MIL turned all my washing inside out!

[JanS17]

We are on holiday at the moment with DH’s family (me, DH, DD, MIL, SIL, BIL, and dog).

Yesterday I did a load of washing (mix of mine, DH, and DD) and before we went out for lunch, I hung it all up nicely on the clothes rack and put it out in the sun to dry.

When we got back from lunch, MIL said she had moved a few things around to help them dry faster. I was a bit confused as the clothes were hung up as I wanted them to begin with but shrugged and said ok.

Yesterday evening I brought the rack of clothes inside and found that she has turned every single item of clothing (except socks - thank goodness!!) inside out!!

I am equally confused and pissed off. Why would she see my nicely hung out washing, and think to herself that it’s a good idea to remove every single piece of clothing, turn it inside out, and put it back?? Why was she even touching my washing in the first place???

The clothes are now all creased where she’s hung them crooked, and I have an extra chore of turning them all back the right way round again.

AIBU??

YABU - she was just trying to help (??)
YANBU - what was she thinking??

PS I've always herb desperate for the sun to bleach whites and it's never happened.
Do I get the wrong sun?
But we also won't seperate any washing unless vaguely washing brand new strong colour clothes separately.

Awwwh, some people do this. I do

No biggie

You will never get sparkling white clothes if you do them in a mixed wash.

Although dark clothes can reslease a lot of dye in the first couple of washes- they will continue to release dye over the whole lifetime of the garment.
Black jeans often fade to grey over a couple of years, and that dye is going somewhere- onto your white items. The sun won't be able to break down all that dye.
I separate white from colours always, even my white clothes, towels and sheets that are 10 years old are still as white as when they are brand new.
The other advantage of separating whites is that you can use a detergent with bleach ( most powders do ). I use a separate detergent for dark colours with no bleach, so my dark colours don't fade and my white clothes are brilliant.

Your sun is fine but if you do want properly bright whites, you do need to do them in a whites only wash.

MIL is an interfering pain. You've got this far in life washing your clothes, presumably without any problems. To all the patronising posters explaining the 'correct' (ie their) way to hang out washing, the OP didn't ask for your advice on how to wash clothes. This is about a high handed MIL.

Horrible MIL's, doing our washing and hanging it out, making our favourite cakes and undermining us by washing dishes and wiping down a dining table after we have eaten b at our houses.

Why can't they just drop their sons off at the church, and piss off never to be seen again. 🙄

Hell, I’m in Australia and none of my clothes (in the days when I had a clothes line) ever faded on the line. Sheets might have, but only when they were old enough to need replacing anyway.

If something has pockets I dry it inside out.

There are many reasons to do it that way, the sun is just one of them. It's done because it's the proper way to do washing/hang them out. When you were first taught to use the machine/hang clothes out, didn't your mum teach you how to do it? Or did you just do it yourself without any guidance? I'm just curious as to how you got to your age and married/kids without knowing how to wash and hang out clothes properly.

@Catsmere

Exactly!!

Crazy ile these old wives tales get embedded like having wet hair outside causes a cold!
The basic thing is...op did something and sent time on it doing it.

Mil haw decided her way is better and literally over ridden her.

We could fall do this on many areas of life

Well, this is news! I never hang things inside out, and nor do I (on the rare occasions it occurs!) iron things inside out. Life is too short for all this faffing.

Why are we blaming mums here? Presumably dads (in reasonable relationships, at least) know to work the washing machine and the washing line?

Exactly, MIL could have mentioned it - just change everything and making more work for OP was rude.

Well clearly the OP doesn’t, does she, or she would understand why her MIL turned the clothes inside out

I’ve had to check back today because I’ve been up all night worrying 😂 thinking of setting up a go fund me page to help somehow!

My God. She was lovely and trying to be helpful. You are on holiday. Enjoy it

My mother never hung washing inside out as a blanket rule. Plus, she never taught me to do laundry anyway x it's hardly rocket science.

There are many reasons to do it that way

Other than preventing fading and drying pockets, what are they?

Have a 🥇for the most passive aggressive and goadiest post.

I've always washed clothes inside out to stop fading (obviously not underwear). It was actually my sister who suggested it when we were early 20s.

On that subject I also only ever use non-bio detergent on coloureds - I used to work with a woman who had a lot of the same clothing items as me (similar taste). She often noted that hers seemed to look older and more faded than mine, despite being bought at the same time, and it turned out she always used bio detergent.

My mil does this.
I asked her not to becouse I don't really want her touching my undies and bras and also I can do the washing myself. She'd insist on flapping it and moving it round. I had to be firm and just say I understand you think your helping but I'd rather you leave the washing alone. I wouldn't dream of just going and moving peoples washing even my daughter I'd ask if she wanted help first.

I found seems do dry faster if inside out.
Plus the bleaching effect

This. I’m way more concerned about insect or bird poop- pigeons sometimes decide to land on my washing line 😱

No now she (mil) made them wrinkly and the wrong way around she can turn them the correct way and iron them!

😂 ewww I’d rather the poop not be touching me! I get it but still 😂

Interesting that you assumed mum should teach children how to wash clothes - what about dad?