People who hang out washing in heavy rain

[Klonc]

Why do people insist on putting out washing when having heavy rain?

If out all day, don’t do it. If in, take it in as soon as it rains!

Washing stinks when out in the rain. Or when is stuck in the washing machine - as parents’ washing machine on Friday. It didn’t drain - the pump has gone. I took the load home with me and washed it as stank. Not strong, but enough to feel conscious about it.

I often forget washing til late/ dark and think ah well and leave for next day.
Being rained on can be an absolute bonus. I have some trousers that are a bit crinkled after washing machine but if rained on they sort themselves out!
I have put them out to be rained on on purpose...
And...no smell...

i am quite annoyed
2 days in a row rain has been forecast, no washing out
yet it did not rain until we were back,
i have washing to go out today but what is the betting it will rain before i get back!

My mother always left washing out in the rain especially towels she said it softens the laundry.

You can't possibly believe people are deliberately putting washing out in the rain?

My washing often gets caught in the rain. Never stinks, just leave it out till sun comes out to dry it properly. Got an extra rinse from the rain. Lots of fresh air to keep it smelling lovely. Lots of sun to make it hygienically clean. It comes in smelling beautifully clean and fresh. I don’t think rain is dirty!

Well actually years ago I did know someone who hung their washing out whatever the weather, including heavy rain.
They had a young child and they lived in a very small flat with no space to put wet washing and they had no tumble dryer. So it was easier for them to put the washing on the line and leave it there until at some point it was dry.

I wouldn't criticise anyone who did this because there will be a reason, such as the above. , Or perhaps even mental health issues and they are not coping.

It's their business, not anyone else's.

Some people are just snobbish about line dried clothes in general, when in reality it is the absolute best way of drying.

Previous NDN had washing out for a week! Had rain, snow, sleet on it

Not everyone has such boring lives that they can spend their entire day in proximity to the washing line in case it rains. This is the UK - it can turn rainy in the middle of a heatwave without any warning.

I get why people do that though. Once it's got soaked through it's not going to get any wetter. So they leave it until they have the time and energy to bring it in and deal with it. Why would this matter to anyone else?

This will blow your mind but I do often put washing out in the rain on purpose. I have very hard water, and rain water is a natural fabric softener.

Have you considered moving house?

This doesn't make sense.

If you go outside during the hay fever season you are exposed to pollen all the time anyway.

My DP has very bad hay fever (enough to use prescribed steroids at times) and having clothes dried outside makes not a jot of difference.

How far up the road do I need to go? 🤔

If washing machine isn't draining it's usually because there's something in the filter. It's usually easily resolved by taking the filter out and draining it. You then just put aait through a rinse and spin cycle.

I'm a bit further south than you and we get way less rain.
Mid or south Cheshire.

It's true doctors tell you not to hang washing out. Try not hanging it out when pollen is high. He will notice he suffers a lot less.

why on earth do you care what other people do with their washing?

Washing doesn’t smell if it gets rained on.

And the thought for today is....

Why do people insist on putting out washing when having heavy rain?
If out all day, don’t do it. If in, take it in as soon as it rains!

Stimulating discussion, eh?

Who is insisting?

You do appreciate that some people can't take it in - they are out at work perhaps?

Or that some people (me) take a chance if it's spitting with light rain when I'm pegging it out.

Like other posters, if my washing is caught in the rain (rather than being purposely hung out in a thunder storm) I give it a quick spin when I bring it in. It smells lovely and fresh and far better than before as we have very hard water.

My gran used to collect rain water to rinse her hair for the softness.

There's definitely no smell from washing being rained on.

I wash my pottery clothes and towels by hanging them out in the rain and then waiting for them to dry. The clay dust buggers your drains.

He doesn't. He's quite active and cycles most days through country lanes. The way washing is dried makes no difference.

I can’t imagine many people actually hang it out when it’s raining heavy, but are either out when it starts raining heavily, or forget it’s out there.

I've found that if my clothes dry outside in the summer when I come to folding and putting away, maybe the next day, I'm sneezing like mad because the pollen is lifting off the items as I'm doing it.

Rain water is SOFT. The tap water round me is very HARD, that means it has loads of calcium in it & we have to add plenty SOFTENER to washes. But the softener only goes into the wash part as it’s mostly the heating which makes tubes etc get blocked in the wash.
It's usually recommended to use soft water especially to rinse woollens.
Why does it hurt to give fabrics an extra rinse? Who knows if all the additions to clothes wash gets properly rinsed out by wash machine, especially if it’s a v large load?
You can ask your water supplier about the hardness levels of your tap water.