Washing Line protocol

Whatever you do don't forget to run a damp cloth over the line to clean it first. I do find myself getting a bit cross if my sons forget and get marks on clean clothes.

We have a toddler in the house so lots of little socks to wash. If I don't hang them in pairs, how do I know that one hasn't got left behind in the machine or found its way into a pillow case? I have always been laughed at for my OCD hanging out of the washing but now realise I am perfectly normal.

kittylester and grandtante I am still chuckling at your posts.

I only remember my mum frowning at a neighbour a bit for hanging washing out on either Good Friday or Easter Monday because of the religious significance (?the sheets that Jesus was wrapped in?).

We have a neighbour now who hangs washing out and just leaves it for ever while it dries then gets wet again........! It used to irritate me but now I just don't look!

I must admit I absolutely HATE hanging the washing out - I can't figure out why - somehow it depresses me. I have a whirly-gig on permanent standby in the garden which I rarely use. What is irritating is having to wipe down the darn thing whenever it's been raining to avoid marks on the clothes. I'm a lazy slattern and leave a few pegs on.
The vast majority of my washing goes onto clothes horses in the spare room. The left hand one gets the stuff which needs ironing and the other gets the underwear. To make the ironing less boring I iron a sewing project after a few items of clothing as this is more likely to 'give me joy.' I only iron what really needs it and try to avoid it if I can.

This has been so much fun!
I have never heard of the top by the bottom etc. rule [servants you see! ] but it makes good sense. Things were hung inside out "at home" because they would fade in the strong sun...
MiL died about 35 years ago - even then...

My neighbour must get up really early because whenever I go to hang my washing out she is there first!
My only protocols are :- never hang stretchy things like T shirts by the bottom as they stretch and always bring washing in before nightfall. My Mum always called leaving washing out overnight to be a sign of a slut.I could no more leave it out than fly!

We lived around London when I was growing up and hanging washing out on Sundays was definitely frowned upon. We weren't allowed to play noisily in the garden on Sunday either.
I haven't been able to hang washing out for years. In my last house,there were a lot of trees overhanging available line space and I found that the nice clean washing had all sorts of undesirable stuff over it when I went to bring it in. Now I live in an apartment and there is a restriction about hanging washing on the balconies. Some of us put out an airer and nothing is said. I use one of those heated airers from Lakeland which is great.
When helping a friend I was instructed to hang things inside out.
One of my daughters has a long washing line and I hang washing out for her and I love a chat over the fence with her neighbours and the smell of the washing when brought in.

If DH ever hangs out the washing then thick towels go on the inside and thinner garments on the outside
Luckily he rarely does it

I feel so much better now! I always thought I was anal about hanging out my washing but now I know it is the norm!!
I hang boring things inside (& always knickers!) & the pretty colorful things outside- after all I have to look at them,
I iron everything including bedding but not fitted sheets - purely as I have never figured out HOW to iron them.

I love the smell of freshly washed clothes off the line. My SiL from Canada had a real 'go' at me when they stayed as I hung my towels on the line in Summer & she said they should be tumbled to make them soft. I told her she could pay the leccy bill if she was that bothered (or preferably stay with someone ELSE! No love lost there).
I really love seeing a line of colourful washing blowing in the breeze even though I know it will be a pain to iron it all later.
Hang out washing on a Sunday?- never in Surrey in 50-60s to be sure!

All you matching peg people........

Buy wooden ones,

Life
Is
Too
Short
to take "Washing Line Protocol " seriously!!
(Shirts by the collar tips - always)

Despite 48 years together, if my husband happens to hang the washing out i have to redo each and every item as he still, never ever, hangs the clothes properly.
He hangs things not from the seam or under the arm, but just any old how. They dry mishapen with lumps sticking out from badly placed pegs.
Regarding washing in a sunday being frowned upon, this is or was still the case in germany. Many years ago, a lovely sunny day, knew it would dry, but I got a proper telling off. Also no grass cutting, diy or car cleaning. Perhaps things have changed now.

I hang tops on hangers, I have special clips on the line. Smalls and socks go on a gizmo from Lakeland with lots of pegs. Other things take their chance. I heard of someone recently (male) who has to put items with matching colour pegs, must be
tricky with navy or black things.

I always fold garments as they come out of the washing machine. Then I hang them. If my husband's nearly non iron shirts are a little creased Input them in the tumble drier for a five minute burst. I very rarely iron anything. It's a waste of my energy & electrical energy.

Just remembered.....my new husband (who was mature) said he would indulge in any domesticity whatsoever but.......he would prefer NOT cleaning windows or hanging out washing. Needless to say he matured even further and managed both of these tasks in due course. Don't know the reason for these exclusions. Undoubtedly I queried it at the time but obviously too insignificant for me too remember.

Oh yes, and socks always in pairs

I've heard that tops should be hung by their bottoms, and bottoms should be hung by their tops. I follow this, apart from trousers which I match the seams and then hang by their bottoms. All underwear at one end of the line (as I'm going through the basket I slip them onto my arm so they're all facing the same way ready for when it's their turn) and sheets by the hems - simply because I can peg out one end then sort out the other end more easily.
But then, I think I'm a bit anal too!

I must be so 'sad', because I enjoy ironing and iron virtually everything. Even my knickers, they are just more comfortable. As to hanging on the line, socks are in pairs so I don't have to search for them later, tops are hung from the shoulders because that's the heaviest area when wet so needs more support. Sheets, duvet covers and pillow cases are hung so the wind can get inside. I was brought up in a b&b and I guess I just picked up my mother's habits. I may add that neither of my DDs iron anything unless it's absolutely necessary.

I must confess to putting the smells to the back of the line, socks have to be in pairs and then I put the other stuff out by size so sheets and towels are on the front line. But I like things in some kind of order. My daughter just puts it on the line as it comes out of the basket - me I put it into the basket in the order that it will go onto the line. Another thing i dont do is leave the pegs on the line, that drives me mad when you have to take the pegs off the line to put them back on again. But we all have our little quirks and this is one of mine lol.

I have to admit I am bit OCD when hanging washing and would never hang a shirt by the shoulders(!) and I don't hang socks and underwear on the line, as I like my washing to look asthetic (sad but true). I always fold my sheets over the line, never hung them by the hem(?). Take no notice of MiL, if you are happy with what you do then stick with it, or do it on purpose just to annoy her!!

There are rules for hanging out washing mostly to do with the peg marks not showing and to speed up the drying process. Also, it's important not to fade clothes so where you hand them on the whirligig and how long they are out are important. When my DD came and it was one of the few occasions I wasn't using the (blessed be its name) tumble dryer she was tickled pink to learn these conventions. She thought it was all hilarious but very clever too.

Wow! What an ignoramous I am! I never realised there were such protocols and apart from hiding peg marks everything just gets hung, sort of and whenever!

Not fussy at all, I thought, until the day my teenage son, on a day off school, pegged the washing out for me. My J cup bras were hung by the straps - as worn!

grandMattie, thank you so much for such a fun thread which has created so many responses without being political. Just wonderful. I'm an ironer and I do my own thing with the rotary. I'm much too frugal to use a tumble drier even in inclement weather. The joy of slipping in between smoothly ironed sheets is a no brainer when compared to the TEN MINUTES it takes to do the deed. I'm usually watching TV so I don't even notice. Interestingly, both of my sons say they love coming to stay because I iron their shirts. I know my worth AND my place! I keep gently suggesting they have a good look in the mirror. Unironed shows: crumpled awful. They both agree and are very reasonable at the act but...... not a chance.......

Vampirequeen you are my twin indeed. Long line and thingummyjig for underwear and socks. When I was pregnant (30 yrs ago) and getting divorced my brother offered to hang out the washing. One pair of extremely large knickers had lost the elastic. He stretched them by the top. They filled half the line and he wanted to borrow them for camping in! Underwear is bundled together now!