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’d be buying some very risque laundry..purely for my own amusement!

Ask if you can use her drier

Oh, are you the reply police?
Bit bossy, aren't you, I can make up my own mind, and I don't need to copy either.
Toots

Oh crap are you still here?! Thought you'd taken the hint last night!

Not one single person where I live hangs out washing, not one. There must be about 20 houses here, I can see all of their gardens from the 2nd floor of my house. I have never seen one piece of washing.
I don't know if this is a Somerset thing or what. I know for a fact my Immediate neighbours don't have driers. I dry mine over the bath. It's a mystery and I don't intend being the only person with washing out.

I'm astonished to read that here and now, in 2025, people would put themselves through the drudgery and cost of taking wet laundry to the launderette to dry rather than putting it out in the garden in the sun to dry naturally at no cost to the planet. All because of snobbery. It's just about the nuttiest thing I've ever read on Mumsnet .

If she is willing to foot the entire electric bill than tell her you will gladly use the drier. Of her husband gets off seeing undergarments she has bigger problems

I made no such claim.

You're the one crying about it being a bore and proceed to reply.

Seriously, go back to sleep or venture in the garden and look at your neighbours laundry or something...

I'd put my washing out topless. That will give them something to moan about.

I'd have posted the birthday card back to them and once they inevitably raised it again told them that you can do whatever you want in your own garden and frankly putting out washing is one of the least offensive.

My MIL often asks to hang out washing out when she stays as she can’t hang hers out where she lives and she misses it!
She loves to see (and smell) a line full of clean laundry.

What are people's thoughts of neighbours hanging their washing to dry over an adjoining 6 foot wall in a terrace? My neighbour occasionally hangs large items over and it does annoy me as I have climbing plants growing up it on my side. We both have and use washing lines, with which i obviously have no problem with, just them hanging big stuff over the wall ??

Its batshit 25 pages in. Probably the same lot moaning about energy usage and global warming.

Both of those restrictions were quite common, a while back. Not saying they still should be, times change.

Why is it so frowned on in the US to hang out washing ?! It's bonkers to waste the glorious weather

We do but I've just done a quick Google and it does say it isn't recommended because dryers are the biggest cause of house fires. Will have to suck up the extra cost just to make sure, I watched the documentary on Grenfell the other day and whilst I'm not living in a cladded tower block it has made me a bit twitchy about fire safety!

Americans are not exactly well known for being concerned about the environment or energy efficiency!

Not sure why so many people encourage rank behaviour though ie fetish wear, willy warmers etc on the line just to piss people off.
I live in a terraced house and I like to get on with my neighbours like a civilised human being. I'm not a savage.
Of course I have boundaries but why behave like this. It's pathetic really. I have to live with these people.

Just do it! In Australia everyone dries their clothes outside. Tumble dryers are for rainy days.

YANBU. But how can you be an end terrace, meaning your attached neighbour is a mid terrace, and the mid terrace have a 3 acre garden?

It all goes outside. Today we have the dogs blankets outside. The weather looks a bit iffy, but at least the wind is blowing the last of the fluff out of it and making it smell nice. got sheets on the bed which were line-dried, which smelt nicer than any fabric conditioner or soap powder

🤔I live in Somerset seen plenty of houses with washing hanging out.

I’m completely on your side and yet, I never hang my underwear on the line, it just feels too personal, but that’s a me thing. I think you’re normal

I’ve just sat in the garden with a coffee and it is glorious, warm but breezy. A proper’drying’ day as my mum would say. I’d have stripped the bed, washed it and had it out on the line had we not had friends coming round lunchtime. And my neighbours either side have got their washing out. No worries here….

Have you asked them to stop? They maybe don’t realise you have pants on your side and would be mortified if they knew. Just speak to them.

Get loads of camo print t shirts op and when she next complains say "what laundry?"