Or is my neighbour about my laundry...?

[laundryninja]

Name changed in case she's on mumsnet

Don't know NDN well. We are quiet and (I thought!) inoffensive so no issues for the last 6 months we've lived here. There's a low fence between our gardens.

Given that I live in the west of scotland, it's a rare opportunity to hang clothes out on the line to dry, which DH and I have been doing the past few days.

Today NDN appeared at the door and asked me to "be more careful" with my laundry. I initially thought something had blown into her garden and apologised. She said no, that us hanging out "personal items" was embarrassing for her and she didn't want her young sons (who are late primary age I think) seeing things like that. After clarifying she meant bras and knickers I admit I snorted with laughter a bit and said "but don't they see YOUR pants drying indoors!?" to which she said that I clearly didn't want to help and that she'd ask her DH to come over later to speak to my DH once he's in from work!

I have not brought my laundry in and have just done another load. She's glaring from her conservatory. AIBU to ignore her? Or should I bring my offensive undies in off the line?

"Getting Darked On" is from a recent thread where an (iirc) OPs husband said that if they left the washing out when it was dark it would need rewashing. It became a bit of a piss take where things getting darked on" could be full of all sort of nasties and it all got a bit silly. I vaguely remember something about spiders wanking.....or something :o

Thanks for the explanation. This has reminded me that my grandmother used to talk about drying clothes outside; she would only put white things outside because the sun would bleach the dark clothes over time. She would hang colored items in her kitchen to dry overnight.

I don't hang my undies on the line as they are private (probably a bit repressed). Wouldn't care if you did though.

Reminds me of ...

What's the time? Ten to nine,
Hang your knickers on the line,
If a policeman comes along,
Take them off and put them on.

Haha. Why policeman? Was it ever a crime to hang your knickers on the line?

God I remember that rhyme!

OK so cultural differences.

Might be worth actually telling them, then, that whilst it might be different in the states, over here if you go inspecting and commenting on women's knickers on the line, you will widely be regarded as a pervert and/or nutcase.

Also... if outside drying and clothes horses are odd over there does this mean millions of Americans are using electricity to dry their clothes for basically no reason while perfectly good air circulates around outside?

if outside drying and clothes horses are odd over there does this mean millions of Americans are using electricity to dry their clothes for basically no reason while perfectly good air circulates around outside?

Pretty much

I bet this is you Op ! Come on own up

Electricity is cheap in much of the US; I think that has a lot to do with the use of tumble dryers. Of course, sunshine and air are even cheaper, and very plentiful where I live (Florida).

Oh wow that is a really bizzare request your NDN had. I have a clothesline as do most of my neighbours and we put everything out. I live in Canada. It's totally normal where I live.

Lived in New England. If I hung the washing outside it froze on the line in winter, got covered in tree pollen in the spring and just hung limply in the humid air in the summer. Would dry outside on a few days in early spring and autumn.

Right I've read to the end of the thread (one of the best ones for a while, lovely kitten a particular highlight) and I STILL don't know why Americans are so averse to line drying!

A) is it embarrassing to have your clothes hung up outside?
B) is it a waste of precious time to hang out clothes when you could be tumble drying them?
C) does line drying just seem old fashioned or something?

But even with those reasons WHY is it actually banned in some places?! Even if I could run my dryer for free I'd still use my washing line. Laundry smells lovely and sheets go crisp, whites stay bright in the sun, gets rid of baby stains like magic.

I don't have a tumble drier- although I could easily afford one and have lots of room for one. I have owned a couple in the past but they don't float my boat.

1. They damage clothes- clothes wear out quicker and get bobbled.
2. Clothes smell strange after being tumble dried, unless you use some horrible product.
3. They cost a lot of money to run.
4. They are bad for the planet.

I line dry every week of the year. Line drying:

1. Makes the clothes smell fresher than any synthetic product/ tumble drying can.
2. Outdoor breezes soften clothes without them rubbing into each other, so they get softened but without the wear.
3. The sun and wind kill bacteria and viruses, getting sheets and towels outside especially in winter kills bugs and stops germs passing round the family.
4. UV light takes residual stains from fabrics and brightens white clothes.
5. It's free.
6. - And this one is a bit woo- I love the energy of outdoors on my clothes- they have a different feel to tumble dried stuff.

You might want to advise your NDN's to never come to New Zealand's South Island on their holidays - they might never recover from seeing the Cardrona Bra Fence...

Cardrona Bra Fence

Are you in South Island wildkiwi?

My son is in Tekapo atm.

Not on South Island Westray, but have been down there a lot. First thing that came to mind when reading this thread was the bra fence! Tekapo is beautiful

WildKiwi,

Ha! That Cardrona Bra Fence is awesome!

Fun idea for a great cause.

Sounds like the kind of thing my mother would complain about. Not that she'd actually go round, she'd just moan about how scandalous it is.

^

I do think it may be a cultural difference about line drying v tumble drying. I found it very strange when I lived in the US that on lovely sunny days I wanted to open the windows and out the washing out and it was all air con and tumble drying
however even if it is a cultural difference she is still being very rude to mention it to you and even ruder to send her DH round

Friends of ours live in an area of the U.K. where hanging washing out is "Not permitted".
Even putting a clothes horse out is against the rules.
My friend put her airier out on her patio one day as they're been on holiday and had loads of washing to get dried, it was a beautiful sunny day so she thought she'd take advantage of the nice weather.
Two days later a letter arrived from the managing agents 'reminding them of the rules'.
This is in an area in Lincolnshire.

Ok - your kitten is awesome and your DH sounds fab!

Sorry you are having trouble with batshit neighbours. Quite a lot of my family are American. They're lovely but quite mad sometimes!

DSis lives in a no-outside drying place and she is also banned from keeping chickens!

trishanI knew a variation of that wee rhyme!

What's the time, ten to nine
Put your knickers on the line
When they're dry, take them in
Put them in the biscuit tin
Eat a biscuit, eat a cake
Eat your knickers by mistake

How do I even remember this?!