Washing Line protocol

Who mentioned inside out items? If they're inside out, the seams will dry better.

When I bring things in, I turn them inside out and put them in the airing cupboard for a day (or two maybe!) to make sure they're properly dry before folding and putting away - no ironing unless for a super special occasion.

So relieved to hear I'm not the only one who hides my underwear in the middle of the rotary line. There are still a good few neighbours who could view them perfectly well from their upstairs windows if they were so inclined, but at least I feel I've done my bit!

Am yet another non-ironer. Literally can't remember the last time I wielded an iron. However, I recently bought a jacket that does need ironing, so I let my DP (yes, a new acronym for partner - don't like any of the suggested ones!) do that for me. But shock, horror, he pressed a firm crease down both sleeves! I may have to surreptitiously take it to a dry cleaners to be ironed properly. Like his mother before him, he religiously irons everything but I don't normally let him near anything of mine as he has some unforgivable habits - like hanging clothes up inside out, and screwing socks into a ball so tight you break your fingernails trying to separate them.

Typical of the Scottish Highlands, and woe betide the lowland housewife who hung washing out on a Sunday or other church day in the Glasgow area of my childhood

Yes, I do know the washing line protocol, but suspect it differs from one part of the UK to another.
One of the (many) things that went wrong between my Grannie (Daddy's mum) and my mother, was that as a very new, foreign daughter in law my mother hung her own and Daddy's underpants on the same clothes line, while they were living with my grandparents. Grannie flipped out over the sheer indecency of men and women's undies on the same line, and my mother, by her own admission, made things worse by saying that as she and Daddy were married, she supposed their underwear was too!
I was taught to peg shirts, blouses and t-shirts in the arm-pit so the peg marks didn't show, that everything that could be expected to dry at the same speed should be hung together, for ease in taking it in, woollens in the shade, bras and suspender belts where they could not be seen from the street and that underpants should be hung by the waistband. My maternal aunt hung hers by the crotch, apparently finding that more decent. Nothing my childhood home had to be hidden, but I had a college friend whose mother always covered her underpants with a towel or hung them inside a pillow-slip. I do tend to hang black lace panties and other frivolous items where they can't be seen on the back lines of the rotary drier, as I do not see that my husband and my private taste concerns the neighbours.

Not just washing. In the early 70s DH and I (Londoners) were in the Shetland Iles and were invited into a local house. Suddenly there was a big fuss and we were all evicted onto the street. It had turned midnight and we were drinking alcahol on the Sabbeth.

I was helping a friend peg some washing out and she was horrified that I didn't use matching pegs on each item..........

When I was a young Mum with a toddler, obviously I had a lot of washing, my husband had a dirty job and so the washer was always on. I have always loved drying washing outside wherever possible, and yes I hang sheets OVER the line, and as others have said hang tops from the bottom and vice versa. However, I'm going off my story. We lived next door to an elderly couple who were VERY set in their ways. I could see the pompous man keep coming out into the garden and I'd throw him a cheery 'Hello' as I pegged onto the line. He was getting purple faced with suppressed rage and I didn't know why. This went on for my first two weeks in that house when he shot round and knocked on the door, he had plumped himself up like an angry cockerel. I said Hello and what could I do for him, and he said 'I have come to tell you that we do NOT leave washing lines out over night, we bring them in, and Monday is wash day, not every day of the week' I just looked at him and said 'Well that's good if it works for you, but that's not how I do it, I will wash every day of the week if I have things that need washing and my washing line is staying put.Sorry.' and then I closed the door in his face ! I haven't thought of that in many years but the OP made me think of it again and people's strict rules on washing line etiquette !!

I have taken to draping my washing over the garden chairs and picket fence as can't manage a proper line.....and I do miss it. I use the tumble dryer for sheets, nothing was ever so satisfying in the household dept. as a line of brilliant, white nappies blowing on the line.

An X friend of mine has not spoken to her next door neighbour for 20+ years.
The young woman had hung out her washing one morning before going to work. It started to rain mid afternoon and the woman did not come home immediately from work to take it in.
X friend was so disgusted by this behavior(she has never worked since marriage) that she has never spoken to the "slut" again.
Needless to say X friend has a lot of X friends.

Remember the days of terry nappies? And cotton nappy liners? I hung them out even in frosty weather because the frost seemed to soften them.
New mothers were competitive about that. What time did you hang yours out? I was usually the earliest because 2nd son woke up early.

I use the tumble drier! A/ because it's a faff hanging things out and B/ the wind up here would have your washing in Norway pdq!

Oh dearI'm not sure if I colour coordinate my washing on the line but all whites are hung out together followed by the colours but in my defense that's because I wash the whites first.

I always hang shirts from the collar and socks in pairs. I remember that film, or something similar edsnana when I did a women's studies course, also several years ago; I'd forgotten all about it and must admit your post made mewhen I thought about my own method of hanging out the washing.

My mum never hang out washing on a Sunday; she said it wasn't 'the done thing'.

I did a women's studies course many years ago and watched a film where women on a particular street were very competitive about hanging washing out. They raced to be first with it on the line then, to my absolute horror, colour coordinated it all. . .

When I was a young teacher I was absolutely astonished when a little girl in reception infants - probably about five - told the whole class in her 'news' that her Mum really liked my new knickers which were frilly and white with little pink bows - it was all said in utmost innocence. I found out the family lived three doors up from me and had seen the contents of my washing line from the bedroom windows - and clearly discussed what was out there! I have never hung undies outside ever since!

Cant believe the number of people saying they dont iron! I hate creased clothes . How can u live with yourselves! lol.

When I was a teenager there was a local pervert who stole women's underwear off washing lines. I have never forgotten this and always dry my undies inside, rather than on the line.

Never heard of shirts being hung by shoulders...how weird. I can understand knickers being hung on the inside...and sheets where there is more space on the outside. On a straight line...errrrm...knickers blow free for everyone to see

Hi
Grandmattie
I only bother with hanging rules if it minimises ironing otherwise I do what I like! My only bugbear is washing on the line on Sundays ! Can't bear it - just like to have one day of the week to enjoy the garden without the sight of socks and smalls decorating it!!

I live in the Highlands & never used to peg mine out on Sundays as it offended church goers apparently,but now I peg it out when ever it's fine as we don't get enough dry weather to be choosey about the day!

I'm with the tops from the bottom and bottoms from the top pegging brigade. Never sure about socks. Sometimes by the toes, sometimes by the tops. My Scottish granny would have disapproved of my hanging washing out on a Sunday but it tends to be weather, not day, dependant. One of my husband's aunts has a thing about using the same colour pegs for the same garment which seems rather anal! I have three washing lines in our rather oddly-shaped pocket handkerchief sized garden so tend to use the most exposed one for the larger garments and the least exposed for the small stuff. Generally just hang up stuff as it comes out the basket. I don't like ironing so avoid it as much as I can. Fortunately my OH was in the services so likes to iron his own shirts.

harrigran of course! You can't have different coloured pegs on one item,what kind of heathen does that?
I have tried to break myself of the matching pegs habit....can't be done!

Don't know about protocol, just my own way of doing things, but shirts pegged by the bottom corners ( peg marks won't show ) sheets pegged at corners and one in the middle, undies pegged again at corners, bras pegged so they dangle in the breeze merrily.
It used to be Monday was wsahing day, and considered bad form to hang washing out at weekends, thankfully all that went years ago, we do as we like now.

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.

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 ?

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.