Why do you hang your washing outside when it always ends up smelling like damp?

[lilybit2025]

Apart from the obvious cost savings compared to using a tumble dryer, I don’t understand why people hang their washing outside because no matter what I do, mine always ends up smelling damp and completely unpleasant!

OP, you need to stop hanging it out when it's raining. Hop that helps.

My husband and I have a disagreement over this. I normally finish the things off in batches in the airing cupboard.

I don't think it smells damp and musty at all but there's a definite smell to washing dried on a line that sets my gag reflex off. Even thinking of it makes me feel sick.

Even after I’ve dried our laundry outside I always ensure that it is completely dry and aired before putting it away………..any small degree of dampness WILL make is smell fusty, musty, stinky, whatever you call it in your part of the world!
When I do the ironing, I always give the clothes a thorough airing before putting them away too - steam ironing adds dampness!

On a side note, sometimes laundry products are the culprit to stinky clothes……many fabric conditioners reportedly contain animal fats which build up on fabric fibres and add to the problem. Buying that lovely scented laundry gel, scent booster, and fabric conditioner can sometimes be a negative move.

Not telling anyone how to do their laundry, you’re all adults and free to make your own decisions but my laundry never sours, always smells clean and fresh regardless of being on the line in the sunshine or in the tumble drier when it rains.

The smell of line dried washing is one of the pleasures of my sad middle aged existence - that and a good storage box can cheer me up no end😂

Maybe it is your genes - there’s a shrub, called ribes, flowering currant. You either love the smell or it smells like cat wee, depending on your genetic make up. Odd but true!

Eh? Mine smells better and dries way faster when outside.

I think you don’t know what damp smells like.

This is a new level in MN bloodhound noses. I've heard people claim to be incapacitated by "the stench" of a scented sanitary towel being worn by someone a few feet away, and now we have someone actually gagging every time someone who line dried their clothes walks past them.

haha yes!

I'd hate to be around someone who was making revolting gagging noises all day long- how gross and off-putting for other people

Clearly you’re washing your clothes wrong then. Mine always smell fully dry and like cotton and sunshine.

Yeah, we do and glad you appreciate my talent and honesty. Get over it.

What’s the best way to do it?

I live in London and love air drying my clothes, it smells so much fresher afterwards. I would agree that maybe it's the products that you use.

I wonder if you are comparing the smell unfavourably to that hot, slightly singed smell you get frorm tumble dried clothes (which I hate).

Also if you leave washing out over night this time of year it may get cold and sometimes we can find it difficult to distinguish between cold and damp as a sensation. .

You must be gagging all day long in summer. Maybe see a psychiatrist because this is not a normal way to react. It’s excessive and strange in the extreme.

I hang washing outside in good weather and I've never noticed it smell horrible. It usually smells of nothing really, I don't use fabric conditioner and only ever use powder either bio or non bio depending on the wash load. I have a drum clean that is 95 deg and run that every now and then with a bit of white vinegar or lemon juice.

I only use the tumble dryer if it feels slightly dampish to just make sure it is dry enough to put away.

I always do a spin and rinse after my full wash. It takes 16 minutes and removes excess water meaning the clothes aren’t excessively wet on the line. Maybe see if your machine has a similar cycle?

Yeah, funnily the smell of mildew on clothing stinks. If that hurts your feelings, perhaps you are suffering from this unfortunate circumstance, but others have provided some fantastic advice regarding how this can be avoided if you line dry your clothing.

Why are you so sensitive to my experience? Are you one of those making me gag?

Drying outside doesnt cause mildew though thats the entire point 🤣

If clothes smell bad then it's due to a washing machine needing cleaning or using a non bio liquid that leaves a slimy residue or isnt actually getting rid of bacteria.

You need to seek help because literally gagging around people is far more unpleasant and nasty

You are used to washing smelling of artificial perfumes from detergent and/or tumble dryer sheets.
You are experiencing the smell of fresh air when it’s dried outside, naturally. Most people prefer the ozone smell.

How does it smell if you hang it up to dry inside, rather than using a tumble drier? Try that and if it has the same damp smell, it isn’t an ‘outside’ problem.

If it doesn’t have the same smell, then it probably is an outside smell that you don’t like, but if you have hung it for sufficient time in the sun, I don’t think that smell is caused by it not being completely dried.

Ok, I gag at unpleasant smells. Maybe those who don't are used to smelling badly and not used to feedback. I'm not going to lie to spare feelings, though. It's okay for an adult to change their method of drying if it's not working. The suggestions you made about the washing machine and cleaning are relevant but me gagging is my own thing and you don't get to dominate my reactions or thoughts even if you think it makes you look cool on MN. 😆

I think you're nose is broken

The only time ours ever smells damp is if the washing machine was over loaded and the spin cycles couldn't get enough water out for them to dry efficiently on the line. We do smaller loads now and it smells great after being outside.

Urgh I cant imagine how nasty being around you must be, gagging all the time.

Gross. It's not about being cool it's about the fact that seeing and hearing someone gagging is disgusting and you will find that a LOT of people find that to be absolutely horrible to be around. Have you heard of Emetophobia?