Washing Habits: On the Line

Living in the same apartment for 12 years and sharing a communal laundry, I have had ample opportunity to observe – and be surprised by – the laundering habits of my neighbours. Particularly in the way people hang their washing on the line, all higgledy-piggledy, pegs jammed any which way, and altogether arranging their laundry so as to take the maximum length of time to dry.

I don’t know about you, but my mum taught me stuff. I undoubtedly didn’t want to listen and wasn’t at all interested, but through a process of unwilling osmosis, absorbed her wisdom over the years.

Garments – vintage or otherwise – are more delicate when they are wet, so it is always best to take care so your clothes will last as long as possible. Obviously it is best to read the care label on your garment, but apart from items that need to be dried flat, these don’t instruct you on the art of drying.

These are some tips for hanging washing I picked up from my mum:

1. Make sure the drying surface is clean (dirt! spiderwebs! bird poo!)
2. Turn garments inside out to prevent fading
3. Dry knits, silks, and other delicate garments flat, and in the shade
4. Hang garments by their thinnest sections, ie, trousers by their legs, not by the waistband which is the thickest part and will take longest to dry
5. Peg garments on seams or find ugly peg marks in your dry clothes
6. Hang dresses, coats etc on coathangers; fasten the coathanger to the line with a piece of ribbon so it isn’t blown away by the wind (or you may be able to find special hooks that clip to the clothesline in a hardware store) – it takes less space on the line too
7. Preferably dry vintage garments flat, or folded over a seam; eg, the waistband of a dress
8. If you do share a clothesline with your neighbours, it is only polite to hang laundry neatly with an economic use of line – don’t spread it out with big gaps in between each item – and don’t leave it out for days!
9. Before you bring it in, give your washing a shake to smooth out creases and loosen any bugs and spiders that might have taken refuge inside
10. Fold items neatly as you go – it makes it easier to put them away, and in case you don’t immediately, they won’t develop ugly creases until you muster the energy for ironing

Once upon a time women dried their laundry on scented bushes such as lavender so their garments would be impregnated with their delicious scent. These days we’ve been reduced to liquid fabric softener, sigh.

Women drying laundry on the gorse, Vale of Health, Hampstead Heath, by Scott McFarland