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Washing Line protocol

(198 Posts)
grandMattie Wed 21-Jun-17 10:54:23

When I arrived in the UK in the early '70s straight from the colonies, with servants all my life, I had no idea how "real life" worked. I made my own rules and mistakes.
However... when I got married, MiL was very denigrating about all my housewifely work, especially my washing line. I could see writ large on her face "poor thing; she's foreign"!
Apparently, one had to hang shirts by the shoulders [increasing ironing]; undies/smalls had to be hidden on the inside of the rotary line [if you were fortunate enough to have one] or indoors; sheets hung up by _the hems, certainly not thrown over the line,; socks paired and put all together. None of this sluttish stuff of putting whatever was at the top of the basket onto the line! What would the neighbors think???
Have any of you had this prejudice? Do you still hang your clothes like that [I do, although MiL died over 30 years ago! I can see her watching me... grin]

Chewbacca Wed 21-Jun-17 20:28:14

That's mental Bo! What we're they supposed to do instead? Tumble driers are expensive to run and aren't good for the environment, washing lines are far more environmentally friendly. Nothing beats getting into bed when you've just put clean bed linen on and it smells of sunshine and fresh air!

phoenix Wed 21-Jun-17 20:31:54

petra flowers

PS Can I send you Mr P's shirts for ironing? Washed of course.

petra Wed 21-Jun-17 20:40:41

By all means phoenix
I will even fold them as they do in laundries. smile

BlueBelle Wed 21-Jun-17 20:48:47

I hang it as it comes out the basket it may be one way one day and another way another day ....Does it matter ? Load of old cobblers too little time and too many other problems in the world to worry how to hang clothes on a washing line I ve lived in situations where I ve hung clothes on bushes ....as long as they re clean who cares

Jalima1108 Wed 21-Jun-17 20:50:23

I am truly shocked BlueBelle

What about Protocol? wink

Chewbacca Wed 21-Jun-17 20:52:07

Me too Jalima , I cannot believe my eyes! what does it matter? shock Whatever is the world coming to?

BlueBelle Wed 21-Jun-17 20:54:05

I also dont iron I don't have any clothes that seem to need ironing I do iron school clothes for my daughter when I go round and I do own an iron although one of my daughters doesn't own an iron at all and they all look fine and perfectly well turned out

Chewbacca Wed 21-Jun-17 21:07:21

Oh BlueBelle! <swoons and faints clean away> but secretly envies you

phoenix Wed 21-Jun-17 21:15:01

Oh Petra I'm all of a doo dah!

When I do his shirts, one goes on the hanger with his trousers, ( currently ironing those, too) the rest I fold.

I'm not bad at folding .

BBbevan Wed 21-Jun-17 21:21:41

My mother taught me to hang shirts by the tails,so the wind blew down the sleeves. Woollens by the arm pits, so no peg marks, socks in pairs by the toes. And I like my towels to be in sizes large to small. We had a separate line by the shed for smalls. With a line of knickers ( 3 females) my Dad always said " Who put the flags out". I love washing blowing on a long line, but sadly I now have a rotary line. Not the same at all

Maggiemaybe Wed 21-Jun-17 21:23:39

Well, we don't iron (DH took it over for a while when I decided it was a waste of time - six months later he decided I was right smile), but I am a bit obsessive about the pegging out. Socks paired, hung with underwear on the inside of the rotary drier (easier to put away afterwards), towels on the outside (they're thicker, so need more sun), everything else hung so as to minimise creasing. I use three pegs for shirts and hang them from the hem, edges pegged together in the middle. And I don't peg out on Sunday, mainly because I don't do housework at weekends now I don't have to.

TriciaF Wed 21-Jun-17 21:29:35

I once lived opposite someone who was anal about hanging her washing. It was a long way off, but I could see her doing it.
She had a long outside line, and started at the left with the biggest item. Then she carefully graded them by size, finishing at the right with very small items. I never met the person, but would love to know why she did it.
Mine is hung as it comes out of the basket. But knickers, underpants hankies dishcloths etc I hang on a clothes horse either indoors or out, depending on the weather.
Definitely not shirts by the shoulders shock

annsixty Wed 21-Jun-17 21:30:48

Just in bed with fresh ironed bedding and it feels and smells so fresh and lovely. I will/would never get used to unironed washing. Sorry.

Cherrytree59 Wed 21-Jun-17 21:38:40

I use round thingys with little pegs on for our pants and socks also any small bits.
I attach everything inside then just hang it straight on the line
Makes life easy if it rains
It can be just be grabbed off the line.
If still damp I hang it straight in airing cupboard with everything attached

Simples smile

Morgana Wed 21-Jun-17 21:47:22

Found a peg in the bottom of my trousers half way through yoga class this week!

Chewbacca Wed 21-Jun-17 22:19:45

I've done that too Morgana! I spent all day at work, fidgetting with something sticking in my side. When I went to the loo, a peg was stuck to my knickers. Good job I don't peg them from the gusset like phoenix! grin

grannyqueenie Wed 21-Jun-17 22:35:28

Like a few others here I've definitely got a bit of a washing obsession going on. Old habits die hard I'm afraid, my mum always sorted the washing into size category before she hung it out and I do just the same as do a couple of my daughters now! In 1950s Glasgow "she hangs out a lovely washing" was considered a great compliment. Life's far too short I know, but I could no more hang it out higgeldy piggeldy than fly in the air!
Ironing on the other hand is much more random activity. grin

grandMattie Thu 22-Jun-17 05:53:07

I had no idea I would have stirred up such a can of worms and so many memories.
I don't iron things that don't need ironing, and that included jeans and T-shirts, although I do iron the tops [only] of sheets as i like the look of them on the bed - we only have sheets and blankets.
Queenie, ironing is defo not a random thing! The items that need a warm iron are surely ironed first before the iron is too hot?
No-one was allowed to do any work on Sundays, no washing, no sewing/mending, or anything where I come from - so it isn't a Scottish only thing...

Daddima Thu 22-Jun-17 07:53:23

My granny would NEVER have hung out washing on a Sunday, nor would she clean windows, probably because the neighbours could see that you were working on the Sabbath!

absent Thu 22-Jun-17 08:20:39

I just hang out stuff in the way that seems the most sensible. However, I do remember a time when I was on vacation from university and had shoved a bunch of my clothes through the washing machine. I had pegged all my underwear, which was fairly colourful and included lots of matching bras and pants on one line in a neat row. My father arrived home from work and said, "I see the fleets in". He's been dead for decades but I still think of him every time I put a peg in a pair of knickers.

Gagagran Thu 22-Jun-17 08:37:38

Daddima my Mum was like your Granny and would never hang out washing on a Sunday either. My naughty aunty (married three times and all three husbands alive) once said to her "Well the better the day, the better the deed" and Mum retorted "Not in this house it isn't" then was puzzled why we all laughed!

DanniRae Thu 22-Jun-17 08:54:02

Oh dear I've been hanging my knickers on the line BY THE GUSSET!! I'd never heard of hanging them by the side seem??Also my house is on the corner and my line in full view of the road and I put all our underwear on the line. SHOCKING
The only 'rule' I have is when I have washed any of my daughters knickers I never put put them near mine because they are so tiny and erm, mine aren't...........!!
BTW when you say hanging knickers by the side seam do you mean with a peg each side because I am confused??

Auntieflo Thu 22-Jun-17 09:30:10

One peg each side here, unless running short of pegs, then they have to share a peg, ie, two pairs pants = three pegs. I do like to have matching pegs for each item. My old wooden pegs have been pressed into service this last week to hang a black out curtain over the bedroom curtains to try and keep the bedroom cooler.

ninathenana Thu 22-Jun-17 09:46:23

I only use one peg for pants and boxers but never hang them by the gusset always by the waist. I find they dry perfectly well like that.
Do you fold as you take stuff of the line, I do unless it's piddling. Or do you bring it in then fold ?

harrigran Thu 22-Jun-17 09:54:19

On the rare occasions that I line dry I fold everything neatly into the basket and replace pegs in the bag. I have many different coloured pegs but garment requiring two pegs must have the same coloured pegs.