I told my family I would have to do the washing again

[Oakmaiden]

...because I left it out too long and it had been darked on and spiders might have rubbed their willies on it.

And they laughed at me and said I was weird.

Should I LTB?

Darked on clothes are not too bad as long as they aren't your own. So I'll leave DH's jeans to get darked on, or even ds's t shirts. But my own precious nice things? Oh no.

What's darked on?

What does darked on mean?

Or horrible human-spider hybrids, like that film, The Fly, but with spiders? Really? I didn't know that was possible.

Yes

nods sagely

It’s worst case scenario, but cannot be ruled out. Which is why burning is the only viable option now.

This is still considered funny? God what a mindless bunch.

Aww @SheStoopsToConker - don't cloud piss on everyone's parade

The whole thing of washing getting "darked on" always reminds me of driving with my Grandma after dark in the summer. She'd always insist the windows were closed however hot it was (this was before my parents had cars with air conditioning), "to stop the bad night air getting in."

This is still considered funny? God what a mindless bunch.

Well it's better than the endless threads where people are banging on about their selfish bastard neighbours who have gone out more than once, bought a non-essential bottle of wine and then stopped to talk to someone and was an inch under 2 metres away from them.

@SheStoopsToConker Clearly yes. C'mon relax a little, pull that rod out of your arse.

@PhilCornwall1 if you have a bonfire to burn them, don't be blaming me if someone starts a "selfish neighbour starts a bonfire" thread! About you! It's your own actions that will have got you there!

Is this “darked on” thing regional? I first noticed it about a week ago on MN, never heard of it before.

I put a load of washing out the other evening at 6pm deliberately to get darked on.
I think my neighbours curtain was twitching in horror!

Only a 90° boil wash will do OP, that's what my grandma used to do. She was convinced there were evil spirits lurking in the darked on clothes as well as spiders. If you wore your darked on clothes unwashed then the priest & holy water was needed......

*@SheStoopsToConker

This is still considered funny? God what a mindless bunch.

Thanks for taking the trouble to stop by #bekind!

Mindless bunch? Shall we name call you?

My daughter left her washing out the other night and I thought ‘it’s going to get darked on!’ The only place I’ve ever heard the expression is on this forum!

@hesgotit I'm thinking of stoking up the fire with a tonne of garden waste and then wait till all the neighbours have their windows open and clothes on the line.

The thing I've never been sure about is whether only re-washing (or indeed burning) will solve the issue of having been darked on. If you leave the clothes out to be sunned on, does that cancel out the darking?

Haven't RTFT in its entirety, so apologies if pp have already said this, but when my washing is darked on (or anything else happens to it if I've left it out overnight!) I go half-way house - don't rewash it all, but put it on my 21 minute rinse/spin cycle with a bit of fabric conditioner to freshen it up.

And then put it back on the line.... and....

Caroian no, "sunned on" is not a real thing. You are misinformed.

TrickyD I am from a northern superstitious/religious place. I am middle-aged. When I was a small child, very old women would talk of bad spirits somehow getting into one's clothes if they were on the line overnight to be darked on. It was inviting illness in particular. Must be rewashed. If a neighbour is seen leaving her washing to be darked on then this is a topic for gossip (and prayer).

The obvious thing to do with a towel that has been darker on is put it someone else’s hook and get yourself a nice clean one from that airing cupboard. Although judging from the cobwebs in my airing cupboard there may well have been some spider willy action in there too.

@PhilCornwall1 Are you the phantom bonfire builder that seems to go round all the towns and villages just lighting bonfires willy nilly just to annoy the neighbours!! Round here I think you would be tarred and feathered if they caught you!😜

I’ve always been worried about my washing being darked on but now I’ve got to worry about spiders willies, cloud wee and owls flaps what about the vampire bats or is it only here in the countryside we get those!!

I think it would be safer for everyone if we just gave up on doing the washing after all with us all in lockdown people won’t know we are wearing dirty clothes!!

I use......

A tumble dryer.

I'll see myself out

I wash towels when it is raining on purpose and hang them out, they get lovely and soft from being rained on!

@MartyrGuacamole

Although judging from the cobwebs in my airing cupboard there may well have been some spider willy action in there too

sniggers