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Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

Is leaving washing outside for days unhygienic or fairly normal?

71 replies

Fiddlesticks1 · 04/05/2026 15:10

Neighbour leaves washing out for days. If it rains it stays out until it’s dry.
personally I think that is minging. What do others think?

OP posts:
WhereHasMyPlanetGone · 04/05/2026 15:10

What is unhygienic about being outside?

TwilightSkies · 04/05/2026 15:10

What’s minging about it? Specifically?

MycactusandI · 04/05/2026 15:11

I might be your neighbour!

TemporarilyCantDoMyself · 04/05/2026 15:12
Locked In Popcorn GIF

Oooooo....

kdoia · 04/05/2026 15:12

How on earth is it unhygienic?

Magnesiummaggie · 04/05/2026 15:12

You must be my neighbour

TheSandgroper · 04/05/2026 15:12

Dd uses our washing line as an alternative wardrobe quite often. But we have a large verandah so nothing gets wet

Plummagic · 04/05/2026 15:14

I leave mine out until it's dry if it's been rained on. I must be a right minger.

7238SM · 04/05/2026 15:16

What is minging about it? Is it covered in bird poo?

Backonthestudy · 04/05/2026 15:17

This reply has been deleted

This has been deleted by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines.

SpringIsSpringing2026 · 04/05/2026 15:21

This reply has been deleted

This has been deleted by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines.

At least she's not as rude as you.

@Fiddlesticks1

I don't understand why you think rainwater is minging? I don't leave mine out for days on end, but if it gets rained on while out there I just see it as a bonus rinse.

Not so much when I lived in central London as it would get covered in 'stuff' , so often needed a rinse & spin cycle.

Branleuse · 04/05/2026 15:22

If washing gets darked on, it's no longer clean

FleshLiabilities · 04/05/2026 15:24

If washing is left out overnight, It'll get "darked on" and spiders will rub their willies on it.

Randomchat · 04/05/2026 15:27

I'm on a train journey home from a long weekend away. I'll put a wash on when I get home around 4.30pm then I'll hang it out before bed. It can stay there till tomorrow when I get home from work. I'm sure it will be perfectly hygienic.

Muchtoomuchtodo · 04/05/2026 15:28

I wouldn’t do it. You only need to look at the car after rain to see how much dirt and dust can fall, but it’s not unhygienic

PepsiBook · 04/05/2026 15:29

Absolutely filthy behaviour. What utter beasts!

sesquipedalian · 04/05/2026 15:33

If you leave your washing on the line for ages, the whites would go yellow and the coloureds would fade. But if my washing were to get wet today, I might leave it until tomorrow before I brought it in.

CheddarCheeseAndCrispSandwich · 04/05/2026 15:35

I’m a minger then 👌🏻

PatsFishTank · 04/05/2026 15:35

Normal. I've got washing in the machine at the moment and will probably leave it out overnight because no rain is forecast. I don't understand why it would be a problem.

SerenitySeeker4 · 04/05/2026 15:38

That's quite normal. May be let them do whatever your neighbour wants to do.

ButterYellowHair · 04/05/2026 15:40

I leave it out overnight sometimes if it’s not dried. It’s clean washing and none of your business.

I find dryers more minging - imagine using the earths resources to dry clothes when the sun can do it for free.

Tortephant · 04/05/2026 15:49

Totally normal

HoppityBun · 04/05/2026 15:52

It’s not a good idea because the washing never completely dries out and then smells musty. It’s the sort that thing you wish would work but doesn’t really

ArtAngel · 04/05/2026 15:53

I don’t like it to get rained on.

SplendiferousKnickers · 04/05/2026 15:56

If washing is left out overnight, It'll get "darked on" and spiders will rub their willies on it. 😂