DH wants to explain to me how to hang the washing correctly!

[ZumbaZara]

DH tells me that when he comes home he is going to give a tutorial on putting washing on the line. He thinks he is being very helpful, I have been doing the job for 30 years so obviously I think I am managing OK. However he has now put doubt in my mind. What do you think is the CORRECT way?

[sppp]

Bit worried now about my own technique. I always hang "bottoms from the top" ie put the pegs in the waistband.

My rationale is that when you hang out eg a sheet the top dries before the bottom of it does (I assume due to gravity as the water drips down), so I put the waistband at the top so it dries quicker.

Have I been getting this wrong for years? Anyway on a separate note good pegs make such a difference. The ones I have are very strong with a rubbery grip so I can sort of stretch elasticated waists (the childrens, not mine) so I'm sure they must dry quicker that way.

Must get out more.

[purrpurr]

Huh sppp, you have blinded me with science. The top does dry quicker. I didn't think of that. Do you mean to say I'M the one that has been doing it wrong all these years? Good grief.

[TobyLerone]

Yay, sppp!

[Startail]

Tops of tops (on the shoulder seams), tops of trousers.

Turn over half way through if outside (you can't in the kitchen you get sleeves in the dinner).

Far more important is I Do Not Iron.
Anyone who doesn't carefully put stuff flat over the basket, puts light stuff under jeans or crumples dry washing Will be sent on the washing training course!

[Startail]

Waist bands up, outside because of there is shade nearer the ground and in the kitchen because it's warmest near the ceiling.

[superbagpuss]

my dh hangs the washing in a really odd way, it doesn't dry quickly and he is the one good at physics etc.

however saves me a job so I've stopped commenting (and going out and rearranging it so it was done my way)

he refuses to use the same colour pegs on each piece of clothing, apparently that's a step too far .

[MoreBeta]

ZumbaZara - I am a man and the way I 'hang washing out' is to put it straight in the dryer, press the button and come back 30 minutes later.

I guarantee that if your DH does 'hanging out the washing' for a few months he will begin to see buying a dryer as the short cut to happiness. I would exploit this happy outcome if I were you and let him take charge for now but gently suggest the dryer option as a long term solution to his angst.

[Abra1d]

I always insist on hanging on up trousers so that the creases are roughly where they will be when you press them, pinned either from the hems or the waistband. My husband splays them out because he says they dry more quickly. But then ironing is much harder. My most loathed ironing task is men's trousers. I seem to forget to do his trousers most week. It is odd the way they slip down the back of the chair where we leave the ironing. Then I pretend i don't know where they are when he needs them and he has to do them himself. Yes, now he is to all extents and purposes retired we have retreated into Terry and June stereotypes, which is worrying as I am only 49.

I avoid dryers as we live on top of a windy hill. Even during the winter we use the line as much as we can. But I like fluffing up guest towels in the dryer for five minutes before I put them away.

[GemmaTeller]

'tops from the bottom and bottoms from the top' here as well, along with all tshirts next to each other, all shirts next to each other, all pillowcases same way up etc..

...think I need to get out more....

DH goes nowhere near the washing machine or iron.

[ArbitraryUsername]

None of this pretending to let him teach you. My position on anything that DH decides he should tell me how to do 'properly' is that he can do it himself if he isn't happy with me doing it my way. The bugger is always telling me how to do things 'correctly'. It makes me really cross.

[FrebbieMisaGREATshag]

Is it wrong that I have nearly had a brain melt hanging my washing out this morning as a result of this thread?

[echt]

Man hanging out washing = cow with a gun; an arresting yet unnatural juxtaposition. :o

[ItsYonliMe]

My husband must be the worst at hanging out washing. I thought he was doing it for a joke it's so bad. I've tried to explain that towels shouldn't be folded over the lines and neither should jeans etc. He doesn't get it. This is a man with a brilliant mind (PhD engineer) he builds things ffs. What is it he can't understand ??

[mummylin2495]

When I had an op, dh had to hang the washing he folded the sheets
into a square and hung them like that to save time folding it when he bought it in! It looked awful and was 4 thicknesses thick.

[Vivacia]

Me and my partner hang the washing out in completely different ways. This isn't a big deal for us. We just thank the other when they've done it. I don't think either of us would dare to tell the other we were going to teach them how to do something so basic.

[motherinferior]

Er...who are these non-washer-hanger-upper-men? I've lived with a selection of blokes, all flawed in many ways (yes, even the present Mr Inferior has his faults) but all more than competent in the washing and hanging up washing department.

Actually DP does way more washing than I do.

[ArbitraryUsername]

DH does most of the washing in this house. He does all his own washing. I will not do it because he just complains that I do it 'wrong'. As I said before, if he's not happy with me doing it my way, he can bloody well do it. I do not reheat food for him in the microwave for the same reason. I do mine and the kids and tell him to do his own.

[joanofarchitrave]

Cow with a gun? FGS.

[starfishmummy]

Not only does Dh hang tops from the top and gets peg marks on them, he never wipes the line and gets dirty marks from that too. And even worse, he uses the grotty old wooden pegs that I keep for his socks emergencies on white things and delicates.
I stick with getting him to bring it in.

[echt]

I think starfishmummy's post neatly illustrates the point I was making, in a light-hearted sort of way, joanofarchitrave.

[AdoraBell]

I don't care how washing is hung. OH has learnt over time that if he feels the need to point out that something I'm doing is not done in an acceptable way then I'll stop wasting my time on that particular task.

It did take him a few episodes and explanations to see the error of his ways but he got there in the end

[Pollydon]

Washy fucker ?

[VenusUprising]

Why the hell do you need to know?!

Let him knock himself out :)

Get a takeaway tonight and 'treat' him to dinner... Guffaw!

[VenusUprising]

Itsyonlime, this is why engineers have musty clothes... All is revealed.

I have the utmost respect to those who live with these clever people and their wet dry wet dry musty clothes.

[HorryIsUpduffed]

DM sometimes kindly helps me peg out.

She insists on putting matching socks next to each other "to save time later" and is fanatical about "tops by bottom, bottoms by top" and so forth.

BUT not only is she capable of using pegs of different colours on a single garment she also blithely uses different shaped pegs on a single garment

How is it possible to be so particular about one area of hanging washing and not the important things rest?

I need a lie down.