'It's not dangerous', says uncle who climbed out of Bedok flat window to dry clothes

It has been a particularly wet January so far, leaving most people's laundry at the mercy of the elements, and it seems like one elderly man has had enough of damp clothes.

So stressed was the 74-year-old that he decided to take matters into his own hands by hanging his clothes to dry in a rather unusual location — on a rack balanced precariously on a ledge outside the window of his 10th floor flat in Bedok Reservoir. 

In order to reach the clothing rack, the half-dressed man swung a leg over the window before bending at the waist to lean down. He was seen hanging up at least three shirts and several pairs of pants, reported Lianhe Wanbao.

The dangerous act was spotted by a resident who lived in the opposite block on Tuesday (Jan 12) and informed the Chinese evening daily of what had happened.

The uncle told the paper that he had been unable to dry any of his laundries, no thanks to the incessant rain. Hanging his clothes by the aircon compressor had been his last-ditch attempt at salvaging the situation.

When asked what he thought of his actions, the elderly man smiled and said "It's fine, it's not dangerous", much to the chagrin of his younger sister.

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Once his sister started to chastise him, the elder turned around and shut himself in his room.

While that aren't any specific laws that state sitting by the window (or hanging laundry outside of the designated area) is an offence, the man could potentially cause a high-rise hazard if his clothing rack fell off the ledge.

According to the Housing Development Board's rules against killer litter, placing objects in a hazardous manner within or outside a flat carries a fine of up to $2,000.

rainercheung@asiaone.com