AIBU to think drying washing outside is still normal?

None of my next door neighbours have washing lines and I find it so bizarre!
Maybe they think I'm mad with clothes drying outside everytime its sunny. Who knows.

The 'I's in your posts make me think that you're the one doing most if not all of the washing.

Is he normally so opinionated and about things that have nothing to do with him? Does he often stand around criticising how you do his household chores for him? Good luck to you.

In Australia, not the UK, but never had a tumble dryer, here or there.

Having said that, you have to pick your day here. All my bedlinen is deep dyed cotton or linen and I don't want the sun to fade it, or turn linen into surfboards. The same with good black clothes, turned inside out and pegged out behind less valuable items.

As in the UK, dry and windy is best and makes the clothes smell so clean.

As much as I can see, new builds don't have room for a washing line, having built to the boundary. This is is probably part of the reason why Australia is so high up the emissions hit parade.

He is bonkers. Clothes last longer when dried outside, and smell fresher, and it is a pleasant experience, for me anyway, to hang my laundry outside and then bring it in beatifully fresh and dry.

You're outside in nature, seeing if nothing else the sky. But also trees and flowers and birds and clouds and sometimes butterflies, which lifts the spirits.

You are exercising your arms, lifting them above your head to peg and unpeg, and then carrying the basket of laundry out and back.

I use a dryer on occasion to finish some almost dry things off, or maybe once a year, when the washing has built up and the weather is lengthily wet, to dry a load.

I dont have a tumble dryer. LOVE drying outside as long as there is no risk of rain as I hate running out to get it all back when I realise its been pouring for 5 minutes!

The only problem for me at the moment is hayfever. So I cant put any of my things outside as I get horrific hayfever.

Oh yes, this 💯

Ive done all my towels this evening ready for the line tomorrow ( 🤞)
As PP says, the bedding dries all smooth and smells divine and the drying is totally free!
I bought new pegs last week, and I’m a happy girl for the next few months on line drying!

Your Dh is a massive tit and talking through his arse.

Of course people dry their washing outside. Why wouldn't you when fresh air and sunshine are free?

It's been less popular, partly due to women working and having less time to sort it out, more people seemed to do it a couple of generations ago. WFH makes this easier for some people. A lot of people do see it as less hygenic/have got bugs or bird mess on it too many times, plus if you live in flats and don't have a good outdoor area, you get in the habit of using dryers. Apparently Americans think it's really weird, but there are people in the UK who like it, so if you do, then why not?

Also, even if you put your washing out for just half an hour, it smells better than washing dried indoors.

In that case i’m very niche🤣 My line is always full of laundry when the weather allows. Love the smell of it, zero cost and the fact i can do everyone’s bedding and towels and have them dry by the end of the day. Dryer takes absolute ages.

Yep in the same camp. Best part of 30+ years and tumble dry or rack in a utility room. I am currently in a rented house whilst my house sale progresses and they have a rack in the main part of the house. None of the neighbours have a washing line on display so definitely going against whats going on on this thread.

Same!

I don’t know when your MIL died, but I’m American and I haven’t seen anyone dry clothes on a line in the US since the early 2000s. If people don’t have their own dryers, they go to a laundromat.

I’ve got three loads out right now. YES! Out overnight with the spiders’ willies and the darking.

I look down the back gardens of our street on a fine day and see lots of washing out. When we moved here 12 years ago, the tumble dryer went in the garage until I could find a proper place for it. It's still there and I haven't used it since.

Loads of people in my area hang washing out.

Having just spent hundreds on new luxury towels for the household and having bad allergic asthma and hay-fever, I am proud to say I have never dried outside. I love my tumble dryer. I don't want cardboard sheets and towels. No-one in our development of ten houses dries outside.

I do it, when the weather allows. Like today. I don't even own a tumble dryer 🤷

We don’t as we have often returned from work and found it has poured with rain unexpectedly.
Usually, I put the laundry on in the evening and out to dry overnight so do this indoors and everything is dry by the morning.
We rarely use our tumble dryer either but do have a separate room for laundry so there is no wet washing all round to house.

We love it. Any bit of sun and breeze it gets out outside. Back in 2024 we even had washing out up until November because it was still fairly warm. Was impossible last year because it’s done nothing but non stop rain 😬 if it’s not raining it most likely will get shoved outside even for a small amount of drying.

All clothes go outside, weather allowing. Sheets and towels go in the dryer mainly because our washing line is too low to the ground for sheets, and I like soft towels :-)

get excited about drying my washing outside in good weather 🤣🤣

I LOVE drying washing outside especially bedding,
Its a joy when I see the sheets flapping in the wind and I know they take barely any time at all to iron, unlike when I tumble them or even dry them on an airer in the house,
My dear sister in laws mum says “if the pavements are dry then you can dry washing”. I love this. Any change I get it’s out.
Although l had to shoot out yesterday and run out to get it when it started to suddenly rain ( April showers!)

One of life's greatest pleasures.

Probably hayfever, it's quite common. At the peak of pollen season I have to have a shower when I get in from outside and change clothes. No way would I want to dry washing outside, I have to do everything I can to limit exposure to pollen, even when I'm taking antihistamines, using eye drops etc. If someone's allergic to tree and grass pollen it can take them out for quite a while.

I won't be drying washing outside until August/September time. I wonder if my neighbours are all judging me, I've never thought they would notice/care what I'm doing with my washing! I don't own a tumble dryer either, I dry it inside with a dehumidifier. I'm very jealous of everyone drying things outside, hayfever can be quite miserable.