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!

If you are out at work all day it is a lot more difficult, I used the dryer and airer much more when I was working, though with wfh I would expect it to be more usual now to hang washing out

Line drying is normal in the UK.

I'd assume London is because most people don't have outside space.

In the Deep South US, line drying as seen as a poor thing. You'd only use a line to dry your clothes if you couldn't afford to use your dryer or didn't have one. Not sure if it's the case for all of America.

I put washing on an airer and put it outside if the weather is ok. But I only do it to save money. I don't have a line and don't want one. I know I'm hugely in the minority but I really don't like line dried clothes. They're usually crispy and come back into the house with bird poo and/or insects crawling on them. Yuk.

I tumble dry - we have a washer/drier so I just shove it all it and press go. Three hours later and I have a load of clean, dry laundry.

It's so much easier, especially as we live in Cumbria - it rains a lot and hanging out washing to dry only to have to put it in the drier anyway seems like a massive waste of time and energy to me!

It just never occurs to me to use the dryer if it's dry outside. Why would you?

We live on the edge of countryside, so there's a lot of birds (and insects) around. Bird poo on the washing has been a once in 5 year event, at most, same for insects. Really not a consideration.

@TheBugHouse

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!

You need one of these!

www.amazon.co.uk/Clothesline-Clothespins-Rectangle-Underwear-Lingerie/dp/B07DYQMY95/ref=mp_s_a_1_2_sspa?dchild=1&smid=A23ZONMF9KFFLE&psc=1&crid=1W80TVWLL6WRR&keywords=sock+peg+hanger&sprefix=sock+p&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzNDQ4Mjc1UjFRVzlPJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMzA4Mzg5MTAxR1VLNDZYS1REQSZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMDM2ODAxMlc3NzNTMjdSVzQzWiZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX3Bob25lX3NlYXJjaF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&qid=1630215327&sr=8-2-spons

It's so much better for the electricity bill, for the clothes and for the environment, not to use a tumble dryer. I've just had a washing put in the garden of my new house and nobody else has one. It's quite a posh area and we're working class, so I have also been wondering about this. I am the only house that goes put to work too.

I always hang my washing whenever possible. I have clothes pole and washing lines….nothing nicer than the lovely smell of clothes that have been hung outside, especially bed linen…

always line dry - it is important to me

Hard if you work full time outside the home though.
Weather in the UK is very chageable, and sunny days often turn into downpours.
I work from home though and line dry all year around.

I do remember overhearing a conversation at the school gates a few years ago though- the alpha mums were talking and sniggering about another woman who "still hangs out laundry".
Many apartment or flat type properties forbid hanging of laundry in communal spaces.

I love line drying but I know there are people out there who wouldn't consider it.

One neighbour never ever hangs washing outside, she things it's common and doesn't want others to see her clothes. Another neighbour has probably pegged 3 items of clothing outside in the last 10 years. Each to their own.

I don't understand why anyone wouldn't line dry if they could. How terrible for the environment to tumble dry everything all the time!

During the months when it's too cold/wet to line dry, I use a dehumidifier. Much cheaper and lower electricity consumption than tumble drier

We line dry, as do most of our neighbours. We do it for environmental reasons but do have a rarely used tumble dryer for finishing off damp/rained on clothes. Most of my friends don’t citing time issues however DH and I work full time with DC and they are all single/no kids so I think it’s a matter of motivation! I can’t stand drying inside the house, I don’t fancy the prospect of damp!

I live in London, in a house. Me and my neighbours line dry. If it's going to be dry all day I'll hang it out before going to work.

@Dotoallasyouwouldbedoneby

Life's too short to hang out washing and that is all I have to say on the subject. How many men ever hang out washing?

DH does. I'm also intrigued about the dog that pisses on the washing. I can't understand people who dislike the smell of line dried washing. Maybe they live somewhere with polluted air.

And lastly, people who put airers outside mustn't live anywhere windy. If I did that the wind would tip the airer over and my washing would end up on the ground.

The spiny round whirlie-gig style of line is infuriating. My house had a fabulous washing line installed by the previous owners, but it was old and starting to wear out. I recently had to replace it and was surprised to find it was a really uncommon design and hard to find a similar one on the British market. I eventually found one online, but it seems to be made by an Australian company:

hillswashinglines.co.uk/product-category/hills-retractable-washinglines/

It’s amazing - I can get several loads of washing out at a time and then it just retracts neatly away. Now DH works from home, washing line/weather management is a bit easier.

I also have an old fashioned pulley in the utility room for drying indoors if I have to. I try never to use the tumble dryer if I can avoid it.

I live in one of the wettest parts of the uk near the coast.

Inland yesterday the sun was splitting the rocks, here there was a sea mist and my washing didn’t dry and I’d to bring it all in and put it on racks indoors.

From Oct - may it’s too wet and even outside those dates it rains for weeks on end. I wfh but can’t stop and run out to get the washing in if the rain comes on so unless it’s predicted pure sun, I dry indoors.

I never had a tumble drier in the UK because either line drying or drying on an airer inside and then putting in the airing cupboard did the job.
When I go to my Dad's in the UK (not for ages now :'( ) I line dry washing if it's good enough weather.

In Australia, I line dry when the weather's ok - but in the winter, it's often not good enough and because where we live, central heating is not a thing, I ended up having to buy a tumble drier just to get bedding and cloth nappies dry in winters. I still have an airer and an indoor washing line that is the usual way to dry if I can't hang outside, but the tumble drier is still needed through winter. Almost never in the warmer weather. I also need to have a heater in the laundry room because it has a concrete floor and everything feels damp for days, even after it must be actually dry, if I don't have the heater on!

@Goatinthegarden

The spiny round whirlie-gig style of line is infuriating. My house had a fabulous washing line installed by the previous owners, but it was old and starting to wear out. I recently had to replace it and was surprised to find it was a really uncommon design and hard to find a similar one on the British market. I eventually found one online, but it seems to be made by an Australian company:

hillswashinglines.co.uk/product-category/hills-retractable-washinglines/

It’s amazing - I can get several loads of washing out at a time and then it just retracts neatly away. Now DH works from home, washing line/weather management is a bit easier.

I also have an old fashioned pulley in the utility room for drying indoors if I have to. I try never to use the tumble dryer if I can avoid it.

That's hilarious. After my first year here in Australia, I bought a retractable washing line from Homebase in the UK and brought it back here with me, because the cost of the very few available here was outrageous in comparison with the

I always dry washing outside unless it’s raining, April - October. It doesn’t dry the rest if the year. We have hundreds of birds in our garden and I’ve never had bird poo on the washing.

When I lived in London (20 years ago) I rarely dried washing outside because there wasn’t space in my tiny garden and it would come back in smelling of exhaust fumes.

I always line dry if the weather is clement. Use airer indoors if not. A couple of times a year, I will haul washed clothes to the laundrette to use their tumble dryer, if the weather has been dreadful for an extended period, and have something like towels or sheets that take an age to dry indoors.
Line drying is one of life’s little pleasures. I love watching my washing flapping away in the breeze and sunshine especially in winter, as the scent in the linen is so fresh.

Every house I've ever lived in had a washing line in the garden and it's completely the norm. I did live in an apartment complex where it was banned to dry washing on the balconies, and obviously everyone ignored that.

@Dotoallasyouwouldbedoneby

Life's too short to hang out washing and that is all I have to say on the subject. How many men ever hang out washing?

My brother and his husband do.

When we lived in a densely populated area of East London, near to a street with a lot of takeaways and restaurants, we couldn’t line dry our washing. It always seemed to smell ‘oily’, it didn’t usually smell of the food that was cooked nearby.but it did pick up the smell of the oil that was used.

Now we’re in a cleaner air environment we’re getting back to line drying but DH still sniffs it suspiciously…he’s not really comfortable with it and prefers the tumble dryer….