Is there right way to hang clothes on a washing line?

[loresho]

Do you hang clothes from the hem or the shoulder/waistband? Does it matter?

DH hung the washing out one way (pegged at hems) and I went out and changed it to the other way, because it felt wrong the way he had done it. I am aware that was a crazy thing to do, but it has made me wonder... is there a right way?

Queenie73 I used to do that for my mum when I was a teenager! I think it's her fault I've got a mild ocd about how I want thinks hung out, she taught me her way

The correct way.......

Except for T-shirts.

The best (and only correct) way is with the t-shirt on reverse and the pegs sitting on the side stitching at about waist level. To minimise marks and odd stretching.

Or on a hanger. (same for shirts and jerseys)

Everything from the bottom too, my whole washing line is upside down. Pegs left on the line are hideous, in fact a washing line left up or out is also hideous. it gets wound up after use so the garden is washing line free. Pegs are put away out of sight.

rosyleigh that's great - do you know what book it's from? I come to MN for all my housekeeping guidance, but a book would be great! (I grew up in a house with an army of "help" and never learned to do anything properly )

I hang things from the bottom. My neighbour folds everything in half over the line then pegs it on makes me want to jump the fence and re-hang it

loresho its from Home Comforts by Cheryl Mendelson it really is a fabulous book, if you like that kind of thing (which I do )

They just have Errors there, rosy. Sorry and all that..........

Just in case there are any pearls in need of a good clutching, I'm going to tell you about the old lady who used to live next door to us. She used to hang her washing.....on the fence! This is largely a farming area and most fences are some sort of wire mesh. There was a strand of barbed wire along the top of the fence too, it must have mangles her clothes.
She lived in that house for at least 40 years and she never had a washing line. She just preferred the fence I suppose.

I agree with all the tops from the bottom, bottoms from the top people. It reduces ironing
Socks .. in pairs by the toe ..one peg both socks. When dry, pair with the dangling ankle bit before you unpeg.
Jumpers on a hanger.
Jeans just below the waistband so the thick bit airs better

I wouldnt 're do straight away if dh got It wrong as had never offer again. But it go out after a while and turn them "so the sun gets to the other side"

cozie - I'll take your word for it.

I was told by a neighbour not to "hang the smalls out in the garden" as she put it. I made sure to hang them out visibly, on the outside facing her house for a couple of weeks. Petty rebellion .

I am so glad so many other people hang out washing.

Sometimes I have a laugh to myself when my lovely but preachy Eco-aware friends go on and on about Green politics.

Then stuff a load into a tumble dryer, while the sun is out and there is a breeze blowing.

I hang tops from the top and bottoms from the bottom. I have a lot of stretchy t-shirt type tops to negate the need for an iron and the hem stretches out funny if pegs are on the bottom. We have plastic pegs with various colours and they need to be matching on each item of clothing and not the same colour on two adjacent items. Knickers and socks go in the drier.

If DH and I are pegging the washing out together, he'll hang his t-shirts from the bottom and purposely pick non-matching pegs. Humph.

Depends on the fabric sometimes - drip dry sports wear put on a hanger and peg to line, jumpers /woollies ideally flat over a rotary dryer and trousers inside out so the pockets dry. Basically whatever creates least damage and ironing.

What about hanging out hand washed woollens?

The women in my family do it thus. You get an old pair of tights and thread a leg through each sleeve. So the top of the tights is through the neck of the woollen. You then peg the tights (like they're doing the splits) to the line. No peg marks or stretching as the woollen is supported by the tights.

Anyone else seen this? Hope no one's fainted.

It's like hanging with a hanger. Only perhaps more solidly to the line.

I always remember the contents of an article on domestic economies that an American acquaintance had brought across with her to read. Their 10 Tips included 'Have you considered drying clothes outside..........? Etc. '

Mind you, she also used to follow strict rules for how things should be folded when they came out of a tumble dryer. She looked into my laundry cupboard and positively 'Tsk'ed when she saw the contents.

Count yourselves lucky I haven't gone off on that tangent.

never seen this, Deux, but will do it now! Fab idea for silky tops that show pegmarks.

Ah! I have found my people!

I bloody LOVE a thread about pegging out laundry!
I have so many rules about the correct way peg stuff on the line and most of them have been covered already. Nobody else can do it in our house as it would definitely be wrong. Far too many rules about which pegs to use for which type of fabric etc. In fact nobody knows all the rules because I'd be sectioned if I spoke them out loud.

But nobody has covered yet:

Stretching out all garments and not doing that 'sagging' in the middle thing which I cannot stand. Yes, I get the whole drying quicker by the air running through it but it looks bloody awful.

All socks to be hung in pairs so they can be rolled together when coming off the line.

All pants to be hung by the side seam with one peg. All pants hung by the same side. Never enough space to hang unders with two pegs each.

All clothes come off the line straight onto hangers to minimise ironing except for pyjamas, socks and underwear which are sorted and folded according to the person they belong to into the basket and can then be put straight into that person's drawer. All other garments are stored on the correct hangers (I am crap at managing drawers so hangers for all).

I have two long lines with props because everything dries quicker and looks better (to my eye anyway). The heavier garments go at the far end of the lines as that's the sunnier end of the garden.

YY to the person who said up-thread about standing back and admiring with a cup of tea in hand a couple of lines with perfectly arranged laundry on them!
I even admire other people's washing lines blowing in the wind when out and about. I have no idea why I love this so much!

*Disclaimer
I am not OCD about anything else in my life, just laundry. My housekeeping standards for the rest of the house are piss poor.

Ah. But.

What sort of shape is your laundry cupboard in, Tea?

Overlapping towels??? Are you kidding me??? Why.....?! In god's name, why...?! I assumed people understood the poorest of hanging washing, but you have to wonder...

Point, not poorest. Ah, dear autocorrect, how I loathe thee...

I love hanging washing out, then, if the weather is warm enough, I'll sit with a cup of tea and watch it blowing in the breeze.
Tops from the bottom, bottoms from the top. Sometimes hubby will peg it out but hangs trousers and jeans up by the bottoms.It gives me the rage....the pegs leave marks which irritates me.
I have two lines...one which is permanent and a pull out one. Thicker , heavier items go at the far end of the permanent line, as its stronger and gets more sun.
Thinner stuff goes on the pull out line.
However, undies go in the tumble drier, as do towels a majority of the time. Towels always dry 'hard' no matter what I do, and they make me cringe when I go to use them!

Cozier, the linen cupboard is in an appalling state. The said about that the better!