I used to line dry everything in the summer months, and have always had lines in my laundry room for the large amounts of synthetic athletic wear and other delicates that make up the household laundry. The new house doesn't have an outdoor line nor is it conducive to one - steep backyard, but I hang DS's heavy cotton gui's from heavy duty plastic hangers hooked on planter hooks under the deck!

DH does the ironing, but neither of us come from a tradition of ironing smalls, let alone socks. Shirts, certain pants or trousers (cotton, chino), *not* jeans, pillow cases, *not* towels, table clothes, napkins.

There was some debate over ironing flannel shirts - with ironing winning the day.

I do remember my mother ironing the sheets, but never socks! That's just plain crazy.

With the exception of underpants, camis, and socks, I don't put any of my clothes in the dryer. Because of pollen and sun fading, I don't hang any of my clothes out on the line either. DH's work clothes do go on the line.

My mother line-dried everything, in the rural-suburban US. When my parents built their new house (rather fancy compared to the one I grew up in, designed by an architect) the architect was aghast that they'd put a clothesline in the yard - but it's on 5 acres, completely secluded from sight of anyone!

I line-dry everything except underwear, socks, and some gear. I don't have a yard, so I have to do it indoors with a fan and an open window. I'd love to be able to take advantage of the sunlight - the UV helps kill stinky bacteria.

This neighborhood was working class until recently (NY Times article today about our gentrification situation, in fact) and the old apartments have back "laundry porches" with clotheslines. My house doesn't have one, alas. I want to stay in the city but my dream is to have a tiny backyard with a clothesline in the sun, like my previous apartment.

My "smalls" are line drying as I write this. I line dry as much as I can. In the winter I have to line dry inside and use the dryer for big items. I never use the iron. Not sure where it is. Maybe I don't have one.

I know sock and smalls ironing happens... I myself have never witnessed it

As for line drying smalls, what I remember is they get hidden behind the sheets and towels...

Where I grew up in South America most places--even tiny apartments--have a laundry room with huge windows so that one can line-dry clothes year-round. Even if it's raining, even if it's cold (though with damp winters it can take days to get the clothes fully dry). Then again temperatures never go below freezing so one can keep the windows open. Laundry racks are hung from the ceiling so they can be lowered and raised with a pulley; this way the clothes hang up high and you still have room for your washer and other stuff below. Also, everyone has a big laundry sink because people do a lot more handwashing than here. When I came to the US I was at a loss as to where I was supposed to do my handwashing.
I miss this designated laundry room, and the indoor clothes line would work well here even in cold climates because indoor heating helps dry out the clothes fast. Having said this, I wouldn't want to give up any space from my condo to make room for a separate laundry room--the stacked washer/dryer in the bathroom is a more efficient use of space (if not of energy).

I'm just like you - I only iron when it's absolutely necessary (and to me that's almost never). I also put my underwear out to dry. I have thought about it, but it just comes down to that I can't be bothered.

However, when I lived in London some years ago working as a nanny, I'd do some ironing. And they wanted EVERYTHING ironed. Clothes, linen, underwear - even the kids underwear! Oh my.

Great topic! Like Sharon, a fellow Australian, we always line dry everything - the sun is free, and everything smells so fresh out in the air! In Sydney I would use the dryer sometimes in winter, but here in Brisbane so far I haven't needed it. The only thing I pop in the dryer are my son's school uniform shirts - ten minutes in the dryer and they don't need an iron!
Which leads me to ironing socks! Wow, I don't iron clothes let alone socks. My husband irons his work shirts and occasionally something of mine. But I try to purchase things that don't need too much pressing, I'm terrible at it. It would be my worst chore, if I ever did it!
Just thinking the only time I hide the smalls on the line is when my teenage nephews are here to visit - I don't think they need to be traumatised!!

My Nan (grandmother) totally used to iron everybody's socks and underwear. I remember, as a child, thinking how weird that was. Not wanting to pile more work on her shoulders, I tried to stop her, but to no avail. I think she took pleasure in ironing. Different generation, I guess.

As for hanging undergarments out on the line -- I rather think that those who find it "gross" are prudish. Maybe it's an American Puritan holdover. Nobody worries about that sort of thing in England. In Canada, I don't know what the deal is. I don't see a lot of washing out on the line in my neighbourhood, except for the Philippino family next door -- and since they are immigrants, I expect their customs are not typically Canadian. The main reasons I don't line dry (even though we have the Cadillac of clotheslines, thanks to the previous owners) is that (a) I'm a bit lazy and I find it easier to hang stuff on the rack in my basement, and (b) it rains too much!

Come to think of it, I don't know if they hang their undies or not. I've never looked closely at their line.

I don't iron socks.

We line dry and hang everything we can, including "smalls." Our yard is private. Once in a while, a visitor pops in and I wonder about what is on the line, but then I shrug and try not to worry about it.

Central Europe here. We have a four seasons climate and I have never used a dryer. We have a drying rack in the house in one of the spare rooms, positioned in front of the radiator. The rack is used when it's raining outside and in winter. In spring and summer, the clothes are hanging outside. This is the first time I questioned whether it's strange that our underwear is on display like that My neighbours also have their clothes lines "on display" and I have never even thought about looking at what they are drying. We line-dry everything - socks, "smalls", linen, jeans, gear clothes etc. With regard to clothes fading due to being exposed to the sun, surely the tumbling in the dryer is much harsher? But I do watch out in summer that white clothes don't get yellow from the sun.
Ironing socks? Never heard anyone mention it before.

Another CE here:-). I never owned a dryer, and I always linedryed all the laundry in the backyard (and on the reverse for no fads) but out of sight(!) OR on some racks(and the heaters)in the house when rainy, or winter (but out of sight, indoors, too!:-)) and with special care of the smalls, which are always hidden by/between other bigger things:-).

A special laundry room would be really nice and useful but unfortunately no place for it.

I iron like crazy. ALL the stuff, bedclothes, tableclothes, kitchen towels, PJ's, camis, tees, jeans included. Just NOT the socks. And NOT the knickers, either:-).

We don't own a tumble dryer so if the weather is up to it I line dry everything including smalls, if the weather's not playing ball I dry things on a line in the garage, on clothes horses in the utility room, on a rack over the bath or on hangers in the spare room. I never iron anything, I find if I don't over fill the machine, get things straight out and hang them carefully to dry and fold them and put straight away once dry that nothing is creased x