Is it common to hang out your washing?

[flibbertigibbert]

I'm not talking about hanging your washing up in the back garden obviously. I live in a maisonette so hang my washing out on a clothes airer on the balcony. It's visible from the street (busy main road), but I always hide my underwear on the inside of the airer.

Anyway, I heard of a few cases recently of people having clauses in their contracts which forbade them from hanging washing out on their balconies, so as not to bring down the tone of the area. I was quite surprised by this.

So am I being terribly common? Would it be better if I had a washing line going from one end of the balcony to the other instead of using the airer?

how can it be common to have clrean fresh clothes. I don't think it makes much difference how you hang it tbh. tis better for the environemtn, stops your house getting mouldy and smells all lopvely and fresh.

I had a clause in my leasehold about not hanging washing outside when I lived in a flat so I don't think it is unusual.

I don't know about it being common and bringing down the tone. I suppose it just doesn't look as tidy. I would have thought an airer was less conspicuous than a line though because presumably it down low behind the railings of the balcony.

Must admit I LOL at hiding your underwear - I suppose, depending on the type of underwear it might pose an altogether different distraction to the passing male motorists than a bit of untidiness!

Niecie, I hide my underwear on the inside of the rotary line in a garden too.

we had this clause at our old old flat. wasnt allowed to hang landry visabily on the balcony. but as it had a stone wall and not railings we could use a clothes airer out there easily. i did get told off for hanging laundryout on a line that was there by the previous owners, as i hadnt thought to check that part out

I dry my underwear like that too

It is lazy arsed common not to hang your washing out in these here parts

Tumble driers are for losers

But then we are talking garden drying

we had a clause in our lease on a HOUSE that we werent allowed to use a washing line! AND it was a rural property!

I don't really really understand it. There's a swanky block of flats near me where I know one of the residents and washing is banned from balconies yet there's a balcony which has loads of little gnomes and other ornaments.

HouseofCrazy - you couldn't hang out washing in your own back garden?!

I take my washed and wet laundry to my Mums to hang out when the weather's good! smells lovely!

I have so much underwear on my line I would need a towel the size of a football pitch to hide it all.

DH gets very cross if I hang his pants out in the garden because the neighbours might see them. I think he has issues. So I leave them to rot in the washing machine put them on an airer inside.

Flib - nope!It was the first house I lived in the UK having come from hot country so the first winter especially I struggled! Every sunny day that year I despaired looking at the airer in my garage!

I used to work with a girl who thought it was common to hang clothes on the line, even in the garden. I feel it's a waste of a windy day NOT to have washing out, I am often to be found scouring the house for some dirty washing on such days

I hang my clothes out on the line.
I don't know if it's common or not, it's never occurred to me that it would be either!

I hide my undies behind everything else too but only because they're so large they could easily get mistaken for pillow cases. Damn my c-section scar. I have to admit when the neighbours had workmen in their back garden I was very tempted to buy some pretty thongs simply to hang on the line to make my washing look my attractive

HoC - that's ridiculous! Did they have helicopters flying overhead looking for washing lines?

mugglewump - no, it never occurred to me either until this girl mentioned it. Mind you, she also said that she wouldn't read anything that wasn't shortlisted for the Booker or similar either . . .

Landlords are being a bit thick if they add that clause because otherwise, you'd have to hang then on the airer inside the house and the the chance of condensation in the house is much higher. That can cause all sorts of problems so hanging it outside or in a well ventilated area is far more sensible.

The french hang their bedding out of upstairs windows to freshen them up and everyone thinks that's just lovely and french......they don't think it's common; just sensible.

Flib - what made my even more was that the neighbours had washing lines!! But then again, he screwed us out of our deposit unfairly as well so that explains what type of guy he was....soooooooooo glad i moved!!

Oh, well there goes my reading of heat non Booker listed Books

Clearly I'm common, but I have lovely fresh smelling washing!

susitwoshoes - I know what you mean about feeling the need to do washing on sunny days. I love the way the smell of fabric softener gets wafted into the house from the washing.

Fabric softener is probably very common, but when I was a little girl I was always so jealous of the kids whose clothes smelled of fabric softener. For some reason, mine never did so I always use quite a bit now

I must be as common as muck then, until DD got eczema I always used fabric conditioner. Fresh-from-the-garden washing does smell lovely, bedding especially.

We had neighbours who used to hang theirs off the fence in the front garden.

That is common

i do think it looks horrible to see a block of flats with washing hanging all over them and can kind of understand why it isn't allowed....

BUT i don't think it is "common"
and i don't see how clothes on an airer on a balcony could be complained about, but a long washing line with clothes/towels flapping everywhere doesn't look great.

fabric softener = common ??