid of my tumble drier when we moved to this house. I hang everything outside (and I mean everything) when the weather is fine and hang everything inside when it isn't. Sometimes when it is a lovely day I actually hunt around the house looking for things to wash just for the pleasure of hanging it out. confused

j08 Sat 25-May-13 09:43:39

Today programme had an article about this this morning

You're very lucky never to have had birds' poo on yours Aka. No purple splodges when they've been on the elder berries?! grin

Aka Sat 25-May-13 09:38:36

And grannyA don't they smell so much fresher when dried outside?

annodomini Sat 25-May-13 09:38:18

I do use the dryer in the winter but in our so-called summer I try to get the washing out on the line and since my mother was never concerned about bird poo, it has never occurred to me either. Anything not quite dry is hung on a drying rack in the bathroom.

grannyactivist Sat 25-May-13 09:33:18

Outside I have two ordinary (long) washing lines, plus a huge rotary washing line and in the utility room I have two further (short) washing lines. In addition, two of the bedrooms are equipped with large airers for drying clothes. No excuse for using the tumble dryer unnecessarily. I find that when I'm washing bedclothes they dry very quickly in good weather and often I can bring the first wash in before putting out the second.

Aka Sat 25-May-13 09:28:10

Tegan you just wipe the line before using it and I've never had bird poo on my washing grin yet.

Aka Sat 25-May-13 09:26:31

Outside when possible and inside on a pulley if not. My electric bill went down by £200 a year when I ditched the tumble drier. The pulley cost me £50 five years ago...do the maths! Most things dry overnight even denim jeans.

Tegan Sat 25-May-13 09:25:12

I'm going to use my new clothes line for the first time today sunshine. I did use one years ago but kept getting bees in my washing and it scared me so much I stoped putting washing outside. Even so I'll not put tee towels outside as I'm paranoid about outside lines not being clean and bird poo etc [not sure why this is]. And socks and stuff will stay indoors cause I'm washing two weeks worth and can't be doing with having to peg out so many items [not sure I have enough pegs]. T shirts will go on coat hangers and stay on them till I wear them [saves ironing; I haven't even got an iron now..went to iron something t'other day and couldn't find one anywhere except for an old, rusty flat iron that lives by the fire].

BAnanas Sat 25-May-13 09:22:44

Our tumble drier appears not to be working, I don't like using it anyway, it's in our garage and is not vented out anywhere so it covers the immediate area in fluff and that attracts dust. When I can't dry washing outside I have a clothes airer up in a spare bedroom and remove items when they are not wringing wet and put them on radiators, my husband moans about this constantly and tells me that the place looks like "Widow Twanky's" He is threatening to get a new tumble drier as apparently there are ones around that now don't produce loads of fluff even if they aren't vented out.

To remove communal clothes poles sound ridiculous to me, what's wrong with washing blowing in the wind? to me that is not an offensive sight at all. Many Mediterranean countries string up washing lines in alley ways between their flats people should be able to resort to drying their clothes in the most natural way possible.

Nelliemoser Sat 25-May-13 08:48:55

I don't have a tumbler dryer. Washing usually goes on the line. We do have a pull out rack in the utility room which does well for the smalls.

sunseeker Sat 25-May-13 08:46:40

Whenever possible hang it outside or on clothes airer (didn't they used to be called a clothes horse?) in conservatory. I do use the tumble dryer for my "smalls" (which aren't so small any more!) but only once a week.

whenim64 Sat 25-May-13 08:46:30

Washing line, but I do tumble towels for a few mnutes to get them soft and fluffy.

hespian Sat 25-May-13 08:42:26

I think they were posts in a communal area that were a bit old but rather than replace them they have been removed and there are going to be planters instead. Only a little while ago they were talking about the health risks of drying washing indoors!

Bez Sat 25-May-13 08:41:59

I hang my washing out whenever the weather is dry enough - far more Eco friendly and the smell is just divine when you bring them in. DD was saying same thing about the smell when I brought a load in a couple of days ago. Tumble dryers are good in the winter but I find there are an increasing number of clothes which you should not put in the tumbler and they are a bit of a pain in wet weather as I hate the smell of wet washing drying in the house.
I wonder if alternative drying facilities are being provided for the people losing the washing lines.

Bags Sat 25-May-13 08:40:30

Damp, not damo