Neighbour annoyed at me for asking her not to collect our washing in.

[Firefliesdancing]

I arrived home today to find the washing had disappeared off the line that I’d put out this morning before work. It had rained heavy but I wasn’t too worried as I knew the weather was going to be scorching hot so they would be dry regardless. No note had been left, so looked on our cctv to find the neighbour over the back garden had got her husband to climb over on some ladders and take them in after peering in our back patio doors after realising we wern’t in.

We’ve only spoke to these neighbours a handful of times. It has made us feel slightly uncomfortable as I hate the thought of someone else handling my underwear/clothes/bedding. We went round with a small box of chocolates to say thanks and retrieve them. We asked them not to do it again politely and just leave them out as we have a drier if they can’t get dry naturally, thanked them again and left.

Unfortunately they are smokers (we are not) so our clothes had a whiff of stale smoke on them so rinsed them back through and put them back on the line as it was still boiling hot outside all dried within the hour. Knock on the door 20 minutes later after I’d taken them in. I assumed something was left so wasn’t expecting her to start having a go on the doorstep saying we’re not dirty you know, we did you a favour, not everyone is as nice as us we like to do things for people.

I was a bit taken aback so just said I’m sorry we’re trying to put the kids to bed, again thank you for your kindness and closed the door.

Does anyone else find this behaviour bizarre…maybe it’s the heat, I’m tired and I’ve missed something…is it the norm for people you don’t really know to collect your washing in when it rains?

What?! Surely you've seen washing on lines when you've been outside your immediate area, even if none of your neighbours do??

Do you live near a pig farm or something like that? I can't think why else it would it stink just from being outside

Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

Huh?? Of course people hang washing out!!

who can afford to tumble every day?

my clothes always smell better and look better on the line. Fresh air, able to hang, less stains.

I might be wrong, but don’t some AONBs say you can’t hang washing outside?

Too late, too hot, too tired & already answered!!
@Firefliesdancing

they're Nucking Futs!

it's not you.

It’s trespassing and theft and I’d be furious! Never mind the horrific uncomfortable fact of them having handles all your underwear. I would be mortified. No way in hell would I tolerate this; or live next door to someone who thought this was ok!! I can’t even imagine who would think it ok to do this.
Id honestly have considered it stolen. You were good to go round with a gift!! They are clearly quite insane. Do they think they’re living in some sort of estate in the 1950s???

Errrr.... Where on earth (assuming it is earth) do you live that you haven't seen washing hung outside for 20 years?

Line dried washing smells lovely - fresh and clean.

I assumed AONB meant- something something new build? 😂

Either this is your idea of a joke or you are even weirder than the neighbours described here. Of course people hang out their washing. It doesn't smell weird unless you live in an industrial heartland with belching chimneys , or next to a major motorway.

Who is so weird they watch the sky all day and know every moment it isn't and is raining? I don't think I have caught it start to rain more than a handful of times across the last couple of decades, I am normally doing something a bit more interesting than staring at the sky waiting.

invest in a gimp suit and some latex smalls. Nobody will touch your laundry if those are hanging on the line.

Exactly! PMSL at the faux shock at people HANGING THEIR WASHING OUT! OMGGGG! 😱 Like, 'I don't know anyone who has done this for 20 years!' And 'when you put it out it STINKS!' LOLLLLL!!! 😂 As has been said, line dried washing smells lush!

That poster is clearly one of those people who tumble dries EVERYTHING... All. Year. Round.

No matter what time of year it is or how wonderful the weather is, into the tumble dryer it goes!. Imagine having weeks on end (MONTHS even!) of dry, hot, balmy weather, and drying your washing in the tumble dryer! Nuts! 😆

@Firefliesdancing YANBU, your neighbours are weirdos PMSL! I'm a bit worried for you though as they have the makings of nightmare neighbours, now they've been butthurt by you asking them nicely to leave your washing alone in future.

.

How do you get to their back door?

Why does it stink where you live? You must be outside of the Uk.

It’s fantastic weather for drying clothes at the moment! Done in an hour outside today.

Am I the only one who thinks they were just trying to be nice and have cut them some slack? Yes it's a faux pas but I’m always more tolerant if I know an action has come from a kind place.

you can't have travelled much if you haven't seen clothes hung outside!

Yes it's very common. And better for the environment. I think they smell much nicer dried outside, and surely far nicer than the musty smell of things half-dried on a radiator or whatever the many people who don't have the money or space for a dryer have to use.

Yes you are the only one 😂

Is this a thing then, the clothes stinking when hung outside?

I hadn't hung clothes out for years but yesterday had to wash some towels and it seemed ridiculous putting the dryer on.

I got the towels out of the machine within 5 mins of it finishing and hung them out. Forgot about them until this morning and can't believe how bad they smell, like musty and off.

How can they be musty and now need rewashing?

So baffling!

Yeah it used to be a fairly traditional thing to do. To help another neighbour. Maybe the lady couldn’t bear to see it get drenched. Shame she ruined the kindness by getting offended.

I totally get the smoking smell though. I’d be the same if it had picked up fabric softener stench

No I admire OP saying no thank you ..but think the initial act was an attempt to be neighbourly

I think if you decide to use a ladder to rescue your neighbour's washing (neighbours you barely know) you have moved from neighbourly to weird.

No way in hell would I tolerate this; or live next door to someone who thought this was ok!!

Maybe you've been living nextdoor to someone who thinks it's ok for years but never had the intention of doing it themselves 😱

It just doesn't bear thinking about.

I knew this one, but I am constantly looking up acronyms and initialisations when I'm on Mumsnet. People blithley throw them around assuming everyone else knows them too. Threads about education, employment issues and the benefits system are the worst!

Thanks for the replies everyone, sorry I dropped off the house is just so hot 🥵 I do think they were trying to be nice but it got a little awkward when I said can you not do it again please. We wasn’t expecting a knock on the door so I do feel a little uneasy as a neighbour further up had a run in with them last year when they interfered with something to do with their extension. They put an objection in even though it didn’t affect them in the slightest.

My DH wasn’t impressed only because they had come over the back with ladders. It was the kids idea for the chocolates they’ve been doing kindness week at school.

Well any funny business and I’ll post back for some advice ☺️

Are you the neighbour and took the clothes in because you thought using a line was weird? Really bizarre comment. I would hazard a guess that the majority of people
dry their washing on the line in summer, given only about half of people have a tumble dryer anyway.