A thing of the past

I never did, but that was for a very different reason. Our old puss (RIP) used to go knicker hunting, no matter how securely pegged or hidden, she would find them and carry them around the hose depositing them in all sorts of strange places. She used to make little calling noises when she did this. The real problem though, was when she came back from one of her expeditions with knickers that I knew full well were not mine. Some very racy ones, some extremely large and others that should have seen the light of day.

I have to admit that I was never bold enough to display them in the front and ask the neighbours to reclaim their own.

I always remember the washing line as a child, especially on the occasions when my mother would put an old sheet over the line and secure it into the ground for us, so we could play in our very own makeshift tent.

I don't have one, but prefer to dry washing outside on an airer whenever possible, a very good run this summer. Occasionally I put shirts on hangers and hang them from the branch of a small tree we have, which seems to annoy my husband for some reason, says it looks like Widow Twanky's. Today it's coming down cats and dogs for the first time in ages, so the "shirt tree" isn't bearing any cotton fruit!

I have a condenser tumble drier but use it only if I really have to. In the winter I put the clothes horse in the spare bedroom in front of the radiator.

I have two indoors airers which I use all the time in winter or wet weather. stuff, big or small, dries overnight on them during the months when we use some indoor heating. If it's dry and windy outside, I hang every washed thing outside. Probably half the time they need to be hung on the indoor airers as well to finish off because of the high humidity of the outdoors where I live and the low average temperature.

The smalls go with the rest of the laundry, wherever it goes.

I actually use the tumble dryer (which is a fossil of the species) more in summer (10 minutes) because when we don't have the heating on it's the same here as janea finds – washing doesn't get really dry outside, just not so wet. I'm just as much of a perfectionist about such things as anyone else. I have a lot of experience of mould.

So I still don't really understand in a general way why people separate the smalls from the rest. overthehill's system makes sense and mice's amusing story.

Thanks JaneA - I've lived away from the north for 12 years now and forgot the residual damp feel from line dried clothes!

Another question folks! All of this drying wet laundry on airers - does it not cause mould on walls etc. ?

Yes gagagran I think it can produce loads of condensation and associated problems, particularly when rooms are not well ventilated. I do have an ancient tumble drier which I use in extremis, but I nip down to my local launderette and use the drier there for bedding, towels etc. Since having a combi boiler installed, I really miss my airing cupboard.

One of the joys of this summer has been the pleasure of hanging all the washing outside - now back to the rainy season here in Manchester.

I love hanging washing outside, I have had to buy hurricane strength pegs, so it doesn't blow away into the distance. I have a washer dryer, but I dislike using the dryer, its only been used once and that was when my daughters came on holiday, bringing what seemed to be the family wash with them.
I also have a pulley in the utility room which is placed over a large chest freezer so it dries quite quickly, I do not iron so I much prefer it dried outside to get the creases out

Gagagran

no mold proplems here.

I do have a tumble dryer and put the towels in for 15 mins then hang outside to make them fluffy.

I only use the tumble dryer if we've been away and there's lots of washing.

I love hanging clothes outside and do so whenever I can, including the smalls - but OH, who mainly to be honest does the washing, hates hanging stuff outside, as he thinks the birds will use it for target practice.

I like to hang my washing outside, weather permitting. If I hang my smalls (well, more Bridget Jones's type really), I like to hang them on the inside of the rotary then camouflage them with larger items around them.
I bash the towels around in the tumble drier for about 10-15 minutes first to soften them up.
The only problem is, as Mishap says, the birds use the line for target practice, particularly as it is on the 'run' between their trees and our blackcurrant bushes which they love!

Everything gets put in the airing cupboard to finish off, ironed stuff and everything else nicely folded. DH put a hanging rail in there as well as the shelves. One reason why I haven't yet changed our boiler.

Years ago I remember washing being pinched off our communal line when we lived in married quarters. No accounting for some tastes.

I've got a little round plastic thing, - about the size of a large dinner plate, with lots of pegs hanging off it. So I hang all my smalls on there, then hang it on the whirly washing line. It's so quick and easy to bring it in when dry, or if it rains.

Like Henetha and rosequartz, I hang the smalls on the inside of the rotary dryer, and the bigger stuff on the outside. In my mind this means that the larger items get the extra sun they need, but it's also to protect the vulnerable - our garden is very open to public view!

I was sceptical when my OH suggested the rotary dryer, to give us more lawn space, but it takes much more washing than the clothes line ever did. My little DGS2 loves it when I push him in his toy car through the flapping clothes - it's like his own little ghost train!

I use a tumble dryer in bad weather though, and for the cat basket and bedding - every time I wash it it seems to produce enough fur to stuff a small cushion.

Must say I did once have a rotary but thought the clothes on the inside took too long to dry so went over to a bog standard line.

I have never had a tumble dryer. I have a whirligig washing line and have space to dry clothes under cover. In some houses we have lived in we have had a utility room, currently I have space for an airer in the garage.

The best indoor dryer I have ever had was in the first house we owned which had warm air central heating. There was a warm air vent over the bath which ran along the window wall. I would wait until the heating came on, put the washing on an airer over the bath and open the small top bathroom window, then shut the bathroom door. The washing would be dry and ready for ironing within two hours and the washing was out and away before anyone wanted a bath. Still miss it!

The whirligigs here are so much smaller than those in Australia - I love DD's huge rotary drier with so much space in between the rows of washing lines. Well, love is perhaps an exaggeration .....

Blimey I simply can't believe that there are people around who actually look at what is on other's clothes lines - how sad is that!!!!!

Far more worrying I would have thought to those strange people who worry about knickers bras and pants would be lack of them - commando anyone? or too poor to afford them

GOOD GRIEF

That's what used to get stolen off the communal washing lines in married quarters whitewave

What did? underwear? why?

I think the culprits were teenage boys from a neighbouring estate. Perhaps they needed them for polishing cloths/dusters/rags to clean their shoes or bikes, who knows? I will not speculate further.

Oh

Do you remember the contraptions on the outside of public ladies' toilets where you put your 1p in a slot and the door opened ?

I was in London recently and the cost at Paddington Station was 20p, some kind young girl offered to pay for me. I was all dressed up to meet my friend for our annual lunch out, so I didn't look destitute. just in need of a quick loo break.

Word of warning....keep little children away from the whirligig driers when they are down with the loops of rope hanging down - bit of a hanging danger I'm told.

Some men have a knicker fetish!

I use my line every day, only using the dryer when its raining. I put washing out in a hard frost and find them dry or almost and just need airing. I don't iron unless Im doing work clothes, going out somewhere special or DGD dresses. Undies go on a little whirligig thing that someone else has mentioned and they are usually dry next day. I don't care who sees my undies.

I have a whirligig clothes line and try to wash when the weather is good - wind being free. (Small things like knickers go in the middle where the lines are short and big things like sheets and towels on the outside.)

I believe tumble dryers are rather power thirsty so try to avoid using it. Poor old thing is on it's last legs anyway.