Is hanging washing on the line not a thing anymore?

[Savvyshopper81]

Interesting conversation with neighbour recently:

Him: ‘I see you like hanging your washing out to dry.’
Me: ‘Er, yeah. Doesn’t everyone?’
Him: ‘Well no, we think it’s a bit common.’

Now this was said tongue in cheek but I’ve come to realise that NONE of my neighbours have washing lines (only us!) and we all have big enough gardens. Plus a local friend recently said that they tumble dry everything because they can’t stand seeing washing hanging around.

Is this no longer a thing? Has the world gone mad?? I live on top of a very windy hill in a sunny part of the UK - unless it’s raining washing usually dries in a couple of hours. I’m baffled as to why people wouldn’t take advantage of that!

Exactly. In the absence of disabilities and providing there is some outside space, I judge people who tumble dry when they could line dry.

They're like the people who sit in their cars with the engine running. A great big stupid fuck you to the environment and anyone who who tries to reduce their carbon footprint.

I do it whenever it's the weather for it, I do live in a block of council flats though so I'm already quite common

I was going to say the same. There’s judgers on both sides of this topic I see.

Everything out on lines or whirligigs round here.

OP - buy some knickers with initials on and have endless fun spelling out messages on your washing line. I suggest “Suck on these ya freaky bugger” to start with (have to have quite a long line though)

I have terrible hayfever so I don't hang mine out. It's dried indoors on a clothes horse.

I hang my washing out of the weathers gonna be dry! However, controversial opinion, I don’t like the smell of line washed clothes like some do! I do it so I don’t have to put tumble dryer on or hang them on the horse in the house!

I do both. It's not yuk to tumble dry. I prefer towels in it than outside to dry

I am always checking the forecast for a good drying day and will hold off doing washing until I can peg out. A big reason why I like wfh is being able to get laundry in when it starts to rain 😅

Shame him back!! “Actually it’s more environmentally friendly to use a washing line in summer, don’t you care about the planet? How sad”

I hang mine out and so do the neighbours. Always have done. I love the smell of fresh bedding when it’s been line-dried.

I do both. For other reasons I tumble dry most tho

What a weird bit of snobbery, your neighbour thinks it's better to waste money and power by tumble drying. Get some really gaudy garden ornaments to go under your washing line, some dayglo gnomes would do, that'll give them something worth complaining about 😁

Your neighbour is the epitome of common:
used the word common
can’t mind his own business
had the temerity to give his wholly unwanted opinion on how you behave in your own home to you.

I’d call him Hyacinth in future. To his face.

I hang my washing out and so do my neighbours.

I haven't used a tumble drier since about April...and I do a load every day (busy house full of sweaty men!) I LOVE being able to hang it all out!
My neighbours that back onto me never hang washing and I judge them for that😁

Chavvy?! What a ridiculous thing to say

I do use my line. In the winter I tumble dry everything. Warmer months I get clothes out when I can. When I can't I just stick it in the drier.

It might be frowned upon but not all of us have outdoor space. And I don't want damp issues in the rented flat I live in.

I would always rather dry washing on the line! A few years ago we lived in a flat and we received a written warning for breaching our tenancy agreement by putting a maiden on the balcony, they said it looked unsightly! Hadn’t read all the tiny print but it was in there and someone had reported us! Madness

Yeah, just one more thing to judge people for who can't afford to live somewhere with outdoor space.

Unless it’s raining, the washing goes on the line here. All seasons, any time of the day. The only thing I don’t do is leave my pegs on the line all the time. Oh, and the pegs have to match on each item hung up 😂

We hang our washing out as do all the neighbours.

I'm not sure what they think of us though as we sometimes hang underwear on the climbing frame to dry if there isn't enough room on the washing line!

I live in a very well to do area and everyone has whirly gigs.Why would you not? I love the summer when I don't need the clothes horse up in the utility room any more (I don't use a tumble dryer, bad gor the environment, terribly common).

If it was free to tumble dry I'd still line dry everything except towels. As it is, my tumble dryer is only for dire emergencies.

It's one of my great pleasures in life to hang bedding out on a crisp winter day in the sun and see actual steam rising off it ❤️ and then sleep in outdoor scented bedding that night.

It feels healthier to me for laundry to be aired after washing as I wash at cool temperatures. I often air my duvet over the line as well when the bedding is out!

Goodness you’re right! And I’m forgetting I’ve actually drawn the hanging clothes a few times too haha, something forgiving about drawing empty clothes. Maybe we should collate paintings of line drying washing and make a book hehe :)