Have just put a wash on line.............

Looks clean, smells ok - it's fine. You weren't thinking of doing it again were you?

Yes, and so should be okay sometimes just washing in just water gets out dirt although I suppose the detergent must help . I like you have put a line of washing first time for lots of days and it is so lovely to see it flapping in the wind .!!!

Came home from work one day, took washing out of machine only to find that it had done a full wash with out any water. Little did I know that day that the water was turned off for a few hours, just as my washing machine was working. I had washing covered in powder and fabric snoftener ugh !!!

Yep I agree nothing quite like a line of washing blowing in the breeze, in fact mines already dry maybe I should go get it in and see if there is anything that actually needs to be ironed.. I'm getting lazy in my middle age, the less I iron the better I like it.. I only iron OH's work shirts in the Summer now cos who knows they are ironed when he has a sweater over them.. the rest gets folded and laid in the airing cupboard, no one but me even notices anymore.

I have to admit that's why I like my tumble-dryer - less (in fact no!) ironing.

But I do love drying clothes on the washing line as well. They smell so much fresher.

MIL visited with an old friend of hers once, when I had two small children and had a line of washing blowing in the wind, sheets, pillow-slips, table cloths, cotton shirts, the lot.

It was dry enough to take in but I was leaving it until I had time to take it down quietly and fold it while it was still smooth - hated ironing.

Lovely old friend kindly brought it in for me. She announced that she had put it into the clothes basket, ready to iron. So she had - each thing rolled and screwed up tightly into a ball and squeezed into the smallest space possible and crushed and wrinkled beyond using without an iron. Not helpful.

Having only used the tumble dryer twice the winter before last I decided to get rid of it (it was old left here by previous owner of house) I haven't missed it once, I just put up the airer in the spare bedroom with windows open if it rains and it drys overnight. But I mostly just don't do washing on wet days if I can help it and it all generally goes out on the line.. which is ok when you are retired of course.. lol

I love having washing on the line and the fresh smell after it has been blowing dry.When we first moved here over 3 yrs ago I discussed with my downstairs neighbour the thought of having a whirley clothes line in the back communial garden,not a problem with me says neighbour so I buy one and place it ajacent to our back garden windows (me upstairs her down) and thought thats fine now I can put all my bed linen and towels to blow,I had just got back upstairs and another neighbour at the very end of the row shouted to her upstairs neighbour,"have you seen this looks like a chinese laundry now that "Blonde One" down the block has put this in the garden ? well where am I supposed to put it please? apparantly she sends all her washing and ironing to the laundry service,I was most upset not about the chinese laundry comment but being called "that Blonde One"

Have got it in, and it's all back on the bed! Dried a treat in the sun and the breeze., Smells nice and no ironing needed.

Is detergent a big con?!

Elegran yes, that's what they used to do. To keep it damp for ironing! You sure she didn't 'damp it down' for you?

annika, how weird! My washing-machine won't work without water! Even if it is switched on, it won't start.

Mine wouldn't work either. It's programmed to have a certain level of water in it before the cycle starts.

jingle It would not surprise me. It was nice and dry before she got at it.

This was an old washing machine, it would also over fill if it felt your back was turned !!!
My new all singing, dancing machine will not work with out water and will shut down if it fills with too much water.

There is nothing quite like getting into a freshly made bed, cotton sheets washed and dried then ironed and put out in the sunshine for a final airing.
P.S. has anyone tried those balls obviate the need for detergent?

I used wash balls for a few years but everything went grey so I've gone back to perfume-free detergent.

I don't think wash balls work, someone I know used them and the laundry was unacceptable.
Could not manange without the dryer especially for towels, too scatchy otherwise.
Those of you who had sun today were lucky, fog rolled in last night and stayed all day.

Thanks, I'll avoid washballs then and stick to my non-biological detergent.
Harrigran I too use a drier for towels (very hard water here so they dry as stiff as boards) but finish them off with a good blow on the line. Best of both worlds!

I do the opposite. I find if towels dry on the line, especially in strong sunlight, they go hard, so I finish them off with a quick whizz in the tumble-dryer and it softens them!

I couldn't get on with wash balls, but I do use drier balls which seem to do what they are supposed to do - I rarely get any static build-up in articles dried with them.

I am guessing that I am the only member who washes by hand as I have no room for a washing machine. I do take my bedding to the launderette or to my good friend's house - not only does she wash it, but irons it too, which is something I never do for myself!
When the weather is good, I put the wet washing out on the balcony on a little airer that hooks over the railing. When that is impossible, I have seven lines over the bath - they are retractable.
One of the things I enjoy on my visits to New Zealand is hanging out the family's washing on the rotary airer, but my daughter is very meticulous about the way things are hung!
I am thinking of buying an old-fashioned spin drier for next winter as they are small enough to fit in my bathroom. The only firm that seems to sell them is La Redoute, for €140.

Spin dryer sounds a good idea. They used to get things nearly dry although they did bounce around a bit and perhaps the new ones are better. You can also get little washing machines that are meant for caravans - I think you turn a handle but it doesn't sound like you need that.

I've just done the 5th wash since arriving at DD3 - most of it has been cluttering up the house as it's been wet, but I bit the bullet this morning and have pegged out what seems like a hundred babygro's and dozens of 2 year old's leggings. Widow Twanky comes to mind!!