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??

Poor MILs can't do right can they?

You may well be one, one day.

Yeah but hopefully one that doesn’t touch her DIL’s washing.

I hate anyone doing my laundry. My MIL often reorganises my cupboards and tolerate that but touching my laundry would piss me off.

See what you get for trying to be helpful folks?

So, you'd expect her to leave it outside if it was raining? Not pick it up if it had fallen on the floor?

Reorganising cupboards would piss me off more than turning my washing inside out. But if they were kitchen cupboards they are DH’s domain so it would be a DM problem not MIL problem if she touched them!

OK I guess I’m in the wrong and she was just trying to be helpful. I’m was more confused than anything!

I’ve never had an issue with clothes fading hanging them the right way out, and tbh with my clothes I think I should get the choice to do things the way I want to.

It’s not about her being my MIL I would have been equally confused and annoyed if my own mother had done this!

I'm imagining the post from a different angle (as if it were a reverse?).

OP got back and discovered to her horror that the extra-strong holiday sun had bleached all her lovely clothes. MIL then says, "yes, I knew that would happen", but hadn't bothered to do anything to prevent it. I can hear all the cries of "what a bitch of a MIL" already.

That has never happened. DH and I can manage the laundry without help.

That's the way you should hang them out. Be grateful she's shown you. 🙄

I also always turn most of my washing (not underwear obvs) inside out, because the seams are on the inside and are the thickest parts of the garment, so benefit from being most exposed to air/sunshine/wind 🤷🏻

I also hang things like jeans/shirts with the thickest, heaviest part 'up' i.e. from the waistband/shoulder seams, as gravity then helps draw water down away from the thickest areas which take longest to dry. I don't understand people who hang their trousers up by the ankles!

She's a busy body.

Not really a favour unless OP

1. does this herself all the time and
2. cares

'Preserving the colours' as a one-off act really is annoying pointless

who meddles with someone else’s laundry though? It’s not helpful, it’s interfering.

Nonsense

This!

She was teaching you the best way to do it without actually saying to you that there is a better way to do it.

I totally get the not bleaching of clothes- but the fact is the washing was hung out, to go through and redo it is basically correcting OP in a really passive aggressive way! She wasn't doing a favour-I'd be annoyed too.

I generally wash and dry things inside out, like many have already said it prevents fading. I think it's besides the point though if you wanted to protect your clothes you'd have done it yourself, I'd be irritated if someone messed with my stuff like this, it's like she's telling you her way is better!

She's trying to be helpful, but I'd be annoyed AF if someone rehung my laundry. People are very idiosyncratic about laundry hanging and I think it's best to leave them to it and not interfere.

I turn all my washing inside out before washing anyway. A local independent jeans shop used to tell us to wash and dry inside out so the colour stays in longer.

I’ve never had an issue with clothes fading hanging them the right way out

You might not notice since they're all fading together!

and tbh with my clothes I think I should get the choice to do things the way I want to.

Well, I'm sure she's not going to try to force you into doing it the better way if you really don't want to. As it is, she's shown it to you, if you want to ignore it henceforth then you can.

Struggling to actually understand why anyone gets annoyed because someone rehung laundry - it all seems a bit precious to me (and I'm someone who has to have the same coloured pegs on a garment, but if someone came along and changed that I really wouldn't care less).

Yes that would have really irritated me too🩵

My mother used to turn everything inside out before hanging them on the line in case a bird shat on them!

😂*

Also if little insects land on the clothes and poop, then it’s on the inside not the outside

I think I'd rather have insect poo on the outside than next to my skin!