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??

I dry clothes inside out when its hot and sunny I also sometimes move stuff around on the rotary so they dry , however I wouldn't touch somebody's washing she was helping give her a break !

Ha ha absolutely true! 😂

She re-hung your washing - why on earth would anyone do that?
I hang my washing in the sun all the time, I think that it would have to be seriously old before fading became an issue. Certainly never had any 'lines' appear in my clothes. 😂

Hardly crime of the century. I always turn my clothes inside out when washing and dying…prevents fading.

Well I’ve learnt something there! Thanks MIL for the tip!

can you ask her whether you should turn white inside out too as I like my whites bright?

"Just" iron them? Fuck that, life's too short.

Is it because she is your MIL? She was trying to be helpful and yes, clothes do fade in directly in the sun. She was only trying to help and looking at other threads on MN about PIL's doing nothing please do give her a break.

Well I have learnt something new reading this thread, fair play to her for doing it as it would not of even crossed my mind.

Yes, very rational reasons for hanging clothes inside out - fading (definitely happens - particularly with navy and dark green in my experience); bird poop stains and at least you have the worst of it on the inside, if it doesn’t wash out completely. I wouldn’t bother with socks etc but definitely for the bigger stuff.

The real issue here is the motivation behind doing it and your perception of it as criticism and that goes back to your relationship with your MIL. Now that you know there is a rational reason for turning things inside out, which you weren’t aware of before, what do you think motivated her to do it?

She may have thought she was just helping as she was afraid the clothes would fade. That isn’t necessarily a criticism of you and your clothes-hanging. It may be just she couldn’t hold back when she saw a line of washing at risk of fading.

Of course if she has a long record of ‘correcting’ your work, that’s different. If she had said to you “you know I think it’s a good idea to hang clothes inside out to prevent fading this time of year” and left it to you to decide whether to turn them or not, that would have been better. But if you weren’t there, she may have just taken the initiative.

I always wash and hang my clothes inside out. Firstly to protect things from fading or pilling by being bashed around inside the machine (like T shirts with print on them). And then because things like trousers, hoodies, pyjama bottoms with pockets always dry better inside out because you don't end up with damp inside pockets that take forever to dry.

I've always washed and dried my clothes inside out as it protects them from damaging fibres during wash, and fading so last much longer( sun can bleach clothes).. it takes seconds to turn them the right way

I wash and dry most of my clothes inside out. Especially helpful if they have pockets as it means the pockets dry. Definitely hang everything outside inside out but mostly due to there being a lot of seagulls around and just in case they poop on the clothes.

Having lived in a hot country I always did this. You'd get a nice faded stripe on your clothes otherwise. Assume that's why she did it

Poor MIL. She was trying to be helpful doing something obvious, as many posters have pointed out.

She was being helpful but as she's a MIL , it's always unacceptable on here .
😶

It seems to me that no one ever taught you to wash clothes or hang them up properly. You are supposed to wash clothes inside out (inside is where it comes into contact with your skin) and hang them inside out. Pockets dry better, sun disinfects the side that is against your skin, and the outside doesn't fade.

Normally I side with the OP when it comes to busybody interfering MILs. But it's obvious that you weren't taught properly how to do things (meaning this) so your MIL did the right thing so learn from from it and be grateful. Didn't you have a mum to teach you this stuff?

I do understand why you was a bit annoyed but I genuinely think she was trying to be helpful, don't turn it into an issue

My sister and mum do this and are baffled that I don't.

I always turn mine inside out because I iron it after. She only thought she was helping, give her a break yikes.

Put “No turning my washing inside out” on your list of boundaries for MIL.

Ask her?!

I always hang mine inside out. I wouldn't touch anyone else's tho. Everyone's idea of washing/drying clothes etiquette is different!

What a comment you snuck in there at the end! Oh my god.

and btw, my dad did teach me this, but i just ignore it, I live alone, chuck it all in, and no longer own anything that needs ironing.

You should turn clothes inside before washing them as they will last longer. Look inside a t shirt it will be a deeper colour on the inside than they out if you dont turn them inside out for washing.