Attitudes to line drying clothes in the UK

[Notcontent]

But of a boring topic but…. I have been thinking about this because I grew up in a country where everyone line dries their clothes whenever possible. The climate makes it easier to do this than in the UK but I think there is more to it than that. Where I live in London very few people seem to dry their clothes outside even on hot days. I almost feel like maybe it’s seen as being inappropriate and unsightly…

Is it a London thing? A class thing? In any case, I have decided to put my clothes drying racks outside whenever it’s not raining even if it offends my neighbours’ eyes!

I love line dried washing. My neighbours mostly line dry too. I know you a lot of people dry inside because they don't want the neighbours seeing their knickers. I don't really care!

It's mostly laziness but also time- with unpredictable weather often you can't put it out on work days. Only really feasible for about 4 months of the year I find. Remember in our grandparents day most women stayed home so could bring it in when it rained

Line drying quite normal in the uk. I imagine less so in London where many people have less space (we had a flat with no outdoor space) so may well be less used to the idea.

Don't know about London but everyone I know has a washing line in their garden. I love a good drying day!

Nothing nicer than a line of washing! I put pants and socks on the airer in the conservatory though as too many for pegging out!

Drying stuff outside is one of the top benefits of WFH. 2mins bungs a load in and 10/15min hangs it out.

Being at home you can bring it in if the weather changes.

Lots of flats have leases which preclude putting up washing lines or putting washing out on balconies, etc. In practical terms the climate is often not conducive to drying clothes outside.

I used to live in a city centre and didn't dry outside because I never felt things felt fresh/clean

Now I live outside a city and take every opportunity to line dry -even if it's not completely dry when it comes in I still prefer the smell of lone dried washing

I hang my washing outside whenever I can..I'm forever checking the forecast. My neighbours never hang anything out, they tumble everything.

I don't line dry. I don't have the time or energy to mess about re-washing damp, rained-on clothes. We have two big airers that we put in the garden on a nice day, but mostly we use them inside in the rooms where we have underfloor heating.

I’m in north west England. Everyone pegs out their washing. Pegging out was one of my Nan’s favourite jobs and it always reminds me of her.

Attitudes to line drying in the UK are that it's a good thing. Don't worry.

Is it a London thing? A class thing?
No

I tumble everything - well, apart from the things that can’t be tumbled which I hang up on hangers over doorways to dry. Just can’t be bothered with the faff of hanging stuff out and then getting it all in again. Easier to just tumble and fold up. Yeah it’s not great for the environment but neither is driving, flying, eating meat blah blah.

I agree with a PP - one of best things about WFH is being able to put a wash on first thing then hang outside once it’s finished rather than only being able to do that on days I don’t work. Don’t own tumble drier by choice as there’s icky a couple of months in the year when unlikely to get much dry outside. But obviously only possible if you have outside space which particularly in cities many don’t have.

I have a big garden and love using my line but until last year none of my neighbours ever appeared to use one( from what I can see). New neighbours next door now have a whirly one. Some people use driers even in hot weather which is madness - probably related to not wanting to iron. My friend was pegging out his washing and his neighbour offered the use of their drier assuming his was broken. It’s a sad state of affairs.

I have never come across a negative attitude towards line drying here. I prefer to line dry but it isn't always possible because it rains a lot where I live.

I have a telescopic washing line thingy. It is fab. I just wish it would move round when the wind blows.

I always wanted to invent a moving one but was too busy perfecting the art of creating fire by rubbing sticks together.

When you dry outside the washing does not get crusty :)

I think some houses in conservation areas might have rules about it - certainly some flats don’t allow it on balconies etc which is a shame.

Good to hear line drying is alive and well!

I didn't have a garden for the first 27 years of my.life, so didn't grow up line drying.

I've tried it since and just found it a faff with pegs breaking and the line sagging and stuff. I had one of those metal spinny thingy majiggleys and didn't like it. It span around and hit me in the ear hole.

I went back to wash, super spin, onto airers in the kitchen

I hate going in and out to the clothesline but at the same time i love to see the washing flapping in the breeze, and i love the smell and feel of line dried clothes. I had a visitor from mexico years ago, very wealthy family, and he had never seen a clothes peg before, imagine all that lovely sunshine and sticking your clothes into a drier. Unfathomable.

The dickhead neighbor who shares our garden let’s his dog piss on our sheets so we don’t line dry

I actually got rid of the tumble dryer that came with my house in favour of line drying! Or airers on rainy days

I think line drying in the UK is still very common.

Unlike the US, where hanging clothes out on a line is often forbidden (!) by local bylaws. Seems to be on a par with declaring yourself a toothless hillbilly who has sexual relations with their first cousins. Seen as very low-rent.