AIBU to ask how many times washing can get rained on before it needs doing again...

[MrsSippy]

...so far it's got rained on twice but the third time looks imminent!

There's two loads out there (but none of it mine!!)

I bring it in and rewash it if it ges rained on for more than a few minutes.

If my washing gets rained on it goes backIn the machine and is rehashed. Isn't rain water evaporated river water?

if a heavy rainfall then it get rinsed, not rewashed, agent you may have solved a 15 year argument between me and my DH, he is from Glasgow, I am from the south east corner of the SE and he can't understand my problem, but in this neck of the woods, we get a lot of salt and sand dropped in the rain, so it at least has to be rinsed, rarely re- washed but we can dry clothes even in the dreadful summer we have been having.

missingmumxox I'm sure your DH has been brought up with the mantra, "It's only a bit of rain!". It is used hourly regularly in Glasgow, and covers all eventualities - from leaving washing out, to continuing with a picnic!

I do think our rain is clean though - I'd never heard of sandy rain until this thread!

I just googled what is in rain - rainwater contains pollutants, soil, plant parts, insect parts, bacteria, algae, and sometimes radioactive materials that the rain/snow has washed out of the air.
Who knew?!! I think I might have a good shower next time I get rained on!

I was a bit sceptical about whether rainwater can have sand and salt in, so did some Googling and found this response from US scientists in answer to the question about how safe it is to drink:

www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/wea00/wea00044.htm

(basically, it picks up impurities in the air, eg dust and pollutants, but is essentially fairly pure)

In answer to the original question, as others have said it depends how quickly it will dry afterwards - if it's too wet, or air too damp, I'd probably spin/dry inside, but wouldn't rewash unless birds had pooed on it.

Eh?
"Rain water is from dirty rivers". No- it's from clouds :o

Rain is evaporated water from many different sources. It can contain pollutants which are chemicals so I always re-wash for this reason.

But it doesn't get much more "chemical" than treated tap water and loads of detergent! (Aside from the fact that everything is chemicals.) Detergent is a pollutant, it goes down the drain and fills the environment with chemicals, yet we want it on our washing...

Rainwater (unless it is combining with sand etc in the air) should essentially be fairly pure water as it is effectively "distilled" by evaporating into the air. It may be slightly acidic because of dissolving gases from the air, but most pollutants should be left behind by the evaporation process.

barmy to wash it again just because it's been rained on don't you have enough work to do??

I would give it the sniff test - if it passes, don't worry about it.

My mantra for life

I live in the highlands, we've got clean rain here.
I've left stuff out for days before.

I'm another one who refuses to put washing out on the line after attacks by killer spidAHs!!

Previously, I'd leave it out until it was dry - which could have been days up here in the grim North - which possibly might explain the spidAHs

I only bring it in if I can catch it before it gets REALLY wet, and if I need something desperately then I'll spin it, bit I wouldn't wash it again. Rainwater might not be completely pure, but unless you wash your clothes in Evian then nor is any other water!

I may rewash when its been out that long that dark clothing has been sun bleached in the rare sunny intervals. If I cba that is.

badtaste love that mantra

It's it got really soaked then I'll respin it but I don't rewash unless it's been out so long it's got bird poo on it

I'll only let it have little spits of rain on clothes, otherwise I would want to rewash the clothes.

Why would you rewash it just because a bit of rain's fallen on it?

Until the rain hits the ground and picks up contamination that way, it's generally nice and clean, unless you happen to live downwind of a belching smokestack or the like.

I'd only rewash it if it had bird poo on it.