Washing Lines

Same for retractable lines ...

Which rarely get retracted. It is such a hassle to reach between tubs of plants on the patio to unwind the tensioning loops so the line will retract when it is unhooked from the eye set into the opposite wall that it stays extended all year round.

Mine runs above the path between house and shed ... too sensible I know!

Does that mean if you carry gardening tools etc. out of the shed you risk getting dirt on the washing?

I ask because our washing line runs down a path which leads to the shed and I have to take another, longer, route when carrying stuff.

Neighbour insists that his wife tumbledries all the towels, because when line-dried they end up all 'crunchy'. Work that one out.

I think the real reason is that he works on cars, then goes in the kitchen and washes his filthy hands with washing up liquid but still gets oil and grease all over the towels.

She then tries to get them clean by using extra washing powder. The crunchy feel is unrinsed powder I suspect.

They're almost coming to blows over it. I have suggested that he buys some Swarfega (does it still exist ?), but its like talking to a blank space.

No, it means that even when well-sozzled, he can make his way to the shed to do some angle-grinding or similar :-).

PS. Did anyone see The yorkshire Vet on C5 last night visiting an elderly farming couple near Thirsk.

He was showing the dear lady, who must have been well into her

Not a scrap of PPE in sight :-(

I still use Swarfega. Curious to learn what they use in place of the original plastic abrasive.

I can believe the excess washing fluid as *more must be better* for the discerning housewife:-)

Oatmeal, or walnut shell?

I think that tumble-dried stuff feels fluffier. My untested theory is that the constant movement in the tumbler breaks up any tendency for anything precipitating out, such as hardness in the water, to form a solid structure.

nib

Fluffyness doesn't bother me but other towel users have been kind enough to point out that mine lack fluff.

I've looked into it and there's a whole science devoted to the subject. Seems a cool tumble dry combined with less detergent in the wash and decent towels (Egyptian cotton gets a mention) is a way forward.

SWBMO has her own concoction she uses when she comes in from gardening. Olive oil and (coarse grain) salt. Put Olive oil on hands, & sprinkle on some salt.

Other oils would probably work just as well.

O accidentally found out how to make swarfega. Paraffin (or kerosene or diesel) and Fairy liquid/ Add any abrasive for best results

Towel manufacturers tell you not to use fabric softener for that reason, but I don't see why that should happen with tumble drying.

Since fabric softeners lubricate the fibres by coating them with oil or silicone it's not surprising that they make them less absorbent. I don't know why tumble-drying would though (apart from gradually removing the material as lint).

-- Richard

It's just my personal observation about tumble-drying, although I don't think it affects absorbency as much as fabric softener. I don't have an explanation for it, though.

Fabric softener also makes waterproof garments absorbent. Damned clever stuff.

Look at towels when fluffy and non-fluffy with a magnifying glass.

Towels are made of bits of string which have a twisted structure. In a fluffy towel, the string ends are unravelled, in a non-fluffy towel they have twisted back into strings with hard ends. Fabric conditioner helps them twist back, as does heat. Leaving towels in sunshine after they are dry allows them to get hot and also non-fluffies them.

So the usual recommendations are: no fabric conditioner and no tumble drying, bring them in as soon as they are dry if the sun is shining.

If you need a fluffy towel in a hurry, they can be somewhat restored by a brisk brushing with a stiff brush. Takes a lot of energy, though.

My late wife used to soften our towels by 'cracking' them like a whip. Hold two adjacent corners, one in each hand, arms slightly apart; raise hands fairly slowly then suddenly bring them down very sharply, so that the towel 'cracks; like a whip. Repeat several times, then repeat with the other end. Used to fluff up the towels very nicely. I CBA to go to that trouble!