I dry my laundry in my garden and my neighbour is really unhappy about it

[WashingWoes]

I really don’t think I’m in the wrong here but keen for opinions which I will take onboard if I come off as unreasonable.
I live in an end-terrace house. Neighbour is attached to me. I peg my washing out to dry on good days. We are a family of four, lots of laundry and I much prefer to peg out than use the (expensive and environmentally unfriendly) drier. My neighbour HATES me for drying my laundry in my garden. Relentless comments about how she can’t enjoy looking at her garden from her bedroom window because she can see my (clean) laundry. About how it’s spoiling her enjoyment of her garden. Why can’t I just use the drier, for everyone’s benefit (not mine, see: bills; climate change…). It’s bad manners to dry ‘smalls’ outside - her husband might see my ‘undergarments’ … honestly it’s relentless. I recently received a birthday card from them (very kind, and appreciated) which said ‘Happy Birthday WashingWoes, we really love seeing your washing on the line, have a lovely birthday’. Please reassure me that I’m normal and neighbours are barmy?

I dont see how my asking for clarification of your statement is being argumentative but whatever.

What you mean is that YOU dont want to live in an area where people dont live up to your expectations. There have been an awful lot of responses to your post that suggest many people disagree and wouldnt be at all bothered living near that.

So I (dis)respectfully suggest that you are a snob who is as bad as the neighbour "Oh but...STANDARDS!!!! First its a clothes horse outside the front door, and the next thing its busted cars and drug dealers!!!!! Wont someone think of the house prices?!"

Lord only knows what the OP's neighbour would do if the OP decided to sunbathe naked!!

My dear old Mum used to often comment about the teeny tiny G strings I used to wear, she said that they looked like T bags hanging on the line. Wonder what your neighbour would make of them OP?

@WashingWoes is your neighbour called Pat?

There was a lady a few doors down from me who used to moan because I and her immediate NDN would peg out our washing. Current NDN is lovely and doesn’t give a hoot.

Please ignore, line dried washing smells lovely and fresh.

There are some streets where I live where the properties have a big front garden, and pretty much no back garden.
They have washing line and trampolines out the front. The horror.

I’m soooo tempted to post a picture of my washing lines, also to show the size of my garden for the posters who think that terraced houses only have small back yards, but sadly that would be far too outing

Your neighbour is mad. Much cheaper and environmentally friendly to dry outside. I have washed virtually my whole house over the last few days because the weather is so hot.

Two words for neighbour, beginning and ending with F. And don't speak to me again. Mean it. Nobody needs to indulge strangers bizarre wants.

Reminds me of an episode of 'Last of the Summer Wine' where the old boys visited an attractive female only to find her hanging out some lacy undies. She told them not to worry they were only for show to annoy the neighbours.

I mean it's the entire town, it's not really a whim of mine 😂

Everywhere I go, there are not many clothes horse on the front lawn - or any. I am South East London, I am surrounded by rather populated areas, not in the middle of nowhere either.

So maybe I don't want to live in areas with no expectations, but clearly I am not the only one 😂. People don't want to live in a campsite or worst.

I am glad people obviously share my opinion. If they didn't, laundry would be everywhere, wouldn't it.

Lord only knows what the OP's neighbour would do if the OP decided to sunbathe naked!!

to be fair, most of MN would scream in horror - man or woman naked where neighbours kids could see them, that would not be acceptable/

Maybe they're worried about it getting nicked. There's something so reassuring about living somewhere one can trust that things left in the front garden will stay there.

I guessed you were from Yorkshire when I read "crooks" and heard "crux" in a Yorkshire accent in my head! Lovely ❤

That is SO what I would do!

You do right! I’m pretty sure I’m from just by you - North Leeds aswell - mine are 5 and 3, both previously in cloth. In the unlikely event you ever need any extra laundry drop me a message or if you go on holiday and don’t want to give her a break I’ll put ours on the line! 😛

Im always confused when people say they peg out all year round because when I’ve tried that it just doesn’t dry? I’d love to though!

So you live in the most densely populated area of the country where there will be more people without drying space than with it. Where there are people who can afford the eyewatering sums housing costs, so dropping £300 on a cheap dryer is a drop in the ocean.

How about expanding your mind a wee bit and considering that there is life beyond the M25? Where there are far fewer people per square mile, where there isnt the polution and dirt? And where a clothes horse in the sun isnt going to bring the entire community into rack and ruin?

Ever thought about trying that?

Yes you have done terribly well, well done you. But frankly you sound like the 1970's new MC woman that my mother and her friends and yes, Hycacinth, were. So desperate to prove how well they had done that its all a bit sad.

mine dries all year round too. It's out as long as it's not raining/ drizzling, or the foggy days when you can feel how wet it is.

Even if it's not bone dry by the evening, it will be by the morning - 1 day instead of 3 or 4 indoors.

wow, you are putting a lot of thought and imagination in trying to describe someone who dare having a different opinion. If it makes you feel happy, go for it!

So desperate to prove how well they had done
ok then 😂

@WashingWoes - Hanging the washing out is literally my favourite thing to do! I count down the weeks till it’s warm enough 🤣
I would seriously be telling her to piss off, I’ve never heard anything so ridiculous 🤯

I need to persevere next winter then! 😀

You do know that not all terraces are like Coronation Street, don't you? There are many multi-million pound terraced houses in London.

I completely disagree. To me it says that the neighbours are more environmentally friendly minded.

I use nature's tumble dryer (it's usually breezy where I live) whenever I can.

I'll give that one a go, too!

Just recalling, I lived for some years in a terrace of houses which had adequate east-facing back gardens and tiny squares of west facing front garden. Enough room to put a couple of chairs out to sit on. Full sun on front from midday onwards. A few of the neighbours used to sit out in scrappy bikinis. It was an embarrassment to me to walk past them, definitely not enough personal space between us.I don't know where they hung there washing though.😀

You'll notice, maybe you haven't got enough breeze?
My laundry takes forever to dry indoors, the difference with a few hours outside is massive.